Play It Again, Sam (play)

Play It Again, Sam
Meirav Shirom and Guri Alfi in Play It Again, Sam, 2010
Written by	Woody Allen
Date premiered	February 12, 1969
Place premiered	Broadhurst Theatre New York City
Original language	English
Genre	Romantic comedy
Setting	New York City, present

Play It Again, Sam is a 1969 Broadway play written by and starring Woody Allen. A substantial hit, it ran for more than a year and helped build Allen's reputation as a performer who could portray a comedic romantic lead as well as the neurotic persona for which he was best known at the time. The play became the basis for a 1972 film of the same name, starring Allen and directed by Herbert Ross.

The play is about a recently divorced film magazine writer, Allan Felix, who is trying to restart his romantic life. Eventually he falls in love (and has a brief affair) with Linda, the wife of his best friend, Dick. During the course of the play, he repeatedly seeks advice from the ghost of his idol, Humphrey Bogart, but eventually decides that he needs to be himself rather than imitating Bogart. Telling Linda that the right thing for her to do is to return to her husband, Felix quotes the famous lines that Bogart delivers to Ingrid Bergman in the last scene of Casablanca.

After 2 previews, the Broadway production opened at the Broadhurst Theatre on February 12, 1969 and ran for 453 performances before closing on March 14, 1970. Directed by Joseph Hardy, the cast included Allen as Allan Felix, Diane Keaton as Linda Christie, Tony Roberts as Dick Christie, and Jerry Lacy as Bogart. Allen left the show near the end of its run and was replaced by Bob Denver.

It was while auditioning for this play that Diane Keaton first met Woody Allen and they began their professional and personal relationship.

A production of Play It Again, Sam opened at the Globe Theatre in London's West End on September 11, 1969, starring Dudley Moore. Australian actor Bill Kerr played the Humphrey Bogart role.

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