The American Clock

The American Clock is a play by Arthur Miller. The play is about 1930s America during The Great Depression. It is based in part on Studs Terkel's Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression.

The Baum family—father Moe, mother Rose and son Lee are trying to cope during the great Depression of the 1930s. They were wealthy but lost their money during the Depression. They are forced to move from their home in Manhattan to live with relatives in Brooklyn. Lee wants to be a writer (and narrates the play).

The play premiered at the Spoleto Festival U.S.A., Charleston, South Carolina in May 1980.

The play premiered on Broadway at the Biltmore Theatre on November 11, 1980 and closed on November 30, 1980 after 12 performances and 11 previews. The director was Vivian Matalon, with the cast that featured Miller's younger sister, Joan Copeland, who won a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play for her portrayal of Rose Baum. William Atherton portrayed Lee Baum and John Randolph played Moe Baum.

The play was presented by the Royal National Theatre in London in August 1986 at the Cottesloe Theatre, and then transferred to the Olivier Theatre in December 1986. Directed by Peter Wood, the cast featured Michael Bryant as Moe Baum, Sara Kestelman as Rose Baum and Neil Daglish as Lee Baum. This version of the play had been revised from the original Broadway production and included "a jazz band, songs from the 30s, and a music hall spotlight." In the production Rose sits at the piano as the band plays. The play was nominated for the 1986 Olivier Award, BBC Award for the Play of the Year, and Peter Wood was nominated for Director of the Year.

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