Carson McCullers’ classic novel is adapted for the stage by acclaimed playwright Rebecca Gilman (
Spinning Into Butter) and directed by Doug Hughes (
The Beard of Avon at NYTW,
Doubt).
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is a beautiful and timeless tale about the universal need for human connection.
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter follows the story of a deaf man, John Singer, as he navigates the world without his dearest friend who has been committed to an insane asylum. When Singer moves to a small Southern town, the locals flock to him as a newfound confidant, seeking compassion and understanding from the one person who needs it the most. Singer’s isolation in the world is mirrored in a few of the townspeople he meets along the way – a cafĂ© owner, a rebellious teenager, a black physician, and an idealistic labor organizer whose dreams have been shattered.
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter intertwines the lives of these characters in a surprising way that results in a deeply moving story of outcasts in the South during the Great Depression.
The history – from book to stage:
- Based on the 1940 Best Selling American Literature Classic by Carson McCullers
- A 2004, Oprah’s Book Club feature
- Academy Award Nominated 1968 Movie featuring Alan Arkin,
Sondra Locke, and Cicely Tyson
- Time Magazine 2009 Top 10 List of Plays
- Grand Rapids Civic Theatre presents the Michigan Debut of The Heart is a Lonely Hunter