#the adding machine

March 19, 1923

The Adding Machine is a tragedy in seven scenes by Elmer L. Rice, produced by Theatre Guild at the Garrick Theatre. Scenic and costume design by Lee Simonson. Incidental music by Deems Taylor. It ran there until April 21, when it transferred to (somewhat ironically) the Comedy Theatre where it closed on May 19 for a total of 72 performances. 

Synopsis ~  Mr. Zero is an accountant at a large, faceless company. After twenty-five years at his job, he discovers that he will be replaced by an adding machine. In anger and pain, he snaps and kills his boss. Mr. Zero is then tried for murder, found guilty, and hanged, only to wake up in a heaven-like setting known as the Elysian Fields. Mr. Zero then begins to operate an adding machine until the boss of the Elysian Fields tells Zero that he is a waste of space and his soul is going to be sent back to Earth to be reused. The play ends with Zero following a very attractive girl named Hope offstage. 

The play was revived off Broadway in 1956 starring Sam Jaffe.

It was adapted into an award-winning musical titled Adding Machine in 2008.  

The play has become a common offering at university and regional theatres. 

The play was adapted for British television in 1948 and again in 1956. 

It was filmed in 1969 starring Milo O’Shea and Phyllis Diller. 

AUTHOR

Elmer L. Rice (1892-1967) wrote The Adding Machine in 17 days. He was born Elmer Reizenstein in New York City and went to college to become a lawyer. In 1929 he play Street Scene earned him the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Rice was one of the more politically outspoken dramatists of his time. His first Broadway production was On Trial in 1914 and his last was Cue for Passion in 1958.

"Elmer Rice's 1923 expressionist satire seems abrasively modern in its attack on the dehumanizing effect of industrial capitalism.” - The Guardian

CAST

Edward G. Robinson (1893-1973) as Shrdlu. Robinson was born in Romania as Emanuel Goldenberg. He appeared in 40 Broadway plays and more than 100 films during a 50-year career. He is best remembered for his tough-guy roles as gangsters in several films. He was nominated for a Tony Award in 1956 and posthumously given an honorary Oscar in 1973. 

VENUE

Garrick Theatre (67 West 35th Street; 910 seats) opened in 1890 as Harrigan’s Theatre, built by Edward Harrigan (of Harrigan & Hart), who managed it until 1895, when Richard Mansfield took over, renaming it the Garrick. The Shuberts bought it in 1916 and leased it to Otto Kahn, who named it Theatre du Vieux Columbier (for an avant-garde French company). Later, he gave it to the Theatre Guild. The Shuberts resumed management in 1925. After three years of burlesque, it was razed in 1932.

There is also a Garrick Theatre located near Charing Cross in London. It opened in 1889 and is still in operation today. Both venues were named after actor David Garrick. 

The play transferred to the Comedy Theatre where it closed after 72 performances. 

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