The Great White Hope
Play written by Howard Sackler / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Great White Hope is a 1967 play written by Howard Sackler, later adapted in 1970 for a film of the same name.[1][2]
The Great White Hope | |
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Written by | Howard Sackler |
Characters |
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Date premiered | 1967 |
Place premiered | Arena Stage Washington, D.C. |
Original language | English |
Subject | Pugilism; racism |
Genre | Drama |
Setting | years before and during WWI |
The play was first produced by Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., and debuted on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre in October 1968, directed by Edwin Sherin with James Earl Jones and Jane Alexander in the lead roles. The play won the 1969 Tony Award for Best Play and the 1969 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Subsequent touring companies of the play featured Brock Peters and Claudette Nevins in the lead roles.
The play is based on the true story of Jack Johnson (fictionalized under the character name "Jack Jefferson") and his fight against Jim Jeffries, Johnson's first wife, Etta Terry Duryea, the controversy over their marriage and Duryea's death by suicide in 1912.[3]