The Skin of Our Teeth

The epic comedy-drama is noted as among the most heterodox of classic American comedies, as it breaks nearly every established convention of theatrical performances that was in effect when Wilder wrote it.In addition, time is compressed and scrambled to such an extent that the refugees who arrive at the Antrobus house seeking food and fire include the Old Testament prophet Moses, the ancient Greek poet Homer, and women who are identified as Muses.Act II takes place on the Boardwalk at Atlantic City, New Jersey, where the Antrobuses are present for George's swearing-in as president of the Ancient and Honorable Order of Mammals, Subdivision Humans.The stage manager interrupts the play-within-the-play to explain that several members of their company can't perform their parts, possibly due to food poisoning (as the actress playing Sabina saw blue mold on the lemon meringue pie at dinner).The stage manager drafts a janitor, a dresser, and other non-actors to fill their parts, which involve quoting philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle to mark the passing of time within the play.Similarities between the play and James Joyce's novel Finnegans Wake (1939) have been noted[1] — such as a family that represents the totality of humanity, cyclical storytelling, and copious Biblical allusions.Norman Cousins, editor of the Review, printed a short article by Joseph Campbell and Henry Morton Robinson titled "The Skin of Whose Teeth?[...] I phoned Robinson, and I said, "Good God, here's Wilder making tons of money and a lot of fame on this thing, and it's simply Finnegans Wake.""[4]Campbell claimed to have compared Finnegans Wake and the book form of The Skin of Our Teeth and found "nearly two hundred and fifty analogues—characters, themes, and finally a four-line, word-for-word quote.[6] The New Yorker magazine's Wolcott Gibbs satirized Campbell and Robinson's accusations in a December 26, 1942, piece called "Finnegan's Teeth.It starred Blair Brown, Harold Gould, Sada Thompson, Rue McClanahan and Jeffrey Combs, and was directed by Jack O'Brien.
The Skin of Our Teeth (film)Skin of my teethDon FreemanThornton WilderShubert TheatreNew Haven, ConnecticutEnglishPulitzer Prize for DramaPlymouth TheatreBroadwayElia KazanMary Percy SchenckallegoryNew JerseyKing James BiblearchetypesBiblicalclassicalLilithrape of the Sabine womenice ageSodom and GomorrahRoaring Twentiesrecitativeactors directly addressing the audienceamalgamalphabetmultiplication tablesOld TestamentBoardwalkAtlantic City, New JerseyNoah's Arkgeneralhuman racestage managerblue moldlemon meringue pieAristotlealternate historyJames JoyceFinnegans WakeSaturday ReviewNorman CousinsJoseph CampbellHenry Morton RobinsonGertrude SteinAlice ToklasThe New YorkerWolcott GibbsTallulah BankheadFredric MarchFlorence EldridgeMontgomery CliftVarietyNew York Drama Critics AwardMiriam HopkinsGladys GeorgeLizabeth ScottunderstudyBostonLaurence OlivierVivien LeighCecil ParkerGeorge DevineGranada TelevisionRuth DunningANTA TheatreEdinburgh Gateway CompanyAmerican PlayhouseOld Globe TheatreBlair BrownHarold GouldSada ThompsonRue McClanahanJeffrey CombsPublic TheaterShakespeare in the ParkDelacorte TheaterCentral ParkKristen JohnstonJohn GoodmanFrances ConroyTheatre for a New AudienceObie AwardLileana Blain-CruzVivian Beaumont TheaterTony AwardsPublic TheatreVivian BeaumontFrances HeflinGabby BeansE.G. MarshallBest Actress in a PlayBest Direction of a PlayBest Scenic Design of a PlayBest Costume Design of a PlayMontana Levi BlancoBest Lighting of a PlayBest Sound Design of a PlayChicago ReaderCampbell, JosephNovato, CaliforniaAdaline GlasheenUniversity College DublinGibbs, WolcottTVTimesInternet Broadway DatabaseInternet ArchiveThe Long Christmas DinnerThe Happy Journey to Trenton and CamdenOur TownThe Merchant of YonkersThe MatchmakerThe Bridge of San Luis ReyThe Woman of AndrosIdes of MarchThe Eighth DayTheophilus NorthThe Happy JourneyHello, Dolly!Amos WilderCharlotte WilderJanet Wilder DakinWhy Marry?Beyond the HorizonMiss Lulu BettAnna ChristieIceboundHell-Bent Fer HeavenThey Knew What They WantedCraig's WifeIn Abraham's BosomStrange InterludeStreet SceneThe Green PasturesAlison's HouseOf Thee I SingBoth Your HousesMen in WhiteThe Old MaidIdiot's DelightYou Can't Take It with YouAbe Lincoln in IllinoisThe Time of Your LifeThere Shall Be No NightHarveyState of the UnionA Streetcar Named DesireDeath of a SalesmanSouth PacificThe ShrikePicnicThe Teahouse of the August MoonCat on a Hot Tin RoofThe Diary of Anne FrankLong Day's Journey into NightLook Homeward, AngelFiorello!All the Way HomeHow to Succeed in Business Without Really TryingThe Subject Was RosesA Delicate BalanceThe Great White HopeNo Place to Be SomebodyThe Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon MarigoldsThat Championship SeasonSeascapeA Chorus LineThe Shadow BoxThe Gin GameBuried ChildTalley's FollyCrimes of the HeartA Soldier's Play'night, MotherGlengarry Glen RossSunday in the Park with GeorgeFencesDriving Miss DaisyThe Heidi ChroniclesThe Piano LessonLost in YonkersThe Kentucky CycleAngels in America: Millennium ApproachesThree Tall WomenThe Young Man from AtlantaHow I Learned to DriveDinner with FriendsTopdog/UnderdogAnna in the TropicsI Am My Own WifeRabbit HoleRuinedNext to NormalClybourne ParkWater by the SpoonfulDisgracedThe FlickBetween Riverside and CrazyHamiltonCost of LivingFairviewA Strange LoopThe Hot Wing KingFat HamPrimary Trust