The final play of the season featured Joe E. Brown in the role of Elwood P. Dowd in Mary Chase’s Harvey. The play was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1945. Dowd’s dearest friend is Harvey, a six-foot-plus rabbit, invisible to all but a select few.
The Rocky Mountain News review of the play favorably commented on the performance of Joe E. Brown.
Joe E. Brown IS the lovable lush, Elwood P. Dowd. The enormous white hare becomes almost visible to the audience as Brown smiles at him ever so sweetly or smoothes down his long ears.
Dowd’s wise and philosophical view of life, as seen through a whiskey glass, also makes very good sense at times when expressed by Brown.
Brown was no stranger to the role of Elwood P. Dowd.
The comic said that sometime during the run of Harvey at Elitch, he’ll have invoked the character of the lovable Elwood for the 2,000th time. This means that he’ll have played the part more than any other living person, in addition to performing it in more countries than anyone. “I’ve performed it in Australia, Canada, England and Hawaii,” said Brown. “I took over the part in the New York company when Frank Fay, the originator, gave it up, and played it seven months before it went on the road.
[Borrillo, Theodore A., (2012). Denver’s historic Elitch Theatre : a nostalgic journey (a history of its times). pp. 253-254.]
Seasons at the Theatre
- 1963
Elitch Theatre Productions/Roles:
Notable Roles, Awards, and Other Work:
Elitch Theatre Connections:
Wikipedia Link:
