Jason Robards at the Old Place: A Play in Two Acts

By: Michael B. Druxman

Narrated by: Tony Bingham

When you think of Jason Robards, you also think of Eugene O’Neill and the tragic, hard-drinking characters he created in The Iceman Cometh, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Hughie and The Moon for the Misbegotten. Indeed, although they never met, Robards is the most celebrated interpreter of the revered playwright.

Robards, the son of a failed actor, Jason Robards Sr., discovered O’Neill’s plays when he was in the Navy during WW2. After the war, without his father’s encouragement, he pursued his own acting career, but it was 11 years and two failed marriages before he finally achieved success, playing “Hickey” in an acclaimed revival of The Iceman Cometh.

Films, more stage plays, and another failed marriage (to Lauren Bacall) followed, before his drinking, a major career disappointment, and his “ghosts” resulted in a near-fatal automobile accident.

Michael B. Druxman‘s two-person play, Jason Robards at the Old Place, is the story of a remarkable survival. It joins the actor just prior to that fateful accident, following his path to recovery, and his winning two Oscars (for All the President’s Men and Julia), as well as other honors.

©2019 Michael B. Druxman (P)2020 Michael B. Druxman