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Gary Sinise in the 2001 revival

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest premiered in 1963, one year after Ken Kesey's bestselling novel of the same name was published. Dale Wasserman's stage adaptation made its Broadway premiere, running through 1964. Since then, the play has had two revivals: the first an off-Broadway production in 1971, the second a Broadway production in 2001 with Gary Sinise as McMurphy. A film version released in 1975 was based on the novel, but not on the play.

The 1964 Broadway production starred Kirk Douglas as McMurphy, Gene Wilder as Billy Bibbit, and Ed Ames as Chief Bromden. Kirk Douglas retained the rights to make a movie version of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" for a decade, but was unable to find a studio willing to make it with him. Eventually, he gave the rights to his son Michael Douglas, who succeeded in getting the movie produced. Unfortunately, by this time, Kirk Douglas was deemed too old for the role of McMurphy, and the role was given to Jack Nicholson.

The 2001 Broadway revival won the Tony Award that year for Best Play Revival. It was a Steppenwolf Theater production, directed by Terry Kinney and stared Gary Sinise, Amy Morton, Tim Sampson, Eric Johner, and Ross Lehman.

Prisoner Randle Patrick McMurphy declares himself insane so he'll be transferred to a mental institution, which he believes will be more comfortable than the jailhouse. McMurphy soon finds that his ward in the asylum is run with an iron fist by the domineering Nurse Ratched. McMurphy quickly flexes his individualist muscle in the ward, making a name for himself and causing trouble for the staff. During his stay he attempts to breathe life, masculinity, and individuality back into the submissive and emasculated patients, including the Chief, a tall, deaf-mute Native American. Near the end of the play, McMurphy attacks Nurse Ratched after her tyrannical rule drives one of the patients to suicide. McMurphy undergoes a lobotomy, and when his vegetative body is brought back to the ward, Chief smothers him to end his pain, then escapes the hospital.

The play explores the injustice of treatment on 'mentally ill' patients in the 1950s. Wasserman keeps Chief's importance to the story - somewhat lost in the film - by shining a single spotlight on him. Chief also has what sounds like the ramblings of a madman, but upon closer inspection reveals anti-institutional ideology.

• Mac is presented as a Jesus Christ figure - there are frequent references throughout the play: he removes the nails from Ruckley's 'crucifixion', he refers to 'crown of thorns' and says 'anoint my head', prior to being administered ECT, he says 'Now I know why you are looking at me as if I am Jesus Q Christ' upon finding out his stay could be indefinite, he performs 'miracles' by getting the Chief to speak, and he sacrifices his life in the end for the good of the group - just like Jesus.

Props are vital in this play. Heavy symbolism reveals the Nurses' Station and a divide between the patients and normality, Mac's 'dirty' playing cards as a symbol of rebellion, the therapy circle as a symbol of Nurse Ratched's power and the electric box clearly symbolises freedom. The whole play rails against institutionalization as a key theme. One very amusing event sums it up when the Aide tells Mac he can't use toothpaste at 6am. Following a tirade of sarcasm in which Mac speculates on the dangers of people using toothpaste at the wrong time, Mac takes some soap powder from the Aide's bucket and cleans his teeth with that.

• The two acts are clearly divided over power. In the first act, Mac wins - it ends with everyone pretending to see the ball game on the TV and Nurse Ratched out of control and shouting for order. The second act ends with Nurse Ratched back in control and it is all too much for Chief. He becomes 'big' again and frees Mac from Nurse Ratched by smothering him and then crashes the electric box through the window in a dramatic escape.

The whole audience have identified with Mac throughout the play and therefore leave the play with a firm belief that this kind of treatment is wrong and that should they be incarcerated wrongly, they too would have the dilemma of choosing whether to sacrifice themselves for the good of all. Thus, the play is allegorical of all humanity - from Spartacus, to Jesus, to Martin Luther King: sacrificing oneself for the advancement of humankind.

• One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (novel)
• One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (film)

• One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest at ThatTheatreSite Provides character descriptions and updated audition listings.
• Original Production's ITDb
• 1971 revival's ITDb
• 2001 revival's ITDb