ALS, one page, 7.25 x 9.5, personal letterhead, December 29, 1931. Letter to Rabbi Louis Israel Newman. In full: “Please pardon this delay but I have been laid up in bed with a cold for a week and have postponed writing you. Thank you for sending me the script of your discourse. I have read it with the keenest interest and wish to express my gratitude for your sympathetic understanding of ‘Mourning Becomes Electra’ and your appreciation of its values.” Central vertical and horizontal folds with slight edge separations, and some chipping and toning to borders, otherwise fine condition.
Upon its October 26, 1931, debut at the Guild Theater on Broadway, Mourning Becomes Electra received stellar reviews. With packed crowds, the show ran through March of the following year, showing 150 performances in the five-month span. An early audience member was poet, playwright, and spiritual leader Louis Newman, who served as the Rabbi at Manhattan’s Temple Rodef Sholom for over four decades. On November 22, 1931, Newman discussed the play before his congregation in a sermon titled ‘The Ethical and Spiritual Themes of Eugene O’Neill’s Masterpiece,’ the script of which he undoubtedly sent to the playwright weeks prior. Apologizing for his delayed response, recovering from a cold in his Park Avenue apartment, O’Neill expresses gratitude for the Rabbi’s insight into his work. Letters from the Nobel Prize–winning writer discussing his great works are virtually unobtainable—since 2000, only one letter mentioning Electra has been sold at auction. This crisply penned piece is a truly remarkable find! Pre-certified PSA/DNA and RR Auction COA.
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