| Writer | John Van Druten, Adapted from the Berlin Stories by Christopher Isherwood |
|---|---|
| Characters | Christopher Isherwood Fraulein Schneider Fritz Wendel Sally Bowles Natalia Landauer Clive Mortimer Mrs. Watson-Courtneidge |
| Setting | A room in Fraulein Schneider's flat in Berlin 1930 |
| Premiere | November 28, 1951 |
| Place | Empire Theatre, New York City |
| Subject | An English writer living in Berlin before the rise of the Hitler regime |
| Genre | Drama |
I Am a Camera is a 1951 Broadway play by John Van Druten[1][2] adapted from Christopher Isherwood's 1939 novel Goodbye to Berlin, which is part of The Berlin Stories.
The title is a quotation taken from the novel's first page: "I am a camera with its shutter open, quite passive, recording, not thinking."[3] The original production was staged by John Van Druten, with scenic and lighting design by Boris Aronson and costumes by Ellen Goldsborough.[1] It opened at the Empire Theatre in New York City on November 28, 1951, and ran for 214 performances before closing on July 12, 1952.[4]
The production was a critically acclaimed success for both Julie Harris as the insouciant Sally Bowles, winning her the first of five Tony Awards of her career for Best Leading Actress in a play, and for Marian Winters, who won both the Theatre World Award and Tony Award for Featured Actress in a Play. The play also won for John Van Druten the New York Drama Critics' Circle for Best American Play (1952).[4] The gossip columnist Walter Winchell reported that humorist Goodman Ace gave an extremely short review of, "No Leica," to the play. This has later been attributed to Walter Kerr.[5]
Original Broadway Cast (1951)
- Christopher Isherwood – William Prince
- Fraulein Schneider – Olga Fabian
- Fritz Wendel – Martin Brooks
- Sally Bowles – Julie Harris
- Natalia Landauer – Marian Winters
- Clive Mortimer – Edward Andrews
- Mrs. Watson-Courtneidge – Catherine Willard
Adaptations
- Film – I Am a Camera (1955) – screenplay by John Collier, music by Malcolm Arnold, starring Julie Harris, Laurence Harvey, and Shelley Winters.
- Broadway Musical – Cabaret (1966) – directed by Hal Prince, book by Joe Masteroff, music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, starring Jill Haworth, Bert Convy, Lotte Lenya, Jack Gilford, and Joel Grey.
- Film Musical – Cabaret (1972) – directed by Bob Fosse, music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, starring Liza Minnelli, Joel Grey, and Michael York.
References
- ^ Van Druten, John (1951). I Am a Camera. Random House, Inc.
- ^ Van Druten, John (1998). I Am a Camera. Dramatists Play Service, Inc. ISBN 0822205459.
- ^ Isherwood, Christopher (1963). The Berlin Stories: the Last of Mr. Norris and Goodbye to Berlin. New Directions. ISBN 0811200701.
- ^ Playbill Vault. "I Am a Camera on Broadway". Retrieved 27 October 2013.
- ^ O’Toole, Garson (October 2, 2025). "Review Origin: "I Am a Camera" "No Leica"". Quote Investigator. Retrieved October 3, 2025.