As Helen Keller The Miracle Worker

Abigail Breslin pics

Beginning in February 2010, Abigail Breslin made her Broadway theatre debut as Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker at the Circle in the Square Theatre.

Breslin and Pill bring a Miracle to Broadway

The Miracle Worker, starring Abigail Breslin and Alison Pill, is an extraordinary play demonstrating the foundation of the lifelong bond formed between Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan — two stubborn and intelligent individuals who learned from each other.

A revival of the groundbreaking production first written by William Gibson in 1959, this production challenges viewers by critically presenting the issues Keller faced as a bright, though deaf, blind and feral child.

From the very beginning, the audience will be gripped to the story, as Kate Keller tries to calm Helen as she cries in her arms. The tension is immediate. Kate panics when she notices that Helen doesn’t blink when she waves a hand before her face, and she and her husband, Captain Keller, realize that their infant daughter cannot see.

The Miracle Worker.. In the next few moments, an adolescent Helen wreaks havoc while her family argues about how to deal with her. They finally decide to contact one more doctor who might help her lead a normal life and help them lead normal lives.

This is where the vivacious and outspoken Sullivan enters, struggling to win the Kellers’ confidence, despite her lack of experience. She quickly shows them progress, however, by helping Keller make baby steps that seem like strides to the family: teaching Helen to eat with a spoon from her own plate and to fold her napkin.

But, this isn’t enough for Sullivan, who knows firsthand how it feels to be denied the ability to communicate. She believes that Keller can learn to do so, despite her crippling circumstances. Interestingly, she determines that those crippling circumstances are the pity of her parents, rather than her disability itself.

The Miracle Worker.. Sullivan confronts Keller’s parents, explaining that their daughter may never outgrow her tantrums if they continue to coddle her and cave into her demands. “Obedience is the gateway through which knowledge enters the mind of a child,” she says.

Sullivan recognizes that there is a fire to be tamed in Keller — her yearning to be heard. She convinces the family to allow her to coach the young girl in a private setting, where she won’t be able to depend on them. The family gives her a mere two weeks to work a miracle. In 14 days, Keller improves her behavior, learns letters and repeats words that Sullivan forms on her palm.

Although Sullivan is not at all satisfied, she shows the Kellers just how bright their child is, and finally enables them to see that her potential reaches far beyond simple dinner etiquette.

The play poignantly portrays the rough childhood Helen Keller endured before she made milestones for the deaf and blind, along with the obstacles Annie Sullivan overcame, shown through the occasional flashbacks to the life she led with her late younger brother in a horrendous 1800s asylum.

The Miracle Worker.. While the play primarily focuses on the two women, it also depicts the very complex obstacles that Helen’s family faced. She never hears or sees them, but she heavily affects them.

It critically displays the tender relationship between Helen and her parents, the sentimental one Captain Keller shares with his wife and the strained one he shares with his son. All of these intricate details are finely woven into the greater context of Gibson’s homage to two of the 19th century’s most inspirational women.




Abigail Breslin after her Broadway debut in Miracle Worker Abigail Breslin had her Broadway debut on February 12, 2010 in a role of Helen Keller in Miracle Worker (at Circle in the Square theater).

Every member of the cast leaves lasting impressions that seem to touch the entire audience. Abigail Breslin is wonderful and just about perfect in her role as Helen, while Pill is absolutely stunning and surprisingly humorous. Both made sure that the miracle in their characters’ lives was portrayed properly.

A story that is as heartbreaking as it is heartwarming, a moving play that transcends both time and age, and an ambitious production that truly delivers, The Miracle Worker is as genuine as it gets, and must not be missed.