About the work
"Tiny Alice" is a play by Edward Albee that premiered on Broadway at the Billy Rose Theatre on December 29, 1964, directed by Alan Schneider and starring John Gielgud and Irene Worth.
Plot
A lawyer arranges a billion-dollar donation from the eccentric Miss Alice to the Catholic Church. Brother Julian, the cardinal's naive secretary, travels to her mansion to finalize the details, falls in love with Miss Alice, and eventually discovers that she, her butler and the lawyer worship a miniature model of the house as the deity "Alice"; unable to bear the revelation, he is shot.
Cultural significance
The premiere provoked fiercely divided critical reactions and earned two 1965 Tony nominations (Best Play, Best Author); the play remains one of Albee's most enigmatic works about religion, symbol and power.