As has been evidenced in great detail over the past 12 months, the I Am Legend Archive is not limited to just the library of editions of the book from around the world.
Whenever I come across a unique associational item, I'm compelled to pick it up. So when I saw a listing for a play adaptation of the novel on eBay, I didn't hesitate acquiring it, operating under the assumption that it was an unsanctioned adaptation.
Had I gone to greater lengths researching it as internet resources became more readily available, I would have found several references to co-author John Mattera mentioning he "had the privilege of working with Richard Matheson on producing a stage version of I Am Legend." Now, as far as I know, this play has never been produced. I have been unable to find any evidence to support that it ever was, and it was not mentioned among Matheson's play adaptations in The Richard Matheson Companion.
Needless to say, the fact that the play appears to have been written with the approval (if not active participation) of Richard Matheson, makes this script all the more important to the Archive. Unfortunately, by the time I found all this out, John Mattera had passed away.
It's interesting to note the number of principal performers specified (6 women and 3 men), given the nature of the story. But clearly, there was more to the play than just Robert, Ben and Ruth; flashbacks would come into play including Virginia, Kathy, Freda Cortman — and in a deviation from the novel, the inclusion of a Cortman daughter, Mandy. The dog, however, is optional?
I have included the first few pages below to share how things are established. Rest assured, the entirety of the script isn't just Ben Cortman shouting, "COME OUT, NEVILLE!"
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