Paul Zindel's The Effect of Gamma Rays on Manin-the-Moon Marigolds was first produced in 1964 by the Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas. It launched his career as a serious playwright. Nina Vance, head of the Alley Theatre, was so impressed with the play that she took an immediate option on Zindel's next work. The play was also presented on television in October 1966 by the National Educational Television as part of its New York TV Theatre series. The televised version was not very well received, however. In the Dictionary of Literary Biography, Ruth Strickland notes, "Reviewers of the television drama found little to praise." The version shown on television had been cut, however, and this may have caused the unenthusiastic reception.

The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds opened off-Broadway on April 7, 1970, at the Mercer-O'Casey Theatre. This time the reviews were overwhelmingly positive. Zindel was hailed as...