Drinks Before Dinner was first presented by Joseph Papp at the New York Shakespeare Festival, the Public/Newman Theater in New York City on November 22, 1978, with the following cast:
EDGAR Christopher Plummer
JOAN Zohra Lampert
JOEL Charles Kimbrough
CLAUDETTE Barbara eda-Young
MICHAEL James Naughton
ANDREA Maria Tucci
GRACE Virginia Vestoff
ALAN Josef Sommer
BOY John Kimbrough
GIRL Carrie Horner
MAID/HOUSEKEEPER Fiona Hale
Directed by Mike Nichols
Designed by Tony Walton
Lighting designed by Jennifer Tipton
Make-up designed by Way Bandy