The Royal Family

by George S. Kaufman, Edna Ferber

Genres: Plays, Drama, Theatre, Fiction

174 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1929

About the author

People note American playwright George Simon Kaufman for many collaborations, including Dinner at Eight (1932) with Edna Ferber and You Can't Take It with You (1936) with Moss Hart.

This theatre director, theatre producer, humorist, and drama critic, known as "the great collaborator," wrote very few plays alone.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_...

Reviews

[Sharon Barrow Wilfong · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not much interested in theater, but after reading Act One, an autobiography of Moss Hart and his work with George S. Kaufman I was curious to read their plays.

This is an interesting work. It is about a family of actors and their internal conflict with each other and also their relationships with people outside the acting world.

Not being a successful actor on Broadway, nor having ever aspired to be one, I had a hard time wondering why anyone would cling to that life at the expense of any other, including marriage or children. It seems rather empty.

I also wondered if the play was meant to be ironic. The audience in essence went to a Broadway play with actors acting as....Broadway actors and the plays they acted in. Is this what is meant by "navel gazing".

[Mariangel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a play about a peculiar family. Not in the sense of "You can't take it with you" (which is also by Kaufman), but in the sense that nothing in life matters to them other than the theatre, and they are also fiercely protective of their family.

While I was reading, I was strongly reminded of Memories: An Autobiography. In fact, the brother in the play who appears in New York after leaving Hollywood in a hurry because of a scandal has to be John Barrymore.

[Rob Smith, Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Ferber and Kaufman play is a general insight of their view of the famous performing Barrymore family. If you imagine them in place of their obvious representations in the play, the story is even funnier.

This is just a knock out punch in presenting a time in the lives of entertainers. Much has changed involving entertainment since the late 1920s,but the gist of it all has changed little.

The writing is crisp and direct, as plays should be anyway. The characters are excellently written. The story is wonderful.

Something neat about the copy I have is there are notes made as the play is being presented. Editing lines and the like.

Bottom line: I recommend it. 10 of 10.

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

The family in question is a theatrical family, very full of themselves. They're hounded by the press, caught up in romantic entanglements, trying to decide between new projects and the lure of a quieter life, and creating complications for themselves with lots of shenanigans. It's chaotic fun at times. One can see the Kaufman touch in this one, but I can see why it has fallen out of favor more than some of his other classics, as some of the relationships are a bit dated. As with most of Kaufman's plays, there are far more characters than is typical in the modern theater, which is a bit of an impediment to producing them now, although for the most part, they hold up pretty well for their age.

[Lillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine an American acting family from years gone by probably in the same vein as the Barrymores, Booths, and the Redgraves. This comedy focuses on the stereotypical absurdity of the lives of people in the theatrical profession. There's the matriarch, Fanny Cavendish, who, despite having earned enough money to afford a grand and luxurious house with servants, longs for the hand-to-mouth days when acting was a craft taken very seriously. Along the way, various family members and other members of the profession (agent Oscar Wolfe) come in and out of the house, and even in the profession. Farcical in nature. It helps to read and/or watch some other things that George S. Kauffman wrote.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

A comedy inspired by the Barrymore acting family, this play was a massive hit when it premiered on Broadway in 1927. I love that it features multiple strong female characters, and it’s the rare play where all of the characters would be fun to play. It’s amusing, but the ending changes the tone of the piece, and while I enjoyed it, it’s also not a play I see resonating with modern audiences. Recommended.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a pure comedy, but an interesting play nonetheless. Solid performance at the Guthrie, but some set strangeness at the end I still haven't worked out.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A frenetic play that captures the anxiety I feel right now.

[David Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actors love actors. Life is easers with people you can relate too. Once again I find myself reading a play about a family of actors. The Royal Family is a story parodying the lives of the Barrymore Family. If the names escapes you its ok, the play was first performed in 1929. While most of the comedy comes with wit, there are some bits of physical humor throughout these pages. Too little surprise there is drama in-between these pages. The Cavendish legacy is threatened to be torn apart from the inside, but all turns out well in the end. Kaufman works have their fair share of sarcasm, and I believe that has rubbed off on me as a writer

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Richard Brody's engaging article in The New Yorker, Nov. 2, 2009, "Wild, Wild Wes," he points out that the title of Wes Anderson's "The Royal Tenenbaums" reflects Orwell's "The Magnificent Ambersons" and "The Royal Family" — and as an Anderson fan I had to see (and read) for myself. Sure enough, "Tenenbaums" bears some resemblance to this light and engaging play. In three scenes the fantastic hubris of members of the Cavendish family is entertaining in itself, but as the play develops the reader witnesses the individual evolution of each character — yet how very much each stays the same.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boxer bit character. Rich cluttered drawing room. 3 generations. Fencing scene down the stairs. Family of temperamental actors. East Indian visits with parrot and monkey. 2 police dogs. Grand piano. Matriarch dies abruptly on stage ---THE END. Hard to stage and cast. Stereotypical characters. Meh.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know I read this ages ago but I didn't remember a thing about it. It's kind of an odd duck of a play but the characters are fab even if the plot is non-existent. Edna Ferber always gives us some wonderful ladies, here in three generations!