Actress Rose Trelawny falls in love with the grandson of a snobbish knight. Unfortunately her visit to her lover's home is a humiliating failure and she finds she can no longer act. But the elderly tyrant relents, unexpectedly developing an interest in the theatre; he even finances a play and finally gives his blessing to Rose and his grandson
A pleasant play about a group of theatre actors, whose young lead lady leaves them to be engaged to a rich young man, but finds the life at his home insufferable. But on her return to the theatre, she finds that the experience has changed both her and her fiancé.
This is trully dreadful. Sadly, we watched the play all they way through. Our attitude may have been adversely affected by the appalling set, which had first a table then a chair directly in our line of sight with actors obscured behind. The first time in our experience that so many actors were upstaged by a table. The play is not seen often and deserves to be seen even less.
I made it to the last of wildeabandon's playreadings and I'm really glad I did. This was a whacky play, SIMULTANEOUSLY a 19th c melodrama and a late 19th c drawing room comedy, and if I was a 19th century-ist I would be putting it on undergrad syllabi at once. A++ work, Arthur Wing Pinero, whoever you were.
Would LOVE to be involved in a production, but as it would lose ALL its attractions if it had anything less than full 1860s dress, i doubt I ever will be.
Cast list: Tom Wrench: Tomas Peter Ferdinand Gadd: Roger Melin James Telfer: Patrick Wallace Augustus Colpoys: alanmapstone Rose Trelawny: Eva Davis Avonia Bunn: Leanne Yau Mrs Telfer (Miss Violet Sylvester): Susan Ferman Imogen Parrott: Sonia O'Dwyer: AidanVox The Gentleman (Mr Denzil): Tom Shortland The Lady (Miss Brewster): adr6090 Vice-Chancellor Sir William Gower, Kt: ToddHW Arthur Gower, his grandchild: Nemo Clara de Foenix, his grandchild: Sandra Schmit Miss Trafalgar Gower: Foon Captain de Foenix: Peter Musgrove Mrs Mossop: TJ Burns Mr Ablett: Treefairy Charles: Peter Musgrove Sarah: Availle Stage Directions: Larry Wilson Edited by: ToddHW