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Meriel Forbes
Meriel Forbes, Lady Richardson (13 September 1913 – 7 April 2000) was an English actress. She was a granddaughter of Norman Forbes-Robertson and great-niece of Sir Johnston Forbes-Robertson. After making her stage debut with her father's touring company in 1929 she progressed via provincial repertory to the West End, where she appeared continually from the 1930s to the 1970s. She married the actor Ralph Richardson in 1944, and the couple regularly appeared together in London, and on tour in the UK, continental Europe, Australia and North and South America. She appeared in fifteen films between 1934 and 1969. Life and career Forbes was born Muriel Elsa Florence Forbes-Robertson in Fulham, London, daughter of Frank Forbes-Robertson and his wife Honoria, ''née'' McDermot.Morley, Sheridan"Richardson, Sir Ralph David (1902–1983)" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edition, January 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2014 She was educated in E ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Novello Theatre
The Novello Theatre is a West End theatre on Aldwych, in the City of Westminster. It was known as the Strand Theatre between 1913 and 2005. History The theatre was built as one of a pair with the Aldwych Theatre on either side of The Waldorf Hilton, London, both being designed by W. G. R. Sprague. The theatre was opened by The Shubert Organization as the Waldorf Theatre on 22 May 1905, and was renamed the Strand Theatre, in 1909. It was again renamed as the Whitney Theatre in 1911, before again becoming the Strand Theatre in 1913. In 2005, the theatre was renamed by its owners (Delfont Mackintosh Theatres) the Novello Theatre in honour of Ivor Novello, who lived in a flat above the theatre from 1913 to 1951. The black comedy ''Arsenic and Old Lace (play), Arsenic and Old Lace'' had a run of 1337 performances here in the 1940s, and ''Sailor Beware! (play), Sailor Beware!'' ran for 1231 performances from 1955. Stephen Sondheim's musical ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise"."Noel Coward at 70" ''Time'', 26 December 1969, p. 46 Coward attended a dance academy in London as a child, making his professional stage début at the age of eleven. As a teenager he was introduced into the high society in which most of his plays would be set. Coward achieved enduring success as a playwright, publishing more than 50 plays from his teens onwards. Many of his works, such as '' |
The Waltz Of The Toreadors
''The Waltz of the Toreadors'' (''La Valse des toréadors'') is a 1951 play by Jean Anouilh. Plot This bitter farce is set in 1910 France and focuses on General Léon Saint-Pé and his infatuation with Ghislaine, a woman with whom he danced at a garrison ball some 17 years earlier. Because of the General's commitment to his marriage, the couple's love remained unconsummated. Now faced by the reality of retirement with his hypochondriac wife, the General finds himself lost in fond memories of his old flirtation. When Ghislaine suddenly reappears, he is delighted — until he finds himself competing for her hand with a considerably younger suitor. Background The General and his mad wife had previously appeared in Anouilh's 1948 play '' Ardèle ou la Marguerite'', and a further variant on the character appeared in the 1958 comedy ''L'Hurluberlu, ou le Réactionnaire amoureux''. By the time of Anouilh's last play, ''Le Nombril'' (1981), Léon St Pé had transformed into a grouchy and u ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jean Anouilh
Jean Marie Lucien Pierre Anouilh (; 23 June 1910 – 3 October 1987) was a French dramatist whose career spanned five decades. Though his work ranged from high drama to absurdist farce, Anouilh is best known for his 1944 play ''Antigone'', an adaptation of Sophocles' classical drama, that was seen as an attack on Marshal Pétain's Vichy government. His plays are less experimental than those of his contemporaries, having clearly organized plot and eloquent dialogue. One of France's most prolific writers after World War II, much of Anouilh's work deals with themes of maintaining integrity in a world of moral compromise. Life and career Early life Anouilh was born in Cérisole, a small village on the outskirts of Bordeaux, and had Basque ancestry. His father, François Anouilh, was a tailor, and Anouilh maintained that he inherited from him a pride in conscientious craftmanship. He may owe his artistic bent to his mother, Marie-Magdeleine, a violinist who supplemented the family's m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Broadway Theatre
Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Theatre'' as the proper noun in their names (12 others used neither), with many performers and trade groups for live dramatic presentations also using the spelling ''theatre''. or Broadway, are the theatrical performances presented in the 41 professional theatres, each with 500 or more seats, located in the Theater District and the Lincoln Center along Broadway, in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Broadway and London's West End together represent the highest commercial level of live theater in the English-speaking world. While the thoroughfare is eponymous with the district and its collection of 41 theaters, and it is also closely identified with Times Square, only three of the theaters are located on Broadway itself (namely the Broadwa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Sleeping Prince (play)
''The Sleeping Prince: An Occasional Fairy Tale'' is a 1953 play by Terence Rattigan, conceived to coincide with the coronation of Elizabeth II in the same year. Set in London in 1911, it tells the story of Mary Morgan, a young actress, who meets and ultimately captivates Prince Charles of Carpathia, considered to be inspired by Carol II of Romania. Plot In 1911, England, George V will be crowned king in a few days. In the meanwhile, many important guests and dignitaries arrive in Buckingham Palace for the coronation. Among them are: King Nicholas VIII of Balkan country of Carpathia, his father the Prince Regent, Charles, and his grandmother, the widowed Queen Dowager (the royals have probably been inspired by King Michael I of Romania, Carol II of Romania and Queen Marie of Romania.) The British government pamper the Royals during their stay in order to maintain Carpathian in the Triple Entente as the tensions between ruling families all over Europe is rising. So, they take Pr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Separate Tables
''Separate Tables'' is the collective name of two one-act plays by Terence Rattigan, both taking place in the Beauregard Private Hotel, Bournemouth, on the south coast of England. The first play, titled ''Table by the Window'', focuses on the troubled relationship between a disgraced Labour politician and his ex-wife. The second play, ''Table Number Seven'', is set about 18 months after the events of the previous play, and deals with the touching friendship between a repressed spinster and Major Pollock, a kindly but bogus man posing as an upper-class retired army officer. The two main roles in both plays are written to be played by the same performers. The secondary characters – permanent residents, the hotel's manager, and members of the staff – appear in both plays. The plays are about people who are driven by loneliness into a state of desperation. Synopses In ''Table by the Window'', Martin, a once-rising politician, now turned to drink, is dining with his ex-wife, w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Terence Rattigan
Sir Terence Mervyn Rattigan (10 June 191130 November 1977) was a British dramatist and screenwriter. He was one of England's most popular mid-20th-century dramatists. His plays are typically set in an upper-middle-class background.Geoffrey Wansell. ''Terence Rattigan'' (London: Fourth Estate, 1995); He wrote ''The Winslow Boy'' (1946), '' The Browning Version'' (1948), '' The Deep Blue Sea'' (1952) and ''Separate Tables'' (1954), among many others. A troubled homosexual who saw himself as an outsider, Rattigan wrote a number of plays which centred on issues of sexual frustration, failed relationships, or a world of repression and reticence. Early life Terence Rattigan was born in 1911 in South Kensington,Wansell, p. 13. London, of Irish extraction. He had an elder brother, Brian. They were the grandsons of Sir William Henry Rattigan, a notable India-based jurist and later a Liberal Unionist Member of Parliament for North-East Lanarkshire. His father was Frank Rattigan CMG, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Home At Seven (film)
''Home at Seven'' is a 1952 British mystery drama film directed by and starring Ralph Richardson. It also features Margaret Leighton, Jack Hawkins, Campbell Singer and Michael Shepley. It is based on the 1950 play '' Home at Seven'' by R. C. Sherriff. It was shot at Shepperton Studios with sets designed by the art directors Vincent Korda and Frederick Pusey. The film is Richardson's only work as director. Guy Hamilton was assistant director. It was released on DVD in the UK on 30 June 2014 by Network Distributing. Plot Preston, a City of London banker, returns at 7 pm to his suburban home in Kent one Tuesday evening to discover that he has been missing for 24 hours, yet he does not remember the lost day. He discovers that he was seen at the social club which he is the treasurer of on Monday evening taking 515 pounds from the safe. The man who saw this, Robinson, is found murdered in an allotment the evening he comes home. When questioned by the police he lies that he spent the n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was founded by Arthur B. Sleigh in 1855 as ''The Daily Telegraph & Courier''. Considered a newspaper of record over ''The Times'' in the UK in the years up to 1997, ''The Telegraph'' generally has a reputation for high-quality journalism, and has been described as being "one of the world's great titles". The paper's motto, "Was, is, and will be", appears in the editorial pages and has featured in every edition of the newspaper since 19 April 1858. The paper had a circulation of 363,183 in December 2018, descending further until it withdrew from newspaper circulation audits in 2019, having declined almost 80%, from 1.4 million in 1980.United Newspapers PLC and Fleet Holdings PLC', Monopolies and Mergers Commission (1985), pp. 5–16. Its si ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Home At Seven (play)
''Home at Seven'' is a 1950 British mystery play by R.C. Sheriff. The original production, starring Ralph Richardson, opened at the Theatre Royal, Brighton in February 1950. It transferred to Wyndham's Theatre in the West End on 7 March 1950, for a run of 342 performances. ''Variety'' called it "one of the major successes of the legit season." Plot David Preston returns home from work to his wife Janet to find that 24 hours have elapsed without him even realising it, and it is now a day later than he thought. As hard as he tries, he cannot recall the missing day. Evidence then emerges suggesting that he was involved in a theft and murder that happened in the period that he cannot account for. Original cast *David Preston - Ralph Richardson *Dr. Sparling - Cyril Raymond *Major Watson - Philip Stainton *Inspector Hemingway - Campbell Singer *Mr. Petherbridge - Frederick Piper *Mrs. Preston - Marian Spencer *Peggy Dobson - Meriel Forbes Meriel Forbes, Lady Richardson (13 Sep ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
