''Cause Célèbre'' or ''A Woman of Principle'' is a 1975 radio play, and the final play by the English author

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 Wan ...

. It was inspired by the trial of

Alma Rattenbury Alma Victoria Rattenbury ( Wolfe, also Clarke, Dolling and Pakenham; 1897/8–1935) was an English-Canadian songwriter and accused murderer. Born and educated in Canada, she was a talented musician and played with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. S ...

and her teenage lover in 1935 for the murder of her third husband

Francis Rattenbury Francis Mawson Rattenbury (11 October 1867 – 28 March 1935) was a British architect although most of his career was spent in British Columbia, Canada, where he designed the province's legislative building among other public commissions. Divorc ...

and first broadcast by the BBC on 27 October 1975. Alma was played by

Diana Dors Diana Dors (born Diana Mary Fluck; 23 October 19314 May 1984) was an English actress and singer. Dors came to public notice as a blonde bombshell, much in the style of Americans Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and Mamie Van Doren. Dors was pr ...

. Rattigan was then commissioned to rewrite it into a stage play ready to be produced in Autumn 1976, but his terminal cancer and casting problems meant he was only able to start work in January 1977, alongside director

Robin Midgley Robin Midgley (10 November 1934 – 19 May 2007) was a director in theatre, television and radio and responsible for some of the earliest episodes of ''Z-Cars'' and for the television version of the Royal Shakespeare Company's ''Wars of the Roses ...

. This stage version premiered at the

Haymarket Theatre, Leicester The Leicester Haymarket Theatre is a theatre in Leicester, England, next to the Haymarket Shopping Centre on Belgrave Gate in Leicester City centre. History The Haymarket Theatre was opened by Sir Ralph Richardson and the opening season started ...

in 1977 before its West End premiere on 4 July 1977 at

Her Majesty's Theatre Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, ...

in London, with

Glynis Johns Glynis Margaret Payne Johns (born 5 October 1923) is a South African-born British former actress, dancer, musician and singer. Recognised as a film and Broadway icon, Johns has a career spanning eight decades, in which she appeared in more than ...

as Alma Rattenbury and Helen Lindsay as Edith Davenport. It received largely positive reviews. Rattigan checked himself out of hospital to attend the opening night. A 1987 television version of the stage play starred

Helen Mirren Dame Helen Mirren (born Helen Lydia Mironoff; born 26 July 1945) is an English actor. The recipient of numerous accolades, she is the only performer to have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting in both the United States and the United Kingdom. ...

as Alma. The stage play itself was revived at the

Old Vic Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary * Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Ma ...

from March to June 2011 to mark Rattigan's centenary, directed by

Thea Sharrock Thea Sharrock (born 1976) is an English theatre and film director. In 2001, when at age 24 she became artistic director of London's Southwark Playhouse, she was the youngest artistic director in British theatre. Early life and education Sharroc ...

and with Alma played by

Anne-Marie Duff Anne-Marie Duff (born 8 October 1970) is an Irish actress and narrator. She is an accomplished theatre actress and has been nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award. She has also received acclaim and awards for her television and film work. After ...

and Edith Davenport by

Niamh Cusack Niamh Cusack ( ; born 20 October 1959) is an Irish actress. Born to a family with deep roots in the performing arts, Cusack has been involved as a performer since a young age. She has served with the UK's two leading theatre companies, the Ro ...

. Reviews were mainly very positive, with ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' calling it a "fine revival," of a play which "stands the test of time." Though the ''

London Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'' regretted that "this is not Rattigan at his most eloquently anguished." A new production of the radio play was aired by

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

on 25 June 2011, again directed by Sharrock, with original music by Adrian Johnston.

Old Vic cast

* Joan Webster ..... Lucy Black * Francis Rattenbury ....

Timothy Carlton Timothy Carlton Congdon Cumberbatch (born 4 October 1939) is an English actor. Early years Carlton was born in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, the son of Pauline Ellen Laing (née Congdon), who died on 11 October 2007, and Henry Carlton Cumberba ...

* John Davenport ....

Simon Chandler Simon Chandler (born 1953) is a British film, television and theatre actor. He often plays senior establishment figures such as Members of Parliament and senior civil servants. Biography Born in 1953 and educated at Bedford School, Chandler's ...

* Croom-Johnson ..... Richard Clifford * Christopher .... Oliver Coopersmith * Christopher (Understudy) - Oscar Dunbar * Edith Davenport ....

* Alma Rattenbury .....

Ewen Montagu Ewen Edward Samuel Montagu (29 March 1901 – 19 July 1985) was a British judge, Naval intelligence officer and author. He is best known for his leading role in Operation Mincemeat, a critical military deception operation which misdirected Ger ...

.....

Rory Fleck-Byrne Rory Fleck Byrne (born 1988) is an Irish actor and composer, known for ''Vampire Academy'', ''Harlots'', '' The Foreigner'' and '' This Is Going to Hurt''. Early life Rory Fleck Byrne was born in England but moved to Ireland when he was nine y ...

* Tony Davenport .... Freddie Fox * Irene Riggs ....

Jenny Galloway Jenny Galloway is a British actress, and singer best known for her stage career which includes Madame Thénardier in Les Misérables. She has received numerous awards and nominations, winning the 1999 Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress ...

* Judge ......

Patrick Godfrey Patrick Lindesay Archibald Godfrey (born 13 February 1933) is an English actor of film, television and stage. Life and career Godfrey was born in Finsbury, London to Rev. Frederick Godfrey and Lois Mary Gladys (née Turner). In 1956 Godfrey ...

* O'Connor .... Nicholas Jones * George Wood .......Tommy McDonnell * Stella Morrison ....... Lucy Robinson * Clerk of the court .....Tristan Shepherd * Casswell ....... Richard Teverson * Wardress ....... Sarah Waddell * Sergeant Bagwell ....... Michael Webber * Coroner ....... Tristram Wymark

References

Terence Rattigan: highlights of the British Library exhibitionLost letters bought for £22 reveal Terence Rattigan's professionalismCause CélèbreReview , Old Vic , Cause Célèbre , Michael Billington
* ttps://www.standard.co.uk/goingout/theatre/cause-celebre-is-not-rattigan-at-his-most-eloquently-anguished-7424195.html Cause Celebre is not Rattigan at his most eloquently anguished 1977 plays 1975 radio dramas British radio dramas Plays by Terence Rattigan Hamish Hamilton books West End plays {{1970s-play-stub