''Harlequinade'' is a 1961 Australian TV play based on the Terence Rattigan play ''

Harlequinade ''Harlequinade'' is a British comic theatrical genre, defined by the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' as "that part of a pantomime in which the harlequin and clown play the principal parts". It developed in England between the 17th and mid-19th cent ...

''. It was directed by Bill Bain and aired on 20 December 1961 in Sydney, 7 February 1962 in Melbourne, and 29 May 1962 in Brisbane. It was the first adaptation of Terence Rattigan on Australian television.

Plot

A middle aged couple, Arthur and Edna are appearing in a stage production of ''Romeo and Juliet'' in a small town. They meet a woman who claims to be Arthur's daughter from his first marriage. They realise they are too young to play star crossed lovers.

Cast

* John Alden as Arthur Gosport * Neva Carr Glyn as Edna Selby *Owen Weingott as Fred Ingram *Don Pascoe as Fred Wakefield *Enid Lorimer as Dame Maud *Cherrie Butlin as Joyce *Lou Vernon * Marcia Hathaway *Martin Redpath *Peter Stewart *Frank Taylor *Alan Tobin *Hilary Linstead

Production

It starred Cherrie Butlin who was the daughter of

Billy Butlin Sir William Heygate Edmund Colborne Butlin (29 September 189912 June 1980) was a South African-born British entrepreneur whose name is synonymous with the British holiday camp.''#refRiverside, American Heritage Dictionary 2004'', p. 135.#refSc ...

; she had lived in Australia for three years. The set was designed by Philip Hickie.

Reception

The ''Sydney Morning Herald'' called it "skittish and affectionate".

References

1961 television plays Australian television plays {{Australia-tv-film-stub