''Harlequinade'' is a comic play by

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 ...

. The play was first performed on 8 September 1948 at the Phoenix Theatre,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, along with '' The Browning Version''.

Synopsis

This is a one act play about a professional theatre company presenting ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

''. The opening night is in the town of Brackley in the English Midlands. The principal characters are Arthur and his wife Edna (who play Romeo and Juliet) and the stage manager Jack. Arthur is horrified to be confronted by his grown up daughter (Muriel) and grandchild, neither of whose existences he had been aware of. To discover that he's a grandfather just before playing Romeo is too much for him. They later learn that he's still married to Muriel's mother (Flossie) and that he is bigamously married to Edna. There are a number of other threads running through this play, such as Jack's attempts to leave the theatre and do a 'real job' and the humdrum world of bit players and the attempts in post-war Britain to bring culture to the masses. It is a funny farce which has a strong satirical element.

Productions

;Original West End production: The play opened on a double bill (''Playbill'') with ''The Browning Version'', at the Phoenix Theatre, directed by

Peter Glenville Peter Glenville (born Peter Patrick Brabazon Browne; 28 October 19133 June 1996) was an English film and stage actor and director. Biography Born in Hampstead, London, into a theatrical family, Glenville was the son of Shaun Glenville (born J ...

, with the following cast: *Arthur Gosport -

Eric Portman Eric Harold Portman (13 July 1901 – 7 December 1969) was an English stage and film actor. He is probably best remembered for his roles in several films for Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger during the 1940s. Early life Born in Halifax, ...

*Edna Selby -

Mary Ellis Mary Ellis (born May Belle Elsas, June 15, 1897 – January 30, 2003) was an American actress and singer appearing on stage, radio, television and film, best known for her musical theatre roles, particularly in Ivor Novello works. After appe ...

*Dame Maud Gosport -

Marie Lohr Marie may refer to: People Name * Marie (given name) * Marie (Japanese given name) * Marie (murder victim), girl who was killed in Florida after being pushed in front of a moving vehicle in 1973 * Marie (died 1759), an enslaved Cree person in T ...

*Jack Wakefield -

Hector Ross Hector Ross (1914-1980) was a British stage, film and television actor. Partial filmography * '' Night Beat'' (1947) - Don Brady * ''Bonnie Prince Charlie'' (1948) - Glenaladale * '' The Man Who Disappeared'' (1951) - Dr. Watson * ''Happy Go L ...

*George Chudleigh - Kenneth Edwards *First Halberdier - Peter Scott *Second Halberdier - Basil Howes *Miss Fishlock - Noël Dyson *Fred Ingram -

Anthony Oliver Anthony Oliver (4 July 1922, Abersychan, near Pontypool, Monmouthshire, Wales—November 1995, London) was a Welsh film, television and stage actor. Selected filmography * '' Once a Jolly Swagman'' (1949) - Derek * ''All Over the Town'' ( ...

*Assistant Stage Manager - Henry Bryce *Muriel Palmer - Thelma Ruby *Tom Palmer -

Patrick Jordan Albert Patrick Jordan (10 October 1923 – 10 January 2020) was a British stage, film and television actor. Biography He was born and raised in Harrow, Middlesex, the son of Margaret, a cook, and Albert Jordan, a regimental sergeant major. An ...

*Mr. Burton -

Campbell Cotts Campbell Cotts (21 April 190219 February 1964) was a Cape Colony-born actor of British stage, film and television. A former barrister and a published poet, Cotts studied at Cambridge and fought in Second World War, attaining the rank of 1st Lieu ...

*Joyce Langland -

Henryetta Edwards Henryetta Edwards (1 January 1926 – 1 May 2021) was a British actress on the London stage, and in films and television, mostly in the 1940s and 1950s. Early life Edwards was born in Chertsey, Surrey, the daughter of actors Henry Edwards and ...

*Policeman - Manville Tarrant ;Original Broadway production : The play opened on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

with ''The Browning Version'', on 12 October at the Coronet Theater, with Maurice Evans playing Arthur and

Edna Best Edna Clara Best (3 March 1900 – 18 September 1974) was a British actress. Early life Born in Hove, Sussex, England, she was educated in Brighton and later studied dramatic acting under Miss Kate Rorke who was the first professor of Drama at ...

playing Edna. ;West End 2015-2016: ''Harlequinade'' was played from 17 October 2015 until 16 January 2016 at the

Garrick Theatre The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play ...

together with one-woman play ''All On Her Own''. The show was played by the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company with

Kenneth Branagh Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh (; born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Branagh trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and has served as its president since 2015. He has won an Academy Award, four BAFTAs (plus ...

playing Arthur and

Miranda Raison Miranda Caroline Raison (born 18 November 1977) is an English actress and voice-over narrator. Early life Miranda Raison was born in Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk, on 18 November 1977. Her mother is former Anglia News reader Caroline Raison (''née ...

playing Edna.Zoë Wanamaker and John Dagleish To Appear In Harlequinade
,

London Theatre Direct London Theatre Direct is a ticket sales and distribution company based in the United Kingdom. The company's online platform caters to ticket sales for London musicals, plays, dance performances, operas and comedy shows, as well as attractions and ...

. Cited: 27 July 2015.

Adaptations

It was adapted for Australian television in 1961.

References

External links

* 1948 plays Plays by Terence Rattigan One-act plays West End plays {{1940s-play-stub