''Lord Babs'' is a
comedy play by the British writer
Keble Howard
Keble Howard was the pen name of John Keble Bell (8 June 1875 – 29 March 1928). He was an English writer and journalist, who wrote a large number of novels, short stories, sketches and plays, mainly light comic pieces, often depicting subur ...
. A
farce
Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical humor; the use of deliberate absurdity o ...
, the plot revolves around an
aristocrat
The aristocracy is historically associated with "hereditary" or "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the upper class of people (aristocrats) with hereditary rank and titles. In some, such as ancient Greece, ancient Ro ...
who has to pretend he is a small child in order to avoid being arrested.
It premiered at the
Kings Theatre, Southsea
The Kings Theatre is a theatre in Southsea, Portsmouth, designed by the architect Frank Matcham. It opened on 30 September 1907. It is operated by the Kings Theatre Trust Ltd. The building was designated a Grade II* listed building in 1976.
Hi ...
in
Hampshire in 1925.
Donald Calthrop, the actor engaged to play the lead, had to withdraw at short notice due to illness. Keble Howard, the play's author and an amateur actor, stood in for the first two nights at Southsea while another professional actor prepared for the part. After Southsea, the play performed for a week each in Cardiff and Brighton, followed by two dates in North Wales.
Three years later it enjoyed a run of 142 performances in London's
West End between 26 January and 19 June 1928, initially at the
Vaudeville Theatre before transferring to the
Criterion Theatre. The West End cast included
Billy Merson,
Hermione Baddeley,
Lawrence Anderson and
Joan Barry.
Film adaptation
In 1932 it was adapted into a
film of the same title directed by
Walter Forde and starring
Bobby Howes,
Jean Colin and
Alfred Drayton.
References
Bibliography
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1925 plays
British plays adapted into films
West End plays
Comedy plays
{{1920s-play-stub