''Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm'' is a

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * Pla ...

written by

Kate Douglas Wiggin Kate Douglas Wiggin (September 28, 1856August 24, 1923) was an American educator, author and composer. She wrote children's stories, most notably the classic children's novel ''Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm,'' and composed collections of children's ...

and Charlotte Thompson. It is an adaptation of Wiggin's novels about the character Rebecca Rowena Randall, including elements from the 1903 novel of the same name and the 1907 follow-up, ''New Chronicles of Rebecca''. Producers

Klaw and Erlanger Klaw and Erlanger was an entertainment management and production partnership of Marc Klaw and Abraham Lincoln Erlanger based in New York City from 1888 through 1919. While running their own considerable and multi-faceted theatrical businesses ...

debuted it at the

Court Square Court Square in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, is a park and historic district in the heart of Springfield's urban Metro Center neighborhood. Court Square is the City of Springfield's only topographical constant since its founding ...

Theatre in

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...

on November 15, 1909. After touring

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

for a season, it appeared 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 ...

, opening at the Republic Theatre on October 3, 1910. The play received positive reviews and was used as the basis for subsequent movie adaptations.

Plot

Orphan Rebecca Rowena Randall is sent to live with her dour aunts, Jane and Miranda Sawyer. She has trouble adjusting to her new home at first, and tries to run away. Eventually her light-hearted optimism wins over her aunts and attracts the interest of local boy Adam Ladd.

History

Author Kate Douglas Wiggin's bestselling

children's novel Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

''Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm'' was first published in 1903. A sequel, ''New Chronicles of Rebecca'', was published in 1907. In the summer of that year, Wiggin was approached by fellow author Charlotte Thompson about adapting the Rebecca stories for the stage. Wiggin was skeptical about the suggestion, but Thompson had previous experiencing adapting novels into plays, so Wiggin agreed to collaborate with her. The resulting adaptation used material from both novels. In the spring of 1908, they submitted the script to the production team of

Marc Klaw Marc Klaw, (born Marcus Alonzo Klaw, May 29, 1858 – June 14, 1936) was an American lawyer, theatrical producer, theater owner, and a leading figure of the Theatrical Syndicate. Life and work Referred to as both Mark and Marc, he was born in ...

and

A. L. Erlanger Abraham Lincoln Erlanger (May 4, 1859 – March 7, 1930) was an American theatrical producer, director, designer, theater owner, and a leading figure of the Theatrical Syndicate. Biography Erlanger was born to a Jewish family

, who accepted it and began work on the production that debuted in November 1909. The first production of the play appeared at the Court Square Theatre in Springfield, Massachusetts, where it debuted on November 15, 1909. After it toured in New England during the 1909–10 season, Klaw and Erlanger took the pay to the Republic Theatre on Broadway for the 1910–11 season. It opened there on October 3, 1910, and continued for 216 performances. The production closed on April 8, 1911.

Cast and characters

The characters and cast from the Broadway production are given below: Edith Taliaferro 04

Ursula St George, stage actress (SAYRE 9585)

Reception

The play received positive reviews. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' praised the story and acting, saying the play was enjoyable for adults and even better for children. ''The Theatre'' praised the acting and the lighthearted tone of play. The ''

New-York Tribune The ''New-York Tribune'' was an American newspaper founded in 1841 by editor Horace Greeley. It bore the moniker ''New-York Daily Tribune'' from 1842 to 1866 before returning to its original name. From the 1840s through the 1860s it was the domi ...

'' called it "a constant delight from beginning to end".

Adaptations

The play served as the basis for several movie adaptations, all using the title ''Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm''. A 1917 silent film adaptation starred

Mary Pickford Gladys Marie Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American stage and screen actress and producer with a career that spanned five decades. A pioneer in the US film industry, she co-founde ...

as Rebecca and was directed by

Marshall Neilan Marshall Ambrose "Mickey" Neilan (April 11, 1891 – October 27, 1958) was an American actor. Early life Born in San Bernardino, California, Neilan was known by most as "Mickey." Following the death of his father, the eleven-year-old Mickey N ...

. The first sound adaptation in 1932 starred

Marian Nixon Marian Nixon (born Marja Nissinen; October 20, 1904 – February 13, 1983) was an American film actress. Sometimes credited as Marion Nixon, she appeared in more than 70 films. Career Born in Superior, Wisconsin, to parents of Finnish descent, N ...

and was directed by

Alfred Santell Alfred Allen Santell (1895–1981), was an American film director and film producer. Santell directed over 60 films, beginning in 1917, most of which were two-reel comedy short subjects for Hal Roach and other productions companies. Taking up f ...

. A musical film adaptation in 1938 starred

Shirley Temple Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Jane Temple;While Temple occasionally used "Jane" as a middle name, her birth certificate reads "Shirley Temple". Her birth certificate was altered to prolong her babyhood shortly after she signed with Fox in ...

and was directed by

Allan Dwan Allan Dwan (born Joseph Aloysius Dwan; April 3, 1885 – December 28, 1981) was a pioneering Canadian-born American motion picture director, producer, and screenwriter. Early life Born Joseph Aloysius Dwan in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Dwan, was ...

References

External links

* {{IBDB show, 7389, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm 1909 plays Broadway plays American plays adapted into films Plays based on novels Plays set in Maine