''The Composite Man'' is a 1935
comedy play by the British writer
Ronald Jeans. The lead character is a successful
athlete
An athlete (also sportsman or sportswoman) is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance.
Athletes may be professionals or amateurs. Most professional athletes have particularly well-devel ...
who is assumed to be a genius in everything else, which is far from the case.
It premiered at the
Birmingham Repertory Theatre before transferring to
Daly's Theatre in
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 ...
's
West End where it ran for 70 performances between 8 September and 7 November 1936. The original London cast included
Richard Bird,
James Hayter,
Max Adrian
Max Adrian (born Guy Thornton Bor; 1 November 1903 – 19 January 1973) was an Irish stage, film and television actor and singer. He was a founding member of both the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre.
In addition to his succ ...
,
Anthony Holles,
Michael Dyne
Michael Bradley Dyne (August 19, 1918 – May 17, 1989) was a British-American television and film screenwriter. He was also an actor, and wrote one stage play.
Dyne was the son of sculptor Musgrave Bradley Dyne. He was born in London, educated i ...
,
Hayley Bell
Mary Hayley Bell, Lady Mills (22 January 1911 – 1 December 2005) was an English actress and writer, married for 64 years to actor Sir John Mills. Her novel '' Whistle Down the Wind'' was adapted as a film, starring her teenaged daughter, ...
,
Elspeth Duxbury
Elspeth Duxbury (23 April 190910 March 1967) was a British actress born in Mhow, India.
Known primarily for working in theatre, she had one television role in 1938 but did not make her big screen debut until 1960 in the Terry-Thomas hit comedy ...
and
Diana Churchill.
[Wearing p.543]
References
Bibliography
* Wearing, J.P. ''The London Stage 1930-1939: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel''. Rowman & Littlefield, 2014.
1935 plays
Plays by Ronald Jeans
Comedy plays
West End plays
Plays set in London
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