''The Damask Cheek'' is a 1942
comedy play
Comedy is a genre of dramatic performance having a light or humorous tone that depicts amusing incidents and in which the characters ultimately triumph over adversity. For ancient Greeks and Romans, a comedy was a stage-play with a happy endin ...
by the British writer
John Van Druten
John William Van Druten (1 June 190119 December 1957) was an English playwright and theatre director. He began his career in London, and later moved to America, becoming a U.S. citizen. He was known for his plays of witty and urbane observation ...
in collaboration with Lloyd Morris.
It was first performed in
Plymouth Theatre Plymouth Theatre or Plymouth Theater may refer to:
* Plymouth Theatre (Boston)
* Plymouth Theatre (Worcester)
* Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, New York City, formerly the Plymouth Theatre
* H Street Playhouse
The H Street Playhouse was a black box ...
in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
before a 93 performance
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 ...
run at the
Playhouse Theatre
The Playhouse Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, located in Northumberland Avenue, near Trafalgar Square, central London. The Theatre was built by F. H. Fowler and Hill with a seating capacity of 1,200. It was rebuilt i ...
. The cast featured
Flora Robson
Dame Flora McKenzie Robson (28 March 19027 July 1984) was an English actress and star of the theatrical stage and cinema, particularly renowned for her performances in plays demanding dramatic and emotional intensity. Her range extended from q ...
,
Celeste Holm
Celeste Holm (April 29, 1917 – July 15, 2012) was an American stage, film and television actress.
Holm won an Academy Award for her performance in Elia Kazan's '' Gentleman's Agreement'' (1947), and was nominated for her roles in ''Come to ...
and
Zachary Scott
Zachary Scott (February 21, 1914 – October 3, 1965)Obituary '' Variety'', October 6, 1965. was an American actor who was known for his roles as villains and "mystery men".
Early life
Scott was born in Austin, Texas, the son of Sallie L ...
with Van Druten himself directing.
In 1949 it began its first
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...
run at the
Lyric Theatre in
Hammersmith running for 36 performances. The cast included
Bill Travers
William Inglis Lindon Travers (3 January 1922 – 29 March 1994) was a British actor, screenwriter, director and animal rights activist. Prior to his show business career, he served in the British army with Gurkha and special forces units.
E ...
,
Jane Baxter
Jane Baxter (9 September 1909 – 13 September 1996) was a British actress. Her stage career spanned half a century, and she appeared in a number of films and in television.
Early life
Baxter was born as Feodora Kathleen Alice Forde in Bremen, ...
,
Iris Hoey
Wilhelmina Iris Winifred Hasbach ("Iris Hoey") (17 July 1885 – 13 May 1979) was a British actress in the first half of the twentieth century, both on stage and in movies.
Early life
Iris Hoey was born in London, daughter of Wilhelm Anton H ...
and
Claire Bloom
Patricia Claire Bloom (born 15 February 1931) is an English actress. She is known for leading roles in plays such as ''A Streetcar Named Desire,'' ''A Doll's House'', and '' Long Day's Journey into Night'', and has starred in nearly sixty film ...
.
[Wearing p.423-24]
References
Bibliography
* Davis, Ronald L. ''Zachary Scott: Hollywood's Sophisticated Cad''. University Press of Mississippi, 2009.
* Wearing, J.P. ''The London Stage 1940-1949: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel''. Rowman & Littlefield, 2014.
1942 plays
Plays by John Van Druten
{{1940s-play-stub