''The Gazebo'' is a play by

Alec Coppel Alec Coppel (17 September 1907 – 22 January 1972) was an Australian-born screenwriter, novelist and playwright. He spent the majority of his career in London and Hollywood, specialising in light thrillers, mysteries and sex comedies. He is best ...

based on a story by Coppel and his wife Myra.

Broadway

It opened at Broadway's Lyceum Theatre on 12 December 1958 and ran for 266 performances, closing on 27 June 1959.

Walter Slezak Walter Slezak (; 3 May 1902 – 21 April 1983) was an Austrian-born film and stage actor active between 1922 and 1976. He mainly appeared in German films before migrating to the United States in 1930 and performing in numerous Hollywood producti ...

and

Jayne Meadows Jayne Meadows (born Jane Cotter; September 27, 1919 – April 26, 2015), also known as Jayne Meadows Allen, was an American stage, film and television actress, as well as an author and lecturer. She was nominated for three Emmy Awards duri ...

played Elliott and Nell, and the director was

Jerome Chodorov Jerome Chodorov (August 10, 1911 – September 12, 2004) was an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter. He co-wrote the book with Joseph A. Fields for the original Broadway musical ''Wonderful Town'' starring Rosalind Russell. The musi ...

. Brooks Atkinson in the ''New York Times'' claimed it was "as real as a TV crime play and a thousand times more diverting," though fellow critic Robert Coleman maintained that "There were times when a good gust of wind might have blown ''The Gazebo'' right off the Lyceum's stage." The subsequent US tour starred

Tom Ewell Tom Ewell (born Samuel Yewell Tompkins, April 29, 1909 – September 12, 1994) was an American film, stage and television actor, and producer. His most successful and most identifiable role was that of Richard Sherman in ''The Seven Year Itch'' ...

and

Jan Sterling Jan Sterling (born Jane Sterling Adriance; April 3, 1921 – March 26, 2004) was an American film, television and stage actress. At her most active in films during the 1950s (immediately prior to which she had joined the Actors Studio), Sterling ...

. The production only recouped 50% of its investment but Coppel earned a reported $54,000 in royalties from the Broadway run plus $60,000 from the sale of the movie rights.

London productions

In London,

Ian Carmichael Ian Gillett Carmichael, OBE (18 June 1920 – 5 February 2010) was an English actor who worked prolifically on stage, screen and radio in a career spanning 70 years. He found prominence in the films of the Boulting brothers, including ...

and

Moira Lister Moira Lister Gachassin-Lafite, Viscountess of Orthez (6 August 192327 October 2007) was a South African-British film, stage and television actress and writer. Early life Born in Cape Town to Major James Lister and Margaret (née Hogan), List ...

were the stars of the West End production, directed by Anthony Sharp. This opened at the

Savoy Theatre The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps for Richard D'Oyly Carte and opened on 10 October 1881 on a site previously occupied by the Savoy P ...

on 29 March 1960 and ran for 479 performances. "''The Gazebo'' is one of those modern murder plays which depend on comedy rather than mystery," noted ''Theatre World'' editor Frances Stephens, "and no actor is better equipped than Ian Carmichael, with his wholesome fooling and overall 'niceness', to take any embarrassment out of a laughter-making murder theme, even with the corpse in full view." The movie of the same name is an adaptation of the play. The French film '' Jo'', released in 1971 and starring

Louis de Funès Louis Germain David de Funès de Galarza (; 31 July 1914 – 27 January 1983) was a French actor and comedian. He is France's favourite actor, according to a series of polls conducted since the late 1960s, having played over 150 roles in fil ...

and

Claude Gensac Claude Gensac (1 March 1927 – 27 December 2016) was a French actress. She appeared in more than 70 films and television productions since 1952. Gensac is the oldest nominee to date in the category César Award for Best Supporting Actress, nomi ...

, was also based on the play. Another French version, this time for TV - ''Une femme dans les bras, un cadavre sur le dos'', with

Jean Lefebvre Jean Marcel Lefebvre (3 October 1919Some sources indicate he was born in 1922. – 9 July 2004) was a French film actor. His erratic studies were interrupted by World War II. Taken prisoner and then requisitioned as a laborer, he escaped to joi ...

and

Blanche Ravalec Blanche Ravalec (born 19 September 1954) is a French actress, dubbing artist, and former stewardess. Career Ravalec is known to English-speaking audiences mainly for her role as Dolly, Jaws' girlfriend in the 1979 James Bond film '' Moonra ...

- appeared in 1995.Amnon Kabatchnik, ''Blood on the Stage, 1950-1975: Milestone Plays of Crime, Mystery, and Detection'', Scarecrow Press 2011

References

External links

Review of Broadway production
at Variety {{DEFAULTSORT:Gazebo 1958 plays British plays adapted into films American plays adapted into films Broadway plays West End plays Plays by Alec Coppel