''Tons of Money'' is 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 ...

by the British writers Will Evans and

Arthur Valentine Archibald Thomas Pechey (26 September 1876 in West Ham, Essex – 29 November 1961 in Wells, Somerset, England) often credited as Valentine, was an English lyricist and novelist. The pen name Valentine was derived from his mother's family t ...

. It was co-produced by

Tom Walls Thomas Kirby Walls (18 February 1883 – 27 November 1949) was an English stage and film actor, producer and director, best known for presenting and co-starring in the Aldwych farces in the 1920s and for starring in and directing the film adapt ...

and

Leslie Henson Leslie Lincoln Henson (3 August 1891 – 2 December 1957) was an English comedian, actor, producer for films and theatre, and film director. He initially worked in silent films and Edwardian musical comedy and became a popular music hall comed ...

. In the story of the play, a hard-up inventor pretends to be his cousin, in order to escape the clutches of his creditors.

First production

The play was produced by

and

. It was first given at the

Shaftesbury Theatre The Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden. Opened in 1911 as the New Prince's Theatre, it was the last theatre to be built in Shaftesbury Avenue. History The theatre was d ...

, London, on 13 April 1922, directed by E. Holman Clark.Parker, p. xxx

Original cast

*Sprules, butler – George Barrett *Simpson, parlourmaid – Ena Mason *Benita Mullett –

Mary Brough Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

*Louise Allington –

Yvonne Arnaud Germaine Yvonne Arnaud (20 December 1890 – 20 September 1958) was a French-born pianist, singer and actress, who was well known for her career in Britain, as well as her native land. After beginning a career as a concert pianist as a child, Ar ...

*Aubrey Henry Maitland Allington –

Ralph Lynn Ralph Clifford Lynn (8 March 1882 – 8 August 1962) was an English actor who had a 60-year career, and is best remembered for playing comedy parts in the Aldwych farces first on stage and then in film. Lynn became an actor at the age of 18 ...

*Giles, gardener –

Willie Warde Willie Warde (1857 – 18 August 1943) was an English actor, dancer, singer and choreographer. The son of a dancer, his first theatre work was with a dance company. He was engaged to arrange dances for London productions and was later cast as a ...

*James Chesterman, solicitor – J. Robertson Hare *Jean Everard – Madge Saunders *Henry –

*George Maitland – Sidney Lynn ::Source: ''

Who's Who in the Theatre ''Who's Who in the Theatre'' is a British reference work, first published in 1912 with sixteen new editions from then until its last issue in 1981. The book was a successor to ''The Green Room Book'', of which four editions were published betw ...

''. It ran for 737 performances, at the Shaftesbury and the

Aldwych Aldwych (pronounced ) is a street and the name of the List of areas of London, area immediately surrounding it in central London, England, within the City of Westminster. The street starts Points of the compass, east-northeast of Charing Cros ...

. It was at the time only the fourth non-musical show to surpass 700 performances in a West End run.Parker, p. 1198

Plot

Aubrey Allington is a hopelessly impractical inventor who is deep in debt. When he inherits a large sum from a relation in Mexico he stands to see none of it because his creditors would claim it all. His resourceful wife comes up with a solution: the cousin to whom the legacy reverts on Aubrey's death is believed to be dead. Aubrey's supposed death in an explosion in his laboratory enables him to come to life again masquerading as the cousin from Mexico, able to collect the full legacy. He reappears in sombrero and extravagantly Mexican guise. Unfortunately for the conspirators, the cousin's long-estranged wife claims Aubrey as her own, and a further fake suicide – this time by drowning – ensues so that Aubrey can escape her. Meanwhile Sprules, the family butler, has got wind of the plot, and seeks to cash in by arranging for his brother to impersonate the Mexican cousin. The impostor's arrival necessitates a further reincarnation of Aubrey, this time as the new curate of a nearby parish. He tries to come to an agreement with the pretended Mexican, but they are interrupted by the arrival of the very-much-alive real cousin. In the end it turns out that there is no legacy to be had: the money has been annexed by the Mexican Revolutionary Committee.

Revivals and adaptations

Alan Ayckbourn Sir Alan Ayckbourn (born 12 April 1939) is a prolific British playwright and director. He has written and produced as of 2021, more than eighty full-length plays in Scarborough and London and was, between 1972 and 2009, the artistic director of ...

updated and directed the play in 1986 in a revival by the National Theatre starring

Polly Adams Pauline "Polly" Adams (born 27 August 1939) is an English actress best known for her work on the stage both in England and in the United States, and for her portrayal of Mrs. Brown on the television series ''Just William''. She made her Broadwa ...

and

Simon Cadell Simon John Cadell (19 July 1950 – 6 March 1996) was an English actor, best known for his portrayal of Jeffrey Fairbrother in the first five series of the BBC situation comedy ''Hi-de-Hi!''. Early life Born in London, he was the son of theat ...

, with

Michael Gambon Sir Michael John Gambon (; born 19 October 1940) is an Irish-English actor. Regarded as one of Ireland and Britain's most distinguished actors, he is known for his work on stage and screen. Gambon started his acting career with Laurence Olivi ...

as Sprules. The play was adapted for the cinema on two occasions. A 1924 silent film '' Tons of Money'' was directed by

Frank Hall Crane Frank Hall Crane (January 1, 1873 – September 1, 1948) was an American stage and film actor and film director, director.Leslie Henson Leslie Lincoln Henson (3 August 1891 – 2 December 1957) was an English comedian, actor, producer for films and theatre, and film director. He initially worked in silent films and Edwardian musical comedy and became a popular music hall comed ...

. A 1930 sound version '' Tons of Money'' directed by

starred many of the Aldwych regulars. The BBC has broadcast two adaptations of the play for television. In 1947

Winifred Shotter Winifred Florence Shotter (5 November 1904 – 4 April 1996) was an English actress best known for her appearances in the Aldwych farces of the 1920s and early 1930s. Initially a singer and dancer in the ensembles of musical comedies, Shotte ...

and

Desmond Walter-Ellis Desmond Walter-Ellis (16 September 1914 – 16 September 1994) was an English actor. He was active in a range of genres, from classic drama to cabaret, revue and musicals. He played a major part in the development of BBC Television when it restart ...

starred as the Allingtons.

Eleanor Summerfield Eleanor Audrey Summerfield (7 March 1921 – 13 July 2001) was an English actress who appeared in many plays, films and television series. She is known for her roles in ''Laughter in Paradise'' (1951), ''Final Appointment'' (1954), ''Odongo'' (1 ...

and

Frankie Howerd Francis Alick Howard (6 March 1917 – 19 April 1992), better known by his stage-name Frankie Howerd, was an English actor and comedian. Early life Howerd was born the son of soldier Francis Alfred William (1887–1934)England & Wales, Deat ...

were the leads in a 1954 television version. ''Tons of Money'' was adapted into a musical in Australia in 1924 by Vaiben Louis and

Willy Redstone Willy (or Willie) Redstone (24 September 1883 – 30 September 1949) was a French composer and conductor of light music who had a substantial career in England and Australia, where he became music editor for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, ...

and the producer Hugh J. Ward.

Notes, references and sources

Notes

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tons of Money 1922 plays Comedy plays British plays adapted into films