''The Barretts of Wimpole Street'' is a 1930 play by the Dutch/English dramatist Rudolf Besier, based on the romance between

Robert Browning Robert Browning (7 May 1812 – 12 December 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentary, historical sett ...

and

Elizabeth Barrett Elizabeth Barrett Browning (née Moulton-Barrett; 6 March 1806 – 29 June 1861) was an English poet of the Victorian era, popular in Britain and the United States during her lifetime. Born in County Durham, the eldest of 12 children, Elizabe ...

, and her father's unwillingness to allow them to marry. The play gave actress

Katharine Cornell Katharine Cornell (February 16, 1893June 9, 1974) was an American stage actress, writer, theater owner and producer. She was born in Berlin to American parents and raised in Buffalo, New York. Dubbed "The First Lady of the Theatre" by critic A ...

her signature role.

Production

''The Barretts of Wimpole Street'' was Rudolf Besier's only real success as a playwright. It was first staged August 20, 1930, at the Malvern Festival in

Malvern, Worcestershire Malvern is a spa town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England. It lies at the foot of the Malvern Hills, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The centre of Malvern, Great Malvern, is a historic conservation area, which gre ...

. Directed by Sir Barry Jackson, the production starred

Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies Dame Gwen Lucy Ffrangcon-Davies, (25 January 1891 – 27 January 1992) was a British actress and centenarian. Early life She was born in London of a Welsh family; the name "Ffrangcon" is said to originate from a valley in Snowdonia. Her pare ...

as Elizabeth Barrett Moulton-Barrett and Scott Sunderland as Robert Browning. Besier then turned to the United States, but was rebuffed by no fewer than 27 producers, before the actress

took a personal interest in the play and had it staged at the Hanna Theatre in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

in 1931. The role of Elizabeth Barrett worked so well for Cornell that it became her signature role.Stanley Hochman, McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama
/ref> ''The Barretts of Wimpole Street'' then went to Broadway, where it opened on February 9, 1931, at the Empire Theatre, starring Katharine Cornell and

Brian Aherne William Brian de Lacy Aherne (2 May 190210 February 1986) was an English actor of stage, screen, radio and television, who enjoyed a long and varied career in Britain and the United States. His first Broadway appearance in '' The Barretts of ...

. It was revived there in 1934 and 1945.

Original Broadway cast

* Katharine Cornell as Elizabeth Barrett Moulton-Barrett * Brian Aherne as Robert Browning * Margaret Barker as Henrietta Moulton-Barrett * John Buckler as Captain Surtees Cook * Joyce Carey as Arabel Moulton-Barrett * Leslie Denison as George Moulton-Barrett *

Vernon Downing Vernon Downing (1913–1973) was a British actor who appeared in many Hollywood films, generally playing English characters. Filmography References External links * 1913 births 1973 deaths English male film actors Male actors from ...

as Alfred Moulton-Barrett * Flush as Flush (Elizabeth's dog) * Brenda Forbes as Wilson * John Halloran as Octavius Moulton-Barrett * Basil Harvey as Henry Moulton-Barrett * Oswald Marshall as Doctor Ford-Waterlow * Dorothy Mathews as Bella Hedley * George Riddell as Doctor Chambers * John D. Seymour as Henry Bevan * Frederick Voight as Charles Moulton-Barrett *

Charles Waldron Charles Waldron (December 24, 1874 – March 4, 1946) was an American stage and film actor, sometimes credited as Charles Waldron Sr., Chas. Waldron Sr., Charles D. Waldron or Mr. Waldron. Early life He was born and grew up in Waterford, New Y ...

as Edward Moulton-Barrett * William Whitehead as Septimus Moulton-Barrett

Adaptations

Katharine Cornell Barretts of Wimpole Street on television 1956

Film

It was filmed in 1934, starring

Fredric March Fredric March (born Ernest Frederick McIntyre Bickel; August 31, 1897 – April 14, 1975) was an American actor, regarded as one of Hollywood's most celebrated, versatile stars of the 1930s and 1940s.Obituary '' Variety'', April 16, 1975, ...

Norma Shearer Edith Norma Shearer (August 11, 1902June 12, 1983) was a Canadian-American actress who was active on film from 1919 through 1942. Shearer often played spunky, sexually liberated ingénues. She appeared in adaptations of Noël Coward, Eugene O' ...

and

Charles Laughton Charles Laughton (1 July 1899 – 15 December 1962) was a British actor. He was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and first appeared professionally on the stage in 1926. In 1927, he was cast in a play with his future ...

. That film was remade scene-for-scene and almost shot-for-shot, in colour, in 1957, starring

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 ...

Jennifer Jones Jennifer Jones (born Phylis Lee Isley; March 2, 1919 – December 17, 2009), also known as Jennifer Jones Simon, was an American actress and mental health advocate. Over the course of her career that spanned over five decades, she was nominated ...

and Sir

John Gielgud Sir Arthur John Gielgud, (; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Brit ...

. Both films were directed by Sidney Franklin.

Musical

The play also spawned a musical. It was first set as ''The Third Kiss'' by Judge

Fred G. Moritt Fred G. Moritt (October 5, 1905 – May 15, 1995) was an American lawyer, singer, composer, lyricist and politician from New York. Life He was born on October 5, 1905, in New York City. He attended Public School No. 9 in Brooklyn, and Boys High ...

, which was never produced, but that was reworked as ''

Robert and Elizabeth ''Robert and Elizabeth'' is a musical with music by Ron Grainer and book and lyrics by Ronald Millar. The story is based on an unproduced musical titled ''The Third Kiss'' by Judge Fred G. Moritt, which in turn was adapted from the play '' The ...

'', with music by Ron Grainer. It opened in London in 1964, starring

June Bronhill June Mary Bronhill (26 June 192924 January 2005), also known as June Gough, was an Australian coloratura soprano opera singer, performer and actress, She was well known for light opera, operetta and musical theatre in London West End theatre ...

and

Keith Michell Keith Joseph Michell (1 December 1926 – 20 November 2015) was an Australian actor who worked primarily in the United Kingdom, and was best known for his television and film portrayals of King Henry VIII. He appeared extensively in Shakespeare ...

Television

On April 2, 1956, the Producer’s Showcase aired a TV production of “The Barretts of Wimpole Street’ featuring Katherine Cornell as Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Margalo Gillmore as Arabel Moulton-Barrett; the roles they had first created on Broadway in 1931. This was one of several TV productions of the play done in the US and England between the 1950 and 1961.https://www.imdb.com/find?q=The%20Barretts%20of%20Wimpole%20Street&s=tt&exact=true&ref_=fn_tt_ex A 1982 TV film
The Barretts of Wimpole Street
' was made by the BBC starring

Jane Lapotaire Jane Elizabeth Marie Lapotaire (née Burgess; 26 December 1944) is an English actress. Biography Lapotaire was born in Ipswich, Suffolk, the daughter of Louise Elise (Burgess). Her stepfather, Yves Lapotaire, worked in the oil industry and wa ...

Joss Ackland Sidney Edmond Jocelyn Ackland CBE (born 29 February 1928) is an English retired actor who has appeared in more than 130 film and television roles. He was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for portraying Jock ...

Jeremy Brett Peter Jeremy William Huggins (3 November 1933 – 12 September 1995), known professionally as Jeremy Brett, was an English actor. He played fictional detective Sherlock Holmes in four Granada TV series from 1984 to 1994 in all 41 episodes. His ...

and Nigel Stock.

Sources

* * * *

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Barretts of Wimpole Street, The 1930 plays Robert Browning Biographical plays about writers Plays by Rudolf Besier