''Escape'' is a play in nine episodes by the British writer

John Galsworthy John Galsworthy (; 14 August 1867 – 31 January 1933) was an English novelist and playwright. Notable works include ''The Forsyte Saga'' (1906–1921) and its sequels, ''A Modern Comedy'' and ''End of the Chapter''. He won the Nobel Prize i ...

. The world premiere was on August 12, 1926 at the Ambassadors Theatre in

London's 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 major se ...

West End West End most commonly refers to: * West End of London, an area of central London, England * West End theatre, a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London, England West End may also refer to: Pl ...

, produced by Leon M. Lion. The play ran until March of the following year, when it went on tour of England with Gerald Ames in the lead role. Subsequently, the play transferred to Broadway where it was produced and staged by Winthrop Ames (no relation of Gerald Ames). The American production ran for 173 performances from 26 October 1927 to March 1928 at the Booth Theatre, New York City. It was included in Burns Mantle's ''The Best Plays of 1927–1928''. The play was made into a film in 1930.

Plot

Former World War I British Army Captain Matt Denant protects a poor prostitute from an over-persistent plainclothes police detective. In a scuffle Denant hits the officer who as a result falls, striking his head, and dies. Denant gets sentenced to Dartmoor Prison for

manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th cen ...

and escapes from a work detail. The plot is a series of episodes where Denant meets people who will either abet or obstruct his escape thus becoming a study in class structure and ethos according to Galsworthy's interpretation of 1920s British society.

Cast of UK Premiere in order of appearance

* Nicholas Hannen as Captain Matt Denant * Ursula Jeans as girl of the town * Charles Koop as plainclothes man and the Dartmoor constable * Harold Lester as the policeman * Cyril Hardingham as the other policeman and the labourer * Leon M. Lion as the fellow convict, old gentleman * Gerard Clifton as the warder, the captain * Stafford Hilliard as the other warder, the man in plus fours and the bellringer * Dorothy Batley as the shingled lady * Phyllis Konstam as the maid and the wife of man in plus fours * Paul Gill as the shopkeeper and the farmer * Ethel Manning as wife of the shopkeeper * Ann Codrington as sister of the shopkeeper and Miss Grace * Betty Astell as the little girl * Margaret Halstan as Miss Dora * Austin Trevor as the parson (also in NYC cast)

Cast of US Premiere in order of appearance

* Leslie Howard as Captain Matt Denant * Henrietta Goodwin as girl of the town * Edgar B. Kent as plainclothes man, the other warder and the Dartmoor constable * A. B. I. Imeson, the policeman and the warder * F. Cecil Butler as the other policeman and the other laborer *

St. Clair Bayfield St. Clair Bayfield (2 August 1875 – 19 May 1967) was an English stage actor, best known as the long-term companion and manager of amateur operatic soprano Florence Foster Jenkins. Life and career Bayfield was born John St. Clair Roberts in Ch ...

as the captain and the laborer * Laurence Hanray as the fellow convict, the old gentleman and the farmer * Frieda Inescort as the shingled lady * Geraldine Kay as little girl * Lois Heatherley as Miss Grace * Renee Macredy as Miss Dora * Cyrena Smith as the maid * Alan Trotter as the man in Plus fours and the bellringer * Viva Tattersall as wife of man in Plus fours * J. P. Wilson as shopkeeper * Lily Kerr as wife of shopkeeper * Ruth Vivian as sister of shopkeeper * Austin Trevor as the parson (also in UK cast)

Adaptations

''Escape'' was adapted for the 1930 film '' Escape'', and remade in

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...

. A radio adaptation of play was broadcast in two parts August 15 and August 22, 1937, on the '' Columbia Workshop''. Orson Welles starred as Captain Matt Denant. The play was adapted for the October 15, 1939, episode of the

CBS Radio CBS Radio was a radio broadcasting company and radio network operator owned by CBS Corporation and founded in 1928, with consolidated radio station groups owned by CBS and Westinghouse Broadcasting/Group W since the 1920s, and Infinity Broadc ...

series '' The Campbell Playhouse''. The cast included Orson Welles (Matt Denant), Wendy Barrie (Lady in the hotel), Ray Collins (Murdered cop, Forgiving Judge, Unforgiving Farmer), Jack Smart (another Cop, Farmhand), Edgar Barrier (Priest and Cabbie),

Bea Benaderet Beatrice Benaderet ( ; April 4, 1906 – October 13, 1968) was an American actress and comedienne. Born in New York City and raised in San Francisco, she began performing in Bay Area theatre and radio before embarking on a Hollywood career that ...

(Girl in park, Woman at picnic), Harriet Kay (Maid), Mabel Albertson (Bessie) and Benny Rubin (Man at picnic).''Orson Welles on the Air: The Radio Years.'' New York: The Museum of Broadcasting, catalogue for exhibition October 28–December 3, 1988.

References

*
Great War fiction - Escape

External links

* Full text of
Escape
' at the Internet Archive * {{DEFAULTSORT:Escape (play) Plays by John Galsworthy 1926 plays Plays set in England Plays set in London British plays adapted into films West End plays