''Lord Arthur Savile's Crime'' is a 1952
comedy
Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium.
Origins
Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...
thriller play by the British writer
Constance Cox
Constance Cox (25 October 1912 – 8 July 1998) was a British script writer and playwright, born in Sutton, London, Sutton, Surrey.
Life and career
Cox was born Constance Shaw in Sutton, Surrey, in 1912. She married Norman Cox, a fighter pilo ...
, based on the short story ''
Lord Arthur Savile's Crime'' by
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...
. After a
palm reader convinces him it is his destiny to commit murder before he can marry his fiancée, an
aristocrat
The aristocracy (''from Greek'' ''ἀριστοκρατία'' ''aristokratía'', "rule of the best"; ''Latin: aristocratia'') is historically associated with a "hereditary" or a "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the ...
makes several inept attempts to kill people.
It premiered at the
Theatre Royal in
Aldershot
Aldershot ( ) is a town in the Rushmoor district, Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, south-west of London. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Farnborough/Aldershot built-up are ...
before transferring to the
Court Theatre in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
where it ran for 21 performances. The play was directed by
Jack Hulbert and starred his younger brother
Claude Hulbert
Claude Noel Hulbert (25 December 1900 – 23 January 1964) was a mid-20th century English stage, radio and cinema comic actor.
Early life
Claude Hulbert was born in Fulham in West London on Christmas Day 1900. He was the younger brother of J ...
in the title role, along with
Peter Haddon and
Jean Lodge.
[Kabatchnik p.67]
In 1960,
Gerald Savory adapted Cox's play into an episode of the ''
Armchair Theatre
''Armchair Theatre'' is a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by ABC Weekend TV. Its successor Thames Television took over from mid-1968.
The Ca ...
'' anthology series on the
ITV network in the UK.
References
Bibliography
* Kabatchnik, Amnon. ''Blood on the Stage, 1950-1975: Milestone Plays of Crime, Mystery, and Detection''. Scarecrow Press, 2011.
* Wearing, J.P. ''The London Stage 1950-1959: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel''. Rowman & Littlefield, 2014.
1952 plays
Comedy plays
West End plays
Thriller plays
Plays by Constance Cox
Plays based on short fiction
{{1950s-play-stub