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These two plays are set in a shabby genteel hotel on England''s south coast. Except for the two leads in each (which may be doubled) the same characters appear in both. In Table by the Window, a down-at-the-heels journalist is confronted by his ex-wife, a former model who provoked him to the violent act that sent him to prison, destroying his future. Still in love, they nevertheless go through another terrible scene and it is the hotel manager, Miss Cooper, who helps repair their broken lives. In Table Number Seven, a ''self-made'' army colonel without any true background and education to which he lays claim, finds solace with a spinster over the objections of her ruthless, domineering mother. When a sordid scandal threatens to drive them apart, Miss Cooper again comes to the rescue.
Filmed as The Way to the Stars and set in the 1940s, Rattigan''s famous play concerns Patricia''s love for a film actor, despite her marriage to Flight-Lieutenant Teddy Graham. Going to the hotel to break with Teddy, followed by Peter, Pat encounters Doris, married to a Polish Count, who is one of two pilots not to return from a bombing raid. Hearing the Count''s last letter, Pat realizes how much Teddy needs her, and gives Peter his dismissal.
The Sleeping Prince: An Occasional Fairy Tale is a 1953 play by Terence Rattigan, conceived to coincide with the coronation of Elizabeth II in the same year. Set in London in 1911, it tells the story of Mary Morgan, a young actress, who meets and ultimately captivates Prince Charles of Carpathia, considered to be inspired by Carol II of Romania.|5 women, 7 men
Gregor Antonescu arrives at the Greenwich Village apartment of his illegitimate son, Basil, for a business meeting. After achieving apparent success, he finds everything collapsing around him and learns from Basil that a warrant is out for his arrest. Basil offers help, but Gregor acquires a conscience and determines his own way out.
Mr. Rattigan has given a mild wartime slant to his play. One the eve of his marriage, the young and wealthy Earl of Harpenden puts up an American Lieutenant for the night; and in the morning dates him up with a former girl friend. The American mistakes the earl's finance for the girl friend, and the two of them fall in love with each other before he discovers his mistake. What with a French officer also in the race, the girl friend very much in evidence, and the fiancee's father, a deadbeat duke, adding to the complications, an evening of hilarious fun is the result.-2 women, 5 men
This biographical portrait of T. E. Lawrence (a.k.a. Lawrence of Arabia) begins in 1922, when Lawrence was hiding under an assumed name as "Aircraftman Ross" in the Royal Air Force, and is being disciplined by his Flight Lieutenant for alleged misconduct. When Lawrence's identity is compromised, his dreams take him back to the various figures in his life, as the play flashes back to the famed Arab Revolts, beginning during World War I, in mid-1916.21 men
The definitive edition of a Rattigan classic published alongside a major revival and national tour.
Originally published: London: Methuen/Nick Hern Books, 1999.
An hilarious retelling of the play and opera Tosca, with Scarpia as a swaggering villain who proves to be impotent, Tosca as a proud beauty and a Captain who gets confused as to whether Scarpia means that Tosca's lover should really be executed ... or only appear to be. Tosca's attempt to stab Scarpia is foiled by his knife-proof vest.1 woman, 3 men
A double bill by Terence Rattigan, featuring two plays of striking contrast that display his astonishing range as a writer.
Publication coincides with a swelling tide of revivals to celebrate Rattigan's centenary.
Publication coincides with a swelling tide of revivals to celebrate Rattigan's centenary. This edition also includes Less Than Kind.
Terence Rattigan's first play, published for the first time in this edition to mark the centenary of Rattigan's birth.
A classic drama based on the true story of Alma Rattenbury who was tried with her 18-year-old lover for the murder of her husband. Cause Celebre was Terence Rattigan's last play. Published alongside a production at the Old Vic during the centenary year of Rattigan's birth.
Based on the real-life court case of a young naval cadet unjustly accused of stealing a five-shilling postal order and first staged in 1946, The Winslow Boy has been revived many times since, including at The Old Vic in 2013. Ronnie Winslow is expelled from naval college, having been accused of petty theft. Enraged, his father Arthur engages a lawyer to challenge the Admiralty to prove the charges in court - but public opinion is very much against the Winslows, and each member of the family is suffering... This edition includes an authoritative introduction by Dan Rebellato, a biographical sketch and a chronology. 'A sterling example of Rattigan's dramatic skill and humanity... deeply poignant' Telegraph 'A playwright of acute emotional intelligence, elegant wit, and an extraordinary gift for expressive construction... thrilling' Independent
Terence Rattigan's sparkling comedy about a group of bright young things attempting to learn French on the Riviera amid myriad distractions, French Without Tears ran for over a thousand performances in the 1930s and remains a delight today. When a group of young men arrives at Professor Maingot's French school for the summer to cram for the Diplomatic exam, they find their concentration disrupted by the beautiful Diana Lake. Quelle surprise, they have another new language to learn: girls. At first, it seems pretty simple. Kit loves Diana and she loves him. And Bill. Oh, and darling Alan, of course. Then there's Jack: she's in love too. Meanwhile, Babe conceals his feelings... Perhaps it's not so simple after all. French Without Tears was first performed in 1936. This edition was published in 2015 alongside a revival at the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond. Also included is an authoritative introduction and biographical sketch by Dan Rebellato.
"Few dramatists of this century have written with more understanding of the human heart than Terence Rattigan" (Guardian)
"Few dramatists of this century have written with more understanding of the human heart than Terence Rattigan" (Guardian)
Rattigan's well-loved play about an unpopular schoolmaster who snatches a last shred of dignity from the collapse of his career and his marriage. Twice filmed (with Michael Redgrave and Albert Finney) and frequently revived. Andrew Crocker-Harris' wife Millie has become embittered and fatigued by her husband's lack of passion and ambition. On the verge of retirement, and divorce, Andrew is forced to come to terms with the platitude his life has become. Then John Taplow, a previously unnoticed pupil, gives Andrew an unexpected parting gift: a second-hand copy of Robert Browning's translation of Agamemnon - a gift which offers not only a opportunity for redemption, but the chance to gain back some dignity. This edition also contains Harlequinade, a farce about a touring theatre troupe, written to accompany The Browning Version in a double-bill under the joint title, Playbill. The plays are presented with an authoritative introduction, biographical sketch and chronology by Dan Rebellato.'The cruel inequalities of love always absorbed Rattigan, not least here - this is a play that has not dated.' The Times
First seen in 1939 but then largely ignored until a 1994 BBC production, After the Dance is regarded as one of the great, lost plays of the 20th century. As interest in Rattigan has revived so too has the play's reputation and it is now considered by many to be one of the great works of a master dramatist.
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