''The Promise'' is a
play
Play most commonly refers to:
* Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment
* Play (theatre), a work of drama
Play may refer also to:
Computers and technology
* Google Play, a digital content service
* Play Framework, a Java framework
* P ...
written in 1965 by Russian playwright
Aleksei Arbuzov
Aleksei Nikolayevich Arbuzov (; April 20, 1986) was a Soviet and Russian playwright.
Biography
Arbuzov was born in Moscow, but his family moved to Petrograd in 1914. His father was Russian and his mother was Greek. Orphaned at the age of eleven ...
. The story follows a young woman and two young men from their first meeting in a derelict room during the
Siege of Leningrad
The siege of Leningrad was a Siege, military blockade undertaken by the Axis powers against the city of Leningrad (present-day Saint Petersburg) in the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front of World War II from 1941 t ...
in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
; through the woman's marriage to one of the men, who turns out to be the "wrong" one; then finally to a new start with the "right" one.
Ariadne Nicolaeff's English translation of the play was produced in London in 1967, with a cast including
Judi Dench
Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Widely considered one of Britain's greatest actors, she is noted for her versatility, having appeared in films and television, as well as for her numerous roles on the stage ...
,
Ian McKellen
Sir Ian Murray McKellen (born 25 May 1939) is an English actor. He has played roles on the screen and stage in genres ranging from Shakespearean dramas and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. He is regarded as a British cu ...
and
Ian McShane
Ian David McShane (born 29 September 1942) is an English actor. His television performances include the title role in the BBC series ''Lovejoy'' (1986–1994), Al Swearengen in '' Deadwood'' (2004–2006) and its 2019 film continuation, and M ...
. A British reviewer called the play "Charmingly old-fashioned and chastely sentimental,
et itgave a lot of pleasure."
["The Season In London" by ]Frank Marcus
Frank Ulrich Marcus (30 June 1928 – 5 August 1996) was a British playwright, best known for ''The Killing of Sister George''.
Life and career
Marcus was born 30 June 1928 into a Jewish family in Breslau (then in Germany). They came to En ...
, in THE BEST PLAYS OF 1966-1967, edited by Otis L. Gurnsey Jr. (New York: Dodd, Mead 1967), p. 122. This same production, with Eileen Atkins replacing Dench, opened on November 14, 1967, at Henry Miller's Theater in New York; it ran for 23 performances.
The play was profiled in the
William Goldman
William Goldman (August 12, 1931 – November 16, 2018) was an American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. He first came to prominence in the 1950s as a novelist before turning to screenwriting. Among other accolades, Goldman won two Aca ...
book ''
The Season: A Candid Look at Broadway''.
A newspaper ad for the Broadway run can be seen in the final scene of the tenth episode of the second season of the show ''That Girl''. The episode ("When in Rome") aired November 9, 1967, just under a week before the production opened.
References
External links
*
archive
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Promise
Russian plays
1965 plays