''Tchin-Tchin'', also known as ''Chin-Chin'', is a

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

-based

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typic ...

François Billetdoux François Billetdoux (7 September 1927 – 26 November 1991) was a French dramatic author and novelist. Biography His works describe the world with a fierce humor of a somewhat burlesque style, which sometimes turns into black humor. Billetdoux w ...

(1927–1991). Directed by François Darbon and designed by Francine Gaillard-Risler, it premiered at the Théâtre de Poche in

Montparnasse Montparnasse () is an area in the south of Paris, France, on the left bank of the river Seine, centred at the crossroads of the Boulevard du Montparnasse and the Rue de Rennes, between the Rue de Rennes and boulevard Raspail. Montparnasse has bee ...

, on January 26, 1959. The author himself played the role of Cesareo Grimaldi, and Katharina Renn played Pamela Pusey-Picq.

UK and U.S. productions

Adapted by

Willis Hall Willis Edward Hall (6 April 1929 – 7 March 2005) was an English playwright and radio, television and film writer who drew on his working-class roots in Leeds for much of his writing. Willis formed an extremely prolific partnership with h ...

as ''Chin-Chin'', the play opened at the

Wyndhams Theatre Wyndham's Theatre is a West End theatre, one of two opened by actor/manager Charles Wyndham (the other is the Criterion Theatre). Located on Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, it was designed c.1898 by W. G. R. Sprague, the archite ...

in London's West End on November 3, 1960, running until the following March with

Celia Johnson Dame Celia Elizabeth Johnson, (18 December 1908 – 26 April 1982) was an English actress, whose career included stage, television and film. She is especially known for her roles in the films ''In Which We Serve'' (1942), ''This Happy Bree ...

and

Anthony Quayle Sir John Anthony Quayle (7 September 1913 – 20 October 1989) was a British actor and theatre director. He was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his supporting role as Thomas Wolsey in the film '' Anne of the Thousand Days'' (1969 ...

in the leads; directed by

Howard Sackler Howard Oliver Sackler (December 19, 1929 – October 12, 1982) was an American screenwriter and playwright who is best known for writing ''The Great White Hope'' (play: 1967; film: 1970). ''The Great White Hope'' enjoyed both a successful run on ...

, the production was designed by Sean Kenny.Frances Stephens (ed), ''Theatre World Annual (London) Number 12'', London 1961 According to ''Theatre World'' editor Frances Stephens: "There was a haunting quality about this new play … and Celia Johnson has done nothing better than her brilliant and sensitive portrayal of the inhibited Englishwoman who goes to pieces when her French doctor husband deserts her ... Anthony Quayle was also superb." In ''The Stage'', R. B. Marriott pointed out that "Celia Johnson had her finest part of recent years, and played it flawlessly, in ''Chin-Chin'' ... which, starting its run haltingly after a mixed reception, developed, I am glad to say, into a success." A different translation, by Mark Rudkin, was published in the UK by

Secker and Warburg Harvill Secker is a British publishing company formed in 2005 from the merger of Secker & Warburg and the Harvill Press. History Secker & Warburg Secker & Warburg was formed in 1935 from a takeover of Martin Secker, which was in receivership, ...

. This version transferred the setting, with Billetdoux's blessing, from Paris to New York. Adapted by Sidney Michaels as ''Tchin-Tchin'', the play opened on Broadway on October 25, 1962, at the Plymouth Theatre (later transferring to the

Ethel Barrymore Theatre The Ethel Barrymore Theatre is a Broadway theater at 241 West 47th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1928, it was designed by Herbert J. Krapp in the Elizabethan, Mediterranean, and Adam styles ...

) and closing on May 18, 1963, after 225 performances. Directed by

Peter Glenville Peter Glenville (born Peter Patrick Brabazon Browne; 28 October 19133 June 1996) was an English film and stage actor and director. Biography Born in Hampstead, London, into a theatrical family, Glenville was the son of Shaun Glenville (born J ...

, the play starred Margaret Leighton and

Anthony Quinn Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known professionally as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican-American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental v ...

, with

Charles Grodin Charles Sidney Grodin (April 21, 1935 – May 18, 2021) was an American actor, comedian, author, and television talk show host. Grodin began his acting career in the 1960s appearing in TV serials including '' The Virginian''. After a small part ...

in a supporting role.

Arlene Francis Arlene Francis (born Arline Francis Kazanjian; October 20, 1907 – May 31, 2001) was an American actress, radio and television talk show host, and game show panelist. She is known for her long-running role as a panelist on the television game s ...

and

Jack Klugman Jack Klugman (April 27, 1922 – December 24, 2012) was an American actor of stage, film, and television. He began his career in 1950 and started television and film work with roles in ''12 Angry Men'' (1957) and ''Cry Terror!'' (1958). Du ...

took over the star roles for the last month. ''Tchin-Tchin'' received

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

nominations for Best Play, Best Actress in a Play (Leighton), Best Scenic Design (Will Steven Armstrong) and Best Direction of a Play. ''Time'' wrote: "''Tchin-Tchin'' is magical. It is also fragile, but it is saved from wispiness by Leighton and Quinn. Excellence is an acting habit with Margaret Leighton, and her Pamela is expectably perfect. Anthony Quinn brings his subtlest gifts to Caesario 'sic'' a character in whom anguish and sentiment sprout like city flowers between slabs of concrete." In 2013, the Willis Hall version of ''Chin-Chin'' was revived with

Felicity Kendal Felicity Ann Kendal (born 25 September 1946) is an English actress, working principally in television and theatre. She has appeared in numerous stage and screen roles over a more than 70-year career, but the role that brought attention to her ...

and

Simon Callow Simon Phillip Hugh Callow (born 15 June 1949) is an English film, television and voice actor, director, narrator and writer. He was twice nominated for BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his roles in ''A Room with a View'' (19 ...

, directed by

Michael Rudman Michael Rudman (born February 14, 1939) is an American theatre director. Early life Rudman graduated from St. Mark's School of Texas in 1956, and four years later, graduated cum laude from Oberlin College with a degree in Government. In 1964, he ...

and designed by Michael Taylor. The first night was at the Theatre Royal Windsor,

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Ber ...

, on 16 October prior to a UK tour.

Plot

Pamela and Cesareo's respective spouses are having an affair. When they discover this, they meet. The initially priggish English lady is slowly seduced by the vibrant Italian. Unfortunately, his joie-de-vivre is mainly due to alcohol and she too becomes dependent on it, initiating a decline and fall.

Film

'' A Fine Romance'' (1991) with

Julie Andrews Dame Julie Andrews (born Julia Elizabeth Wells; 1 October 1935) is an English actress, singer, and author. She has garnered numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy F ...

and

Marcello Mastroianni Marcello Vincenzo Domenico Mastroianni (28 September 1924 – 19 December 1996) was an Italian film actor, regarded as one of his country's most iconic male performers of the 20th century. He played leading roles for many of Italy's top di ...

, directed by

Gene Saks Gene Saks (born Jean Michael Saks; November 8, 1921 – March 28, 2015) was an American director and actor. An inductee of the American Theater Hall of Fame, his acting career began with a Broadway debut in 1949. As a director, he was nominated ...

and adapted by

Ronald Harwood Sir Ronald Harwood (né Horwitz; 9 November 1934 – 8 September 2020) was a South African-born British author, playwright, and screenwriter, best known for his plays for the British stage as well as the screenplays for ''The Dresser'' (for wh ...

References

{{Reflist

External links

IBDB entry for ''Tchin-Tchin''
1959 plays French plays adapted into films