''A Day by the Sea'' is a 1953 play by the British writer N. C. Hunter, first produced in 1953.

First productions

After premiering at the Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool on 26 October 1953 the play toured to Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh before opening at the

Haymarket Theatre The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre in Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in ...

in the West End of London, where it ran for 386 performances from 26 November 1953 to 30 October 1954.Wearing, p. 271

John Gielgud Sir Arthur John Gielgud ( ; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Britis ...

directed the production. The play had its American premiere in Los Angeles on 17 August 1955, before the production was taken to San Francisco and then to Broadway. On 26 September 1955 it opened in New York at the ANTA Theatre, running for 24 performances."A Day by the Sea"
Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved 27 September 2020 The director was

Cedric Hardwicke Sir Cedric Webster Hardwicke (19 February 1893 – 6 August 1964) was an English stage and film actor whose career spanned over 50 years. His theatre work included notable performances in productions of the plays of Shakespeare and Shaw, and hi ...

.Chapman, John. "A Day By the Sea", ''The New York Post'', 28 September 1955, p. 19

Original casts

:Source: Wearing and IBDB.

Plot

There is little incident in the play, which is a study of the various characters rather than a narrative."Haymarket Theatre", ''The Times'', 27 November 1953, p. 6 It is set in and near the

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

country house of Laura Anson, a brisk and sensible elderly woman, determined to keep the family home going, though worried that once she is dead nobody will succeed her in this. Her son, Julian, is a workaholic diplomat who abruptly realises that his obsession with his work has left him without a personal life. He attempts to interest the widowed, emotionally damaged Frances, but after two disastrous marriages she cannot face another deep personal relationship. David Anson, Julian's uncle, is an octogenarian who muses on the transitory nature of life. The

governess A governess is a woman employed as a private tutor, who teaches and trains a child or children in their home. A governess often lives in the same residence as the children she is teaching; depending on terms of their employment, they may or ma ...

, Miss Mathieson, despairs of finding a husband and makes an unsuccessful attempt to engage the affections of the bibulous but shrewd Dr Farley. While the characters are having a picnic on the beach a

Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * United ...

official comes to tell Julian he is no longer required in the embassy in Paris and must return to London.

Critical reception

The play divided the critics. There was general agreement that the piece was reminiscent of the plays of Chekhov, but some found it static and lacking Chekhovian depth. Ivor Brown in ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

'' called it "second rate … a competent pastiche of Russian ''fin de siècle'' theatre", albeit "very handsomely" done.Brown, Ivor. "On the Rocks", ''The Observer'', 29 November 1953, p. 11 Others found it thoughtful and touching. ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' called it "essentially a poetic theme – treated gently, stylishly, prosaically". ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. ''The Spectator'' is politically conservative, and its principal subject a ...

'' said, "Frustration and nostalgia are the predominant themes of the play, given fine acting, direction, and production". The critic J. C. Trewin called it "a curiously undramatic, derivative piece … but its lingering tenderness can find the heart." The reviewer in '' The Sphere'' said, "Mr Hunter skilfully depicts a household more than usually stocked with unfulfilled lives".

Revival

The play was revived in London at the

Finborough Theatre The Finborough Theatre is a fifty-seat theatre in the West Brompton area of London (part of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea) under artistic director Neil McPherson. The theatre presents new British writing, as well as UK and world p ...

in 2008, directed by Tom Cooper, with a cast including Juliet Ackroyd, Lucy Russell, Romy Tennant and Stephen Omer. It was revived again at the Southwark Playhouse in 2017, with John Sackville in the leading role of Julian.

Adaptations

''A Day by the Sea'' has twice been adapted for British television. In 1959

Associated Television ATV Network Limited, originally Associated TeleVision (ATV), was a British broadcaster, part of the ITV (TV network), ITV (Independent Television) network. It provided a service to London at weekends from 1955 to 1968, to the Midlands on week ...

broadcast a production with Gielgud (in his first television role) and Megs Jenkins reprising their stage parts, and Gladys Cooper (Laura), Nicholas Hannen (David),

Roger Livesey Roger Livesey (25 June 1906 – 4 February 1976) was a British stage and film actor. He is most often remembered for the three Powell and Pressburger, Powell & Pressburger films in which he starred: ''The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp'', '' ...

(Dr Farley) and Margaret Leighton (Frances) as co-stars. The second adaptation, by the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

(1964) starred Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies (Laura), Robert Flemyng (Julian),

Rachel Gurney Rachel Gurney (5 March 1920 – 24 November 2001) was an English actress. She began her career in the theatre towards the end of World War II and then expanded into television and film in the 1950s. She remained active, mostly in television a ...

(Frances), Felix Aylmer (David), and Gene Anderson (Miss Mathieson). The BBC broadcast radio adaptations of the play in 1955 and 1991. The first, produced by Val Gielgud, featured Robert Eddison (Julian), Gladys Young (Laura), Gwen Cherrell (Frances), John Turnbull (David), Belle Chrystall (Miss Mathieson) and Brewster Mason (Dr Farley). The second starred Wendy Hiller (Laura), Richard Pasco (Julian), Alan Wheatley (David), Michael Hordern (Dr Farley) and Barbara Leigh Hunt (Frances)."Saturday Playhouse"
BBC Genome. Retrieved 27 September 2020

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Day By The Sea 1953 plays West End plays Plays by N.C. Hunter