''Cause Célèbre'' or ''A Woman of Principle'' is a 1975 radio play, and the final play by the English author

Terence Rattigan Sir Terence Mervyn Rattigan (10 June 191130 November 1977) was a British dramatist and screenwriter. He was one of England's most popular mid-20th-century dramatists. His plays are typically set in an upper-middle-class background.Geoffrey Wan ...

. It was inspired by the trial of

Alma Rattenbury Alma Victoria Rattenbury ( Wolfe, also Clarke, Radclyffe Dolling and Packenham; 1897/81935) was an English Canadians, English-Canadian songwriter and accused murderer. Born and educated in Canada, she was a talented musician and played with the T ...

and her teenage lover in 1935 for the murder of her third husband

Francis Rattenbury Francis Mawson Rattenbury (11 October 1867 – 28 March 1935) was a British architect although most of his career was spent in British Columbia, Canada, where he designed the province's legislative building among other public commissions. Divorc ...

and first broadcast on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

on 27 October 1975. It was Rattigan's first radio play, and Alma was played by

Diana Dors Diana Dors (born Diana Mary Fluck; 23 October 19314 May 1984) was an English actress and singer. Dors came to public notice as a Bombshell (slang), blonde bombshell, much in the style of Americans Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, and Mamie Van ...

. Rattigan was then commissioned to rewrite it as a stage play, ready to be produced in Autumn 1976, but his terminal cancer and casting problems meant he was able to start work only in January 1977, alongside director Robin Midgley. This stage version premiered at the Haymarket Theatre, Leicester in 1977 before its West End premiere on 4 July 1977 at

Her Majesty's Theatre His Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre situated in the Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster, London. The building, designed by Charles J. Phipps, was constructed in 1897 for the actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who ...

in London, with

Glynis Johns Glynis Margaret Payne Johns (5 October 1923 – 4 January 2024) was a British actress. In a career exceeding seven decades on stage and screen, Johns appeared in more than 60 films and 30 plays. She received various accolades throughout her ca ...

as Alma Rattenbury and Helen Lindsay as Edith Davenport. It received largely positive reviews. Rattigan discharged himself from hospital to attend the opening night. A 1987 television version of the stage play starred

Helen Mirren Dame Helen Mirren (; born Ilyena Lydia Vasilievna Mironov; 26 July 1945) is an English actor. With a career spanning over six decades of Helen Mirren on screen and stage, screen and stage, List of awards and nominations received by Helen Mirre ...

as Alma. The stage play itself was revived at the

Old Vic Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...

from March to June 2011 to mark Rattigan's centenary. The revival was directed by

Thea Sharrock Thea Sharrock is an English theatre and film director. In 2001, at age 24, she became the artistic director of London's Southwark Playhouse and the youngest artistic director in British theatre. Early life and education Sharrock was born to ...

, with Alma played by

Anne-Marie Duff Anne-Marie Duff (born 8 October 1970) is an English actress and narrator. She is best known for her BAFTA nominated television roles in '' Shameless'' and '' The Virgin Queen'', and her performance as Grace Williams in '' Bad Sisters'', for wh ...

and Edith Davenport by

Niamh Cusack Niamh Cusack ( ; born 20 October 1959) is an Irish actress. Born into a family with deep roots in the performing arts, she has performed extensively with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, and other prominent theatre ens ...

. Reviews were mainly very positive, with ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' calling it a "fine revival" of a play which "stands the test of time", though the ''

London Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free of charge in London, England. It is print ...

'' regretted that "this is not Rattigan at his most eloquently anguished." A new production of the radio play was aired by

on 25 June 2011, again directed by Sharrock with original music by Adrian Johnston.

Old Vic cast

* Joan Webster ..... Lucy Black * Francis Rattenbury ....

Timothy Carlton Timothy Carlton Congdon Cumberbatch (born 4 October 1939) is an English actor. Early years Carlton was born in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, the son of Pauline Ellen Laing (née Congdon), who died on 11 October 2007, and Henry Carlton Cumberb ...

* John Davenport ....

Simon Chandler Simon Chandler (born 1953) is a British film, television and theatre actor. He often plays senior establishment figures such as Members of Parliament and senior civil servants. Biography Born in 1953 and educated at Bedford School, Chandler' ...

* Croom-Johnson ..... Richard Clifford * Christopher .... Oliver Coopersmith * Christopher (Understudy) - Oscar Dunbar * Edith Davenport ....

* Alma Rattenbury .....

Ewen Montagu Ewen Edward Samuel Montagu (29 March 1901 – 19 July 1985) was a British judge, Naval intelligence officer, and author. He is best known for his leading role in Operation Mincemeat, a critical military deception operation that misdirected G ...

..... Rory Fleck-Byrne * Tony Davenport .... Freddie Fox * Irene Riggs ....

Jenny Galloway Jenny Galloway is a British actress and singer best known for her stage career, which includes Madame Thénardier in ''Les Misérables''. She has received numerous awards and nominations, winning the 1999 Olivier Award for Best Supporting ...

* Judge ......

Patrick Godfrey Patrick Lindesay Archibald Godfrey (born 13 February 1933) is an English actor of film, television and stage. Life and career Godfrey was born in Finsbury, London to Rev. Frederick Godfrey and Lois Mary Gladys (née Turner). In 1956 Godfrey ...

O'Connor O'Connor or O'Conor may refer to: People * O'Connor or O'Conor, an Irish clan * O'Connor Sligo, a royal dynasty ruling the northern part of the Kingdom of Connacht * O'Connor (surname), including a list of people with the surname Places * Burdett ...

.... Nicholas Jones * George Wood .......Tommy McDonnell * Stella Morrison ....... Lucy Robinson * Clerk of the court .....Tristan Shepherd * Casswell ....... Richard Teverson * Wardress ....... Sarah Waddell * Sergeant Bagwell ....... Michael Webber * Coroner ....... Tristram Wymark

References

Terence Rattigan: highlights of the British Library exhibitionLost letters bought for £22 reveal Terence Rattigan's professionalismCause CélèbreReview , Old Vic , Cause Célèbre , Michael Billington
* ttps://www.standard.co.uk/goingout/theatre/cause-celebre-is-not-rattigan-at-his-most-eloquently-anguished-7424195.html Cause Celebre is not Rattigan at his most eloquently anguished 1977 plays 1975 radio dramas British radio dramas Plays by Terence Rattigan Hamish Hamilton books West End plays {{1970s-play-stub