''Dear Octopus'' is a comedy by the playwright and novelist

Dodie Smith Dorothy Gladys "Dodie" Smith (3 May 1896 – 24 November 1990) was an English novelist and playwright. She is best known for writing '' I Capture the Castle'' (1948) and the children's novel '' The Hundred and One Dalmatians'' (1956). Other work ...

. It opened at the Queen's Theatre, London on 14 September 1938. On the outbreak of the

Second World War 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 ...

in September 1939, the run was halted after 373 performances; after a spell in the provinces in early 1940, the play was brought back to London, and played two further runs there until 31 August 1940. The play depicts the relationships between three generations of a large family. The "dear octopus" of the title refers to the family itself, whose tentacles its members can never escape.

Background

Smith had been a successful playwright throughout the 1930s. Her 1935 play ''Call It a Day'' had the longest run of any play by a woman dramatist up to that time, with 509 performances."Obituary: Dodie Smith", ''

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 ...

'', 27 November 1990, p. 20 The impresario

Binkie Beaumont Hugh "Binkie" Beaumont (27 March 1908 - 22 March 1973) was a British theatre manager and producer, sometimes referred to as the " éminence grise" of the West End theatre. Though he shunned the spotlight so that his name was not known widely am ...

of H. M. Tennent secured the performing rights of ''Dear Octopus'', and offered his friend

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 ...

the romantic lead. Gielgud was happy to accept, having recently finished a season under his own management, which had not been particularly profitable.Gielgud, pp. 49–50 Gielgud's co-star was

Marie Tempest Dame Mary Susan Etherington (15 July 1864 – 15 October 1942), known professionally as Marie Tempest, was an English singer and actress. Tempest became a famous soprano in late Victorian era, Victorian light opera and Edwardian musical comedie ...

. The role of the retiring young employee who is in love with the hero was originally planned for

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 Breed ...

Diana Wynyard Diana Wynyard (born Dorothy Isobel Cox; 16 January 1906 – 13 May 1964) was an English stage and film actress. Life and career Born in Lewisham, South London, Wynyard began her career on the stage. After performing in Liverpool and London wi ...

, but was played by Angela Baddeley to great critical approval. The play opened in London after a provincial tour.

The real first night, at the Queen’s Theatre on 14 September 1938, began gloomily. The crisis in Czechoslovakia was on everyone's mind. During the first half, the house was subdued, faces grave and laughs few. It seemed to have become dull. Then, in the first interval, a dramatic ''deus ex machina'', Charles Morgan, arrived from ''The Times'' with news, which spread like wildfire through the theatre, that
Neville Chamberlain Arthur Neville Chamberlain (; 18 March 18699 November 1940) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from ...
was flying to meet
Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
at
Berchtesgaden Berchtesgaden () is a municipality in the district Berchtesgadener Land, Bavaria, in southeastern Germany, near the border with Austria, south of Salzburg and southeast of Munich. It lies in the Berchtesgaden Alps. South of the town, the Be ...
. "It was as if the whole audience breathed a sigh of relief. And from then on the play went superbly, and built to a magnificent reception."

Original cast

*Charles Randolph – Leon Quartermaine *Dora Randolph –

*Hilda Randolph – Nan Munro *Margery Harvey – Madge Compton *Cynthia Randolph – Valerie Taylor *Nicholas Randolph –

(later replaced by

Hugh Sinclair Admiral Sir Hugh Francis Paget Sinclair, (18 August 1873 – 4 November 1939), known as Quex Sinclair, was a British intelligence officer. He was Director of British Naval Intelligence between 1919 and 1921, and he subsequently helped to se ...

) *Hugh Randolph – John Justin *Gwen (Flouncy) Harvey – Sylvia Hammond *William Harvey – Pat Sylvester *Kathleen (Scrap) Kenton – Muriel Pavlow *Edna Randolph – Una Venning *Kenneth Harvey – Felix Irwin *Laurel Randolph – Jean Ormonde *Belle Schlessinger – Kate Cutler *Grace Fenning (Fenny) – Angela Baddeley *Nanny –

Annie Esmond Annie Esmond (27 September 1873 – 4 January 1945) was a British stage and film actress. Esmond was born in Surrey, England. She made her stage debut in pantomime in Sheffield in 1891 and later appeared on the American as well as British stage ...

*Gertrude – Margaret Murray ::Source: ''

Plot

As the critics pointed out, there is little plot in the play. ''The Times'' summarised the piece thus:

Critical reception

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'' ...

'', Ivor Brown agreed with his anonymous ''Times'' colleague about the lack of plot. He commented that the romance of Fenny and Nicholas provided the play "with what plot it possesses; for the most part it is a family parade offering familiar pleasures. There seems to be a little of everything that playgoers like, from

Cinderella "Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...

in her corner to fun in the nursery, from little talks on God to sentimental speeches on Granny's Golden Wedding."Brown, Ivor. "The Week's Theatres", ''

'', 18 September 1938, p. 13 The reviewer in ''

The Manchester 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 ...

'' noted that at a poignant scene between the matriarch, the prodigal daughter and an innocent grandchild "handkerchiefs are discreetly a-flutter among the audience in numbers that must delight any dramatist.""Dear Octopus at the Opera House", ''

'', 6 September 1934, p. 11

Revivals and adaptations

The play was revived in the West End in 1967 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 ...

, with Cicely Courtneidge and Jack Hulbert heading a cast that included Lally Bowers,

Ursula Howells Ursula Howells (17 September 1922 – 16 October 2005) was an English actress whose elegant presence kept her much in demand for roles in film and television. Life and career Howells was born in London, the daughter of composer Herbert Howells, ...

, Richard Todd and

Joyce Carey Joyce Carey (30 March 1898 – 28 February 1993) was an English actress, best known for her long professional and personal relationship with Noël Coward. Her stage career lasted from 1916 until 1987, and she was performing on television in he ...

. A 1988 production was staged at the Theatre Royal, Windsor. In 1943, the play was turned into a film of the same title directed by

Harold French Harold French (23 April 1897 – 19 October 1997) was an English film director, screenwriter and actor. Biography After training at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, Italia Conti School, he made his acting debut age 12, in a produ ...

, starring Margaret Lockwood and Michael Wilding. A 2024 stage revival at the National Theatre starred Lindsay Duncan, Bessie Carter, Kate Fahy, Malcolm Sinclair and Billy Howle.

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dear Octopus (play) 1938 plays British plays adapted into films Plays by Dodie Smith West End plays