''Desert Rats'' is a 1945 play by the British writer Colin Morris. It revolves around a patrol of the British Eighth Army operating in the desert outside

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during the

North African Campaign The North African campaign of World War II took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943, fought between the Allies and the Axis Powers. It included campaigns in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts (Western Desert campaign, Desert Wa ...

. It premiered at the

Theatre Royal, Brighton The Theatre Royal is a theatre in Brighton, East Sussex, England presenting a range of West End and touring musicals and plays, along with performances of opera and ballet. History In 1806, the Prince of Wales (later George IV) gave Royal Assen ...

before transferring to the

Adelphi Theatre The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiv ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

's West End where it ran for 44 performances between 26 April to 2 June 1945. The original West End cast included

Richard Greene Richard Marius Joseph Greene (25 August 1918 – 1 June 1985) was a noted English film and television actor. A matinée idol who appeared in more than 40 films, he was perhaps best known for the lead role in the long-running British TV series ...

, Bill Owen,

Kieron Moore Kieron Moore may refer to * Kieron Moore (Irish actor) (1924-2007), Irish actor * Kieron Moore (English actor) (fl. 2010s–2020s), English actor and boxer {{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Kieron ...

Ian Colin Ian Colin Marmaduke de Collieur Wetherell (1912–1987), most often credited simply as Ian Colin, was a British film and television actor. During the 1930s, Colin was a leading man in quota quickies. He later acted predominantly in television sho ...

, Larry Noble,

Manning Whiley Manning Hedges Whiley (23 January 191529 January 1975) was a British actor. Partial filmography * '' Trunk Crime'' (1939) - Bentley * '' The Four Just Men'' (1939) - (uncredited) * '' Pack Up Your Troubles'' (1940) - Muller * ''Contraband'' (19 ...

and Michael Whittaker.Wearing p.194

References

Bibliography

* Wearing, J.P. ''The London Stage 1940-1949: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel''. Rowman & Littlefield, 2014. 1945 plays West End plays Plays about World War II Plays set in Libya Plays by Colin Morris Plays about the military {{1940s-play-stub