''Janus'' is a 1955

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 ...

play by Carolyn Green.

Synopsis

The action concerns two people, Jessica and Denny (married, but not to each other), who get together in New York for a couple of months each year, to engage romantically and also to write a novel each year, which novels (published under the

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

"Janus") are regularly best-sellers. Jessica's husband (a shipping tycoon) turns up for a surprise visit, and complications ensue, including a dogged taxman who is after Denny for false tax filings – specifically, not claiming enough deductions. The taxman proves that the shipping tycoon owes enormous taxes on his wife's earnings, and so for their financial well being – and since Jessica is so charming about it all – he accepts the arrangement, and all ends well.

Background

''Janus'' was produced on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

for the 1955-1956 season, at the Plymouth Theatre. The play opened on November 25, 1955 and closed on June 30, 1956, after 251 performances. Margaret Sullavan and Claude Dauphin played the two principals; the other players were Robert Preston,

Robert Emhardt Robert Emhardt (July 24, 1914 – December 26, 1994) was an American character actor who worked on stage, in film and on television. Emhardt was frequently cast as a villain, often a crooked businessman or corrupt politician. Early years Em ...

, and Mary Finney. The director was

Reginald Denham Reginald Denham (10 January 1894 – 4 February 1983) was an English writer, theatre and film director, actor and film producer. Biography Reginald H. F. Denham was born in London, England, in 1894. He spent a good part of his career dire ...

Reception

John Chapman (drama critic for the ''

New York Daily News The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in Ta ...

'') praised the acting and described it as "an old style French sex farce", "enjoyably light minded" despite "a number of structural faults", but that ultimately "I don't think the play would get far without its cast". the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' described ''Janus'' as "wild and enjoyable". ''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...

'' magazine said "Playwright Carolyn Green keeps ''Janus'' spinning brightly while making clear that this is a tale meant to be amusing rather than believed". But the ''

Harvard Crimson The Harvard Crimson are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Harvard College. The school's teams compete in NCAA Division I. As of 2013, there were 42 Division I intercollegiate varsity sports teams for women and men at Harvard, more than at ...

'' reviewing a 1957 production at a different Plymouth Theatre, in Boston, with

Joan Bennett Joan Geraldine Bennett (February 27, 1910 – December 7, 1990) was an American stage, film, and television actress. She came from a show-business family, one of three acting sisters. Beginning her career on the stage, Bennett appeared in more t ...

and

Romney Brent Romney Brent (born Romulo Larralde; 26 January 1902 – 24 September 1976) was a Mexican actor, director and dramatist. Most of his career was on stage in North America, but in the 1930s he was frequently seen on the London stage, on television ...

playing the principals, scored the play as "poorly crafted" and "heavy handed, and for the most part, unfunny", although still a "more or less tolerable evening of inane froth".

Revivals and adaptations

''Janus'' was performed occasionally in local and regional theatre, including the Cape Playhouse on

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mon ...

in Massachusetts (1957, featuring Joan Bennett and Donald Cook; 1963, with

Allen Ludden Allen Ellsworth Ludden (born Allen Packard Ellsworth; October 5, 1917 – June 9, 1981) was an American television personality, actor, singer, emcee, and game show host. He hosted various incarnations of the game show ''Password'' between 1 ...

and

Betty White Betty Marion White (January 17, 1922December 31, 2021) was an American actress and comedian. A pioneer of early television, with a television career spanning almost seven decades, White was noted for her vast work in the entertainment indus ...

), the

Hanna Theatre The Hanna Theatre is a theater at Playhouse Square in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is one of the original five venues built in the district, opening on March 28, 1921. The Hanna Theatre reopened in 2008 as the new home of Great La ...

in Cleveland (1956, with Joan Bennett), and the

Paper Mill Playhouse Paper Mill Playhouse is a regional theater with approximately 1200 seats, located in Millburn, New Jersey on the Rahway River. Due to its relatively close location to Manhattan, it draws from the pool of actors (and audience members) who live ...

in New Jersey, (1965, with

June Allyson June Allyson (born Eleanor Geisman; October 7, 1917 – July 8, 2006) was an American stage, film, and television actress, dancer, and singer. Allyson began her career in 1937 as a dancer in short subject films and on Broadway in 1938. She sig ...

Scott McKay Scott McKay (born December 2, 1960) is a Canadian politician, who served as a former leader of the Green Party of Quebec and a former Montreal council member. McKay was elected in 2008 to the Quebec National Assembly for the Parti Québécois ...

, and

Imogene Coca Imogene Coca (born Emogeane Coca; November 18, 1908 – June 2, 2001) was an American comic actress best known for her role opposite Sid Caesar on '' Your Show of Shows''. Starting out in vaudeville as a child acrobat, she studied ballet and wish ...

). A 1969 production featuring

Myrna Loy Myrna Loy (born Myrna Adele Williams; August 2, 1905 – December 14, 1993) was an American film, television and stage actress. Trained as a dancer, Loy devoted herself fully to an acting career following a few minor roles in silent films ...

and

William Roerick William George Roerich (December 17, 1912 – November 30, 1995) was an American actor. He is particularly associated with the stage, but also played in many films and TV productions. He was also a stage manager and writer. His name is sometime ...

opened in Denver and played in New Hampshire, Cape Cod, and

Corning, New York Corning is a city in Steuben County, New York, United States, on the Chemung River. The population was 10,551 at the 2020 census. It is named for Erastus Corning, an Albany financier and railroad executive who was an investor in the company ...

. A Dutch translation (under the name ''Wie is Janus?'' (''Who is Janus?'')) was presented in the Netherlands in 1958, with Mary Dresselhuys and Louis Borel, and shown on Dutch television in 1967. A Swedish translation was shown on Swedish television in 1965. Brian Brooke produced and directed ''Janus'' at his Brooke Theater in

Johannesburg, South Africa Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to D ...

, featuring

Gordon Mulholland Gordon Mulholland (30 April 1921, Cape Town, South Africa – 30 June 2010, East London, South Africa) was a British actor best known for his performances in the TV soap opera ''The Villagers'' and the movie ''Jock of the Bushveld''. Early life He ...

, in 1958.

Synopsis

Background

Reception

Revivals and adaptations

References

Further reading