''London Assurance'' (originally entitled ''Out of Town'') is a five-act comedy co-authored by
Dion Boucicault
Dionysius Lardner "Dion" Boucicault (né Boursiquot; 26 December 1820 – 18 September 1890) was an Irish actor and playwright famed for his melodramas. By the later part of the 19th century, Boucicault had become known on both sides of the ...
and
John Brougham.
While the play was collaboratively written by both playwrights, after the play's initial premiere Broughman, who originated the role of Dazzle, relinquished his authorship rights to the work in a lawsuit settlement and left the production.
It was the second play that Boucicault wrote but his first to be produced. Its first production was by
Charles Matthews and
Madame Vestris's company and ran from 4 March 1841 at the
Theatre Royal, Covent Garden. It was Boucicault's first major success.
Characters
*Sir Harcourt Courtly, cultured 57-year-old fop
*Charles Courtly, his dissolute son
*Dazzle, Charles's equally dissolute companion
*Max Harkaway, country squire
*Grace Harkaway, Max's 18-year-old niece, betrothed to Sir Harcourt
*Lady Gay Spanker, horse-riding virago
*Mr. Adolphus "Dolly" Spanker, her ineffectual husband
*Mark Meddle, lawyer
*Pert, Grace's maid
*Cool, Charles's valet
*James (Simpson)
*Martin, servant to the Courtlys
*Solomon Isaacs, moneylender, in pursuit of Charles
Plot
Act 1
Charles and Dazzle arrive at Sir Harcourt's London home after a night on the town and manage to avoid Harcourt with Cool's help; Harcourt still believes that Charles is a clean-living innocent. Max arrives to make the final arrangements for Harcourt's marriage to Max's niece Grace. Grace's late father, Max's brother, has made Grace's inheritance contingent on her marrying Harcourt; if she does not, it will pass to Charles. In return, Harcourt has financially helped him. Harcourt leaves and Dazzle bumps into Max, gaining himself an invitation to Oak Hall in Gloucestershire, Max's country house, and Charles will accompany him on the trip.
Act 2
At Oak Hall, Grace tells her maid Pert about her acceptance of marriage to the aged Sir Harcourt and explains her view of love as an "epidemic madness". Charles and Dazzle arrive; Charles does not know of his father's marriage plans and immediately starts courting Grace. Harcourt arrives and Charles tells him that he is actually named Augustus Hamilton and merely bears a remarkable likeness to Charles. His father is convinced for a time.
Act 3
Lady Gay Spanker and her husband "Dolly" arrive, and Sir Harcourt immediately falls in love with the former. Grace begins to fall in love with Charles/Augustus in spite of herself. When Lady Gay interrupts their courtship, Charles easily persuades the lady to distract Sir Harcourt from marriage to Grace by apparently accepting his affections. Charles leaves as 'Augustus', returning as Charles to tell Grace that 'Augustus' has been killed, to see if she really loves him, whilst Lady Gay and Sir Harcourt plan to elope.
Act 4
The elopement is frustrated by Max, Dolly and the local lawyer Meddle. Dolly challenges Sir Harcourt to a duel. Sir Harcourt realises he has been duped and resolves to release Grace from their marriage contract.
Act 5
Max prevents the duel and Grace insists on going through with the marriage to Sir Harcourt, as a ruse to force Charles's hand. Charles's creditors catch up with him. Dolly forgives Gay and Sir Harcourt finds out his son's true nature as well as acceding to Charles's marriage to Grace.
Style
The play is considered an intermediate point between the 18th-century comedies of
Richard Brinsley Sheridan
Richard Brinsley Butler Sheridan (30 October 17517 July 1816) was an Anglo-Irish playwright, writer and Whig politician who sat in the British House of Commons from 1780 to 1812, representing the constituencies of Stafford, Westminster and I ...
and
Oliver Goldsmith
Oliver Goldsmith (10 November 1728 – 4 April 1774) was an Anglo-Irish people, Anglo-Irish poet, novelist, playwright, and hack writer. A prolific author of various literature, he is regarded among the most versatile writers of the Georgian e ...
on the one hand and
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...
's ''
The Importance of Being Earnest
''The Importance of Being Earnest, a Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde, the last of his four drawing-room plays, following ''Lady Windermere's Fan'' (1892), ''A Woman of No Importance'' (1893) and ''An Ideal Husban ...
'' on the other.
Production history
The play's first production ran for three months, with
Madame Vestris as Grace Harkaway and
Charles Mathews (replacing
John Brougham who originated the role) as Dazzle, and was soon followed (from 11 October 1841, at the
Park Theatre) by its first New York production, with
Charlotte Cushman as Lady Gay Spanker.
According to casting notes from Methuen & Co Ltd's 1971 publication of the play, the
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...
produced the show with director
Ronald Eyre. The first performance was on 23 June 1970, and featured
Donald Sinden as Sir Harcourt Courtly,
Michael Williams as Charles,
Judi Dench
Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Widely considered one of Britain's greatest actors, she is noted for her versatility, having appeared in films and television, as well as for her numerous roles on the stage ...
as Grace and
Barrie Ingham as Dazzle which transferred to the
Albery Theatre Albery is a name. It may refer to:
Given name
* Albery Allson Whitman (1851−1901), African American poet, minister and orator
Surname
* A. S. Albery, British politician
* Bronson Albery (1881−1971), English theatre director and impresario
* Do ...
in London and had a run at the
Palace Theatre on Broadway in New York. Eyre was nominated for a
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...
for his directing and Sinden was the first recipient of the Broadway
Drama Desk Special Award.
[Who's Who in the Theatre, 17th edition (1981)] A 1974 production saw
Roger Rees take on the role of Charles, and
Dinsdale Landen play Dazzle.
In 1976, the play was adapted for television 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 ...
for their ''
Play of the Month
''Play of the Month'' is a BBC television anthology series, which ran from 1965 to 1983 featuring productions of classic and contemporary stage plays (or adaptations) which were usually broadcast on BBC1. Each production featured a different wor ...
'' series, with
Anthony Andrews as Charles Courtly and Landen reprising his role of Dazzle. It also featured
Judy Cornwell as Lady Gay,
James Bree as her husband Adolphus,
Charles Gray as Sir Harcourt,
Jan Francis as Grace,
Clifford Rose as Cool and
Nigel Stock as Max.
A 1989 stage production at the
Chichester Festival Theatre
Chichester Festival Theatre is a theatre and Grade II* listed building situated in Oaklands Park in the city of Chichester, West Sussex, England. Designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, it was opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Mart ...
(directed by
Sam Mendes
Sir Samuel Alexander Mendes (born 1 August 1965) is a British film and stage director, producer, and screenwriter. In 2000, Mendes was appointed a CBE for his services to drama, and he was Knight Bachelor, knighted in the 2020 New Year Honours ...
and featuring
Paul Eddington as Sir Harcourt) later transferred to London. Its cast also included
John Warner
John William Warner III (February 18, 1927 – May 25, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974 and as a five-term United States Republican Party, Republican United Stat ...
as Adolphus. Other productions include one at the
Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester in 2004, and a 2008 production at the
Watermill Theatre in
Bagnor, which toured to Guildford.
In 1991, the play was adapted for radio and directed by Sue Wilson 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 ...
, with
Daniel Massey as Sir Harcourt,
Elizabeth Spriggs as Lady Gay,
Samantha Bond as Grace,
Reece Dinsdale as Charles Courtly and Sir
Michael Hordern as Sir Charles Crawford.
The
Royal National Theatre
The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...
revived the play in March 2010, directed by
Nicholas Hytner and featuring
Simon Russell Beale as Sir Harcourt and
Fiona Shaw as Lady Gay. A live performance was simulcast to cinemas around the world through their ''NTLive!'' program.
Notes
Sources
Templeman Library University of Kent
The University of Kent (formerly the University of Kent at Canterbury, abbreviated as UKC) is a Collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university based in Kent, United Kingdom. The university was granted its roya ...
Stratford Festival
External links
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{{Authority control
English plays
1841 plays
Comedy plays
Plays by Dion Boucicault
Plays by John Brougham
Plays set in England
Gloucestershire in fiction
Plays about marriage