''London Wall'' is a play by the British writer

John Van Druten John William Van Druten (1 June 190119 December 1957) was an English playwright and theatre director. He began his career in London, and later moved to America, becoming a U.S. citizen. He was known for his plays of witty and urbane observations ...

that was first staged in 1931. It based on the romantic entanglements of the staff at a firm of British

solicitors A solicitor is a lawyer who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and enabled to p ...

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 ...

. It premiered in May 1931 and ran for 170 performances at the

Duke of York's Theatre The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster, London. It was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre until her death in 1935. Designed by ...

in the West End. The play remained largely forgotten until it was rediscovered by the

Finborough Theatre The Finborough Theatre is a fifty-seat theatre in the West Brompton area of London (part of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea) under artistic director Neil McPherson. The theatre presents new British writing, as well as UK and world p ...

with a production in 2013 and a subsequent West End adaptation at the St James Theatre. In 2014 the play received its American premiere when it was staged by

Mint Theater Company Mint Theater Company was founded in 1992 in New York City. Their mission is to find, produce, and advocate for "worthwhile plays from the past that have been lost or forgotten". They have been instrumental in restoring the theatrical legacy of sev ...

in New York City; this production was filmed and later broadcast as part of the

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Off-Broadway Series, ''Theater Close Up''.

Film adaptation

The play served as the basis for the 1932 British film '' After Office Hours,'' directed by

Thomas Bentley Thomas Bentley may refer to: * Thomas Bentley (director) Thomas Bentley (23 February 1884 – 23 December 1966) was a British film director. He directed 68 films between 1912 and 1941. He directed three films in the early DeForest Phonofilm sou ...

. The film features several actors who appeared in the original stage production, including

Frank Lawton Frank Lawton Mokeley (30 September 1904 – 10 June 1969) was an English actor. Biography Frank Lawton was born in St Giles, London, on 30 September 1904. His parents were stage players Daisy May Collier and Frank Mokely Lawton. His first ...

and Heather Angel. A second screen adaptation was filmed in 2014 by British company Master Media that was directed by Jennifer Darling. This version also features several cast members from the 2013 stage revival, including Alix Dunmore, Alex Robertson and Marty Cruickshank, as well as Jon Glover and newcomers Susanna Jennings and James G. Nunn.

References

Bibliography

* Kershaw, Baz (ed.). ''The Cambridge History of British Theatre, Volume 3''. Cambridge University Press, 2004. Plays by John Van Druten 1931 plays British plays adapted into films Plays set in London West End plays {{1930s-play-stub