''Daphne Laureola'' is a comic play by

James Bridie James Bridie (3 January 1888 in Glasgow – 29 January 1951 in Edinburgh) was the pseudonym of a Scottish playwright, screenwriter and physician whose real name was Osborne Henry Mavor.Daniel Leary (1982) ''Dictionary of Literary Biography: ...

about a young Polish refugee's infatuation with a middle-aged English woman. 'Egalitarianism is at the heart of this vision, but idealism may be just a liability.'

Productions

The play was first produced by the

Old Vic Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...

Wyndham's Theatre Wyndham's Theatre is a West End theatre, one of two opened by actor/manager Charles Wyndham (the other is the Criterion Theatre). Located on Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, it was designed c. 1898 by W. G. R. Sprague, the arch ...

in London in 1949, starring

Edith Evans Dame Edith Mary Evans (8 February 1888 – 14 October 1976) was an English actress. She was best known for Edith Evans – stage and film roles, her work on the West End theatre, West End stage, but also appeared in films at the beginning and t ...

and

Peter Finch Frederick George Peter Ingle Finch (28 September 191614 January 1977) was an English-Australian actor of theatre, film and radio. Born in London, he emigrated to Australia at the age of ten and was raised in Sydney, where he worked in vaudevi ...

, under the management of

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...

. The production was a major success, helping launch Finch's career in London. In August 1950, it was performed at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow. A 1950 Broadway production, also starring Evans, was less successful.

Original cast

*Maisie MacArthur - Anna Turner *Bill Wishforth - Robin Lloyd *Helen Willis - Eileen O'Hara *Bob Kentish - Alexander Harris *George, the Waiter at Le Tois aux Porcs -

Martin Miller Martin Miller may refer to: *Martin Miller (actor) (1899–1969), Czech actor * Martin Miller (cricketer, born 1940) (1940–2016), English cricketer * Martin Miller (cricketer, born 1972), English cricketer *Martin Miller (footballer) (born 1997), ...

*1st Spiv - Billy Thatcher *2nd Spiv - John Tore *Lady Pitts -

*Ernest Piaste -

*A Bored Woman - Anna Burden *A Bored Man - Ireland Wood *Mr. Gooch - Kenneth Hyde *Mr. Watson - Mark Stone *Vincent - Peter Williams *Sir Joseph Pitts -

Felix Aylmer Sir Felix Edward Aylmer Jones (21 February 1889 – 2 September 1979) was an English stage actor who also appeared in the cinema and on television. Aylmer made appearances in films with comedians such as Will Hay and George Formby. Early life ...

*The Manager of Le Toit aux Porcs - Bernard Gillman

Adaptations

It was adapted for television in the UK in 1958, In West Germany in 1962, in Australia in

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...

and in the UK again in 1978, starring Olivier and Joan Plowright, Olivier's wife, as Lady Pitts.''Daphne Laureola''
at

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References

External links

* * {{IMDb title, qid=Q123536704 1949 plays West End plays Plays by James Bridie