''St Helena: a play in twelve scenes'' is a play by the English author R. C. Sherriff (notable as the author of the First World War drama ''

Journey's End ''Journey's End'' is a 1928 dramatic play by English playwright R. C. Sherriff, set in the trenches near Saint-Quentin, Aisne, towards the end of the First World War. The story plays out in the officers' dugout of a British Army infantry com ...

'') and Jeanne de Casalis (who also researched it). It deals with the exile of

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

Saint Helena Saint Helena (, ) is one of the three constituent parts of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, a remote British overseas territory. Saint Helena is a volcanic and tropical island, located in the South Atlantic Ocean, some 1,874 km ...

. In a production by

Henry Cass Henry Cass (24 June 1902 – 15 March 1989) was a British director, particularly prolific in film in the horror and comedy genres. Previously an actor, he was also a prolific stage director of classical theatre at the Old Vic in the 1930s. In 19 ...

, it premiered at 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 ...

on 4 February 1936 to poor reviews, but was rescued by a letter to ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' by

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

, calling it "a remarkable play" and "a work of art of a very high order"; though a West End transfer also proved unsuccessful.

Original cast

*General Count Bertrand -

Ion Swinley Ion Swinley (27 October 1891 – 16 September 1937), born Eric Ion Swindley was an English actor, known for his appearances in classics and modern dramas and comedies. Life and career Swinley was born in the London suburb of Barnes on 27 October ...

*General Count Montholon -

Leo Genn Leopold John Genn ( ; 9 August 1905 – 26 January 1978) was an English actor and barrister. Distinguished by his relaxed charm and smooth, "black velvet" voice, he had a lengthy career in theatre, film, television and radio, often playing a ...

*General Baron Gourgaud - Clement McCallin *Napoleon - Kenneth Kent *Admiral Sir George Cockburn -

Raymond Huntley Horace Raymond Huntley (23 April 1904 – 15 June 1990) was an English actor who appeared in dozens of British films from the 1930s to the 1970s. He also appeared in the ITV period drama '' Upstairs, Downstairs'' as the pragmatic family soli ...

*Captain Nicholls - Robert Craven *Count Las Cases -

Alan Wheatley Alan Wheatley (19 April 1907 – 30 August 1991) was an English actor. He was a well known stage actor in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, appeared in forty films between 1931 and 1965 and was a frequent broadcaster on radio from the 1930s to the ...

* Sir Hudson Lowe -

Cecil Trouncer Cecil Stallard Trouncer (5 April 1898 – 15 December 1953) was an English actor. His daughter Ruth Trouncer also took up acting. Early life Cecil Trouncer was born in Southport on 5 April 1898 and was educated at Clifton College. During the Fir ...

*Dr. O'Meara - William Devlin *Dr. Antommarchi, Ship's Carpenter -

Alec Clunes Alexander Sheriff de Moro Clunes (17 May 1912 – 13 March 1970) was an English actor and theatrical manager. Among the plays he presented were Christopher Fry's '' The Lady's Not For Burning''. He gave the actor and dramatist Peter Ustinov ...

*Marine - Eric Wynn-Owen *St. Denis -

Anthony Quayle Sir John Anthony Quayle (7 September 1913 – 20 October 1989) was a British actor. He was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his supporting role as Thomas Wolsey in the film '' Anne of the Thousand Days'' (1969). He also played impor ...

*Marchand - Richard Warner *Cipriani - Alwyn Whatsley *French Servants - Phillip Bowen
Denis Carew *English Sailors - John Franklyn
John Jameson *Novarrez - George Woodbridge *Officer, Trooper - Guy Haslewood *Subaltern - John Franklyn *Napoleon Bertrand - Tony Wickham *Tristan - Eric Sutton *Abe Buonavita - Charles Doe *Abbe Vignali - Christopher Casson *Chinese Gardeners - Alan Foss
John Kennedy
John Jameson *Countess Montholon - Vivienne Bennett *Countess Bertrand - Ursula Granville *Hortense Bertrand -

Glynis Johns Glynis Margaret Payne Johns (5 October 1923 – 4 January 2024) was a British actress. In a career exceeding seven decades on stage and screen, Johns appeared in more than 60 films and 30 plays. She received various accolades throughout her ca ...

*Mulatto Maid - Fredericka Allen

United States premiere and Broadway production

''St Helena'' was first staged in the United States at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C. on September 28, 1936 in a production produced by Max Gordon for the opening the National's 101st season. The production transferred to

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 Stre ...

's Lyceum Theatre where it opened on October 6, 1936. Staged by

Robert B. Sinclair Robert Bruce Sinclair (May 24, 1905 – January 3, 1970) was an American director who worked in film, theater and television. Early years Robert Bruce Sinclair was born in Toledo, Ohio, the son of an insurance agent. He attended the University ...

, the production starred Maurice Evans as Napoleon, Reginald Mason as General Count Betrand, Joseph Macaulay as General Baron Gourgaud, Stephen Ker Appleby as General Count Montholon, Kay Strozzi as Countess Montholon, Rosamond Pinchot as Countess Bertrand,

Percy Waram Percy Thomas Carne Waram ( ; 28 October 1880 – 5 October 1961) was a British-born stage and film actor who spent much of his career in the United States. His career lasted 55 years on the American stage, and he had memorable roles in ''The Shang ...

as Sir Hudson Lowe,

Harry Bellaver Harry Bellaver (born Enricho Bellaver; February 12, 1905 – August 8, 1993) was an American stage, film, and television actor who appeared in many roles from the 1930s through the 1980s. Early years Bellaver was born in Hillsboro, Illinois, the ...

as The Abbe Vignali,

Edward Fielding Edward Fielding (March 19, 1875 – January 10, 1945) was an American stage and film actor. Career Edward Fielding appeared in nearly 40 Broadway productions between 1905 and 1939, often in leading roles. He played as a leading man with famou ...

as Admiral Sir George Cockburn, and

Whitford Kane Whitford Kane (born Thomas Wheeler Kane, January 30, 1881 – December 17, 1956) was a noted Irish-born American stage and screen character actor remembered for playing the First Gravedigger in numerous productions of Shakespeare's ''Hamlet'' and ...

as Dr. O'Meara. It ran for 63 performances.

Adaptation

''St Helena'' was presented as the February 27, 1949, episode of ''

The Philco Television Playhouse ''The Philco Television Playhouse'' is an American television anthology series that was broadcast live on NBC from 1948 to 1955. Produced by Fred Coe, the series was sponsored by Philco. It was one of the most respected dramatic shows of the ...

'' on NBC. The trade publication ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' described Dennis King's portrayal of Napoleon as "an admirable characterization".

Sources

*R. C. Sherriff, ''No Leading Lady'' (London: Victor Gollancz Ltd, 1968), pages 297 to 308
''A New Play About Napoleon ''
- ''The Times'', Thursday, Jan 30, 1936; pg. 12;

References

External links

*
Openlibrary.org1953 Broadcast of condensed version of play
performed for ''Best Plays'' at

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

{{R.C. Sherriff 1936 plays Plays by R. C. Sherriff West End plays Broadway plays Plays about Napoleon