Berkeley Square is a play in three acts by John L. Balderston (in collaboration with J.C. Squire) which tells the story of a young American who is transported back to London in the time of the American Revolution and meets his ancestors.[1] The plot is loosely based on Henry James' posthumous 1917 novel The Sense of the Past.[2]
The play premiered at the St Martin's Theatre in London's West End in 1926, where it ran for 179 performances.[3] Its production on Broadway in 1929 was an enormous success with Leslie Howard (who also co-produced and co-directed the play with Gilbert Miller) in the role of time traveler Peter Standish and ran for 229 performances, a substantial run for its time.[2]
The play was later adapted into a 1933 film version with Howard repeating his stage role of Peter Standish, winning him an Academy Award nomination.[4] The play was also produced for a 1959 BBC television production and the 1951 film The House in the Square (released in the United States as I'll Never Forget You).[1][5]
Original London cast[edit]
- Tom Pettigrew – Brian Gilmour
- Mr. Throstle – Ivor Barnard
- The Ambassador – J. Fisher White
- Peter Standish – Lawrence Anderson
- Maid – Jane Millican/Edith Martyn
- Lady Anne Pettigrew – Beatrice Wilson/Georgina Wynter
- Miss Pettigrew – Valerie Taylor
- Helen Pettigrew – Jean Forbes-Robertson
- Mrs. Barwick – Frances Ruttledge
- Marjorie Frant – Grizelda Hervey/Juliet Mansell/Jane Millican
Original Broadway cast[edit]
- Mrs. Barwick – Lucy Beaumont
- Miss Barrymore – June English
- Marjorie Frant – Ann Freshman
- Helen Pettigrew – Margalo Gillmore
- Tom Pettigrew – Brian Gilmour
- H. R. H. The Duke of Cumberland – Robert Greig
- Maid – Irene Howard
- Peter Standish – Leslie Howard
- The Lady Anne Pettigrew – Alice John
- Mr. Throstle – Tarver Penna
- The Duchess of Devonshire – Louise Prussing
- Major Clinton – Charles Romano
- Kate Pettigrew – Valerie Taylor
- Lord Stanley – Henry Warwick
- The Ambassador – Fritz Williams
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Sunday-Night Theatre presents: Berkeley Square". May 31, 1959. p. 11 – via BBC Genome.
- ^ a b "Berkeley Square – Broadway Play – Original | IBDB". www.ibdb.com.
- ^ Wearing, J. P. (March 27, 2014). The London Stage 1920-1929: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9780810893023 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Berkeley Square (1933) – Frank Lloyd | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related". AllMovie.
- ^ "I'll Never Forget You (1951) – Roy Ward Baker | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related". AllMovie.
