The Barretts of Wimpole Street

File:Aherne-Cornell-Barretts 1931.jpg and Katharine Cornell in the original Broadway production of The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1931)]]The Barretts of Wimpole Street was Rudolf Besier's only real success as a playwright. It was first staged on 20 August 1930, at the Malvern Festival in Malvern, Worcestershire. Elizabeth Barrett lived near Malvern as a child, which suggested to the director, Sir Barry Jackson, the appropriateness of opening the play there before presenting it in the West End."Malvern Festival", The Stage, 20 March 1930, p. 14 The production starred Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies as Elizabeth Moulton-Barrett and Scott Sunderland as Robert Browning.Besier, unnumbered introductory page The production was later seen in Birmingham"Repertory Theatre", Birmingham Daily Gazette, 26 August 1930, p. 6 before opening, with the original cast unchanged, at the Queen's Theatre in London on 23 September 1930, where it ran until 2 January 1932,"The Queen's", The Stage, 25 September 1930, p. 16; and "The Theatres", The Times, 10 December 1931, p. 12 a total of 528 performances.Herbert, p. 1602

The production provoked protests from some of Edward Moulton-Barrett's grandchildren about the portrayal of their grandfather as a monster with "unspeakable vices"."The Barretts of Wimpole Street", The Times, 29 August 1930, p. 10 Besier and Jackson issued a statement that neither when writing the play nor in its production was there any intention to portray Barrett as a man with incestuous impulses, and that such interpretation of the play was erroneous and unfounded."The Barretts of Wimpole Street", The Times, 3 November 1930, p. 10 The text of the play was published by Victor Gollancz in 1931. It is dedicated to Hugh Walpole."The Barretts of Wimpole Street", {{oclc| 469255516}}

In search of an American production, Besier was rebuffed by 27 producers before the actress Katharine Cornell took an interest in the play and had it staged at the Hanna Theatre in Cleveland, Ohio on 29 January 1931.Hochman, pp. 344–345 The play then went to Broadway, where it opened on 9 February, at the Empire Theatre, starring Cornell and Brian Aherne, running for 370 performances.{{cite web |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/the-barretts-of-wimpole-street-11316 |title=The Barretts of Wimpole Street |website=IBDB.com |publisher=Internet Broadway Database }} The Stage commented in 1974 that Elizabeth was Cornell's most famous part."Obituary", The Stage, 20 June 1974, p. 21

:Source: Playscript.

The action of the play takes place in Elizabeth Barrett's bed-sitting room in her father's house. She is an invalid, taking comfort from her pet spaniel, Flush. Her sister Henrietta tells her that their father is in a fury because of the impending visit of their cousin Bella, who is about to marry – something Barrett will not allow his daughters to do: "So long as Papa's alive none of us will ever be able to marry with his consent – and to marry without it is unthinkable". To Moulton-Barrett, love entails "cruelty and loathing and degradation and remorse ... With the help of God, and through years of tormenting abstinence, I strangled it in myself. And so long as I have breath in my body, I'll keep it away from those I was given to protect and care for".Besier, p. 155

When Bella arrives, Elizabeth confesses that she too has an admirer – the handsome young poet Robert Browning. Invigorated by his renewed declaration of love, she gets up and walks for the first time in years.Besier, p. 115

Some months later, Elizabeth is so much better that she is planning a trip to Italy, on her doctor's advice. Her father cannot bear to let her go. When Browning begs her to marry him and leave for Italy together, Elizabeth pleads for time. When Barrett discovers that Henrietta has an admirer, he is so angry that he assaults her and makes her swear never to see him again.Besier, pp. 134–140 Elizabeth, realising that she must act, secretly marries Browning and elopes with him, leaving a note for her father. Barrett, devastated, wants revenge. "A smile of indescribable ugliness flickers across his face" and he orders Elizabeth's beloved dog to be destroyed – but she has taken Flush with her. Learning from Henrietta that his cruel vengeance has been thwarted, Barrett stands perfectly still, "staring straight before him and mechanically tearing Elizabeth's letter into little pieces, which drop to his feet".Besier, p. 165

File:Katharine Cornell Barretts of Wimpole Street on television 1956.JPG television production of the play in 1956]]

Cornell revived the play twice on Broadway: at the Martin Beck Theatre (1935) and the Ethel Barrymore Theatre (1945).[https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-show/the-barretts-of-wimpole-street-1851 "The Barretts of Wimpole Street"], Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved 23 March 2024 There was a West End revival of the play in 1948 at the Garrick Theatre, starring Margaret Johnston, Alec Clunes and Tom Walls."The Garrick", The Stage, 13 May 1948, p. 1

{{Main|The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934 film)|The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1957 film)}}It was filmed in 1934, starring Fredric March, Norma Shearer and Charles Laughton. That film was remade scene-for-scene and almost shot-for-shot, in colour, in 1957, starring Bill Travers, Jennifer Jones and John Gielgud. Both films were directed by Sidney Franklin.Milberg, p. 28

BBC television broadcast an adaptation of the play on 14 October 1951, starring Pauline Jameson as Elizabeth, Griffith Jones as Browning and D. A. Clarke-Smith as Edward Moulton-Barrett.[https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/d9a5ac086d5047cb8d5cb6805f105dfa "The Barretts of Wimpole Street"], BBC Genome. Retrieved 23 April 2024 On 2 April 1956 NBC's Producers' Showcase aired a production featuring Cornell as Elizabeth. A 1982 TV film of the play was made by the BBC starring Jane Lapotaire as Elizabeth, Joss Ackland as her father and Jeremy Brett as Browning.[https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/71e7f57ec92549b58f957a4f87d35a1a "The Barretts of Wimpole Street"], BBC Genome. Retrieved 23 March 2024

The play also spawned a musical, Robert and Elizabeth, with book and lyrics by Ronald Millar and music by Ron Grainer. It opened in London on 20 October 1964, starring June Bronhill, Keith Michell and John Clements and ran for 948 performances.Gaye, p. 201 and Herbert, p. 1633

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book | last = Besier | first = Rudolf | title = The Barretts of Wimpole Street| date = 1958|origyear=1931| location = Boston| publisher = Little, Brown and Company| url = https://archive.org/details/barrettsofwimpol0000unse_f4p7/page/n5/mode/2up| oclc = 1023585543 }}
• {{cite book | editor-last = Gaye | editor-first = Freda | year = 1967 | title = Who's Who in the Theatre | edition = fourteenth | location = London | publisher = Sir Isaac Pitman and Sons | oclc = 5997224 }}
• {{cite book | editor-last = Herbert | editor-first = Ian | year = 1977 | title = Who's Who in the Theatre | edition = sixteenth | location = London and Detroit | publisher = Pitman Publishing and Gale Research | isbn = 978-0-273-00163-8}}
• {{cite book | editor-last = Hochman | editor-first = Stanley | title = McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama|volume=1| date = 1984| location = New York | publisher = McGraw-Hill | url = https://archive.org/details/mcgrawhillencycl01hoch/page/344/mode/2up| isbn = 978-0-07-079169-5 }}
• {{cite book | last = Milberg| first =Doris | title =Repeat Performances: A Guide to Hollywood Movie Remakes | date =1990 | location =Shelter Island | publisher =Broadway Press | url =https://archive.org/details/repeatperformanc0000milb/mode/2up | isbn = 978-0-91-174721-8}}

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Category:1930 plays

Category:Robert Browning

Category:Biographical plays about writers

Category:Plays by Rudolf Besier