The Sleeping Prince (play) Contents Original production Critical reception Original Broadway...
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1953 plays1911 in fictionBritish playsHamish Hamilton booksBritish plays adapted into filmsPlays set in London1950s play stubs
Terence Rattiganthe coronationElizabeth IICarol II of RomaniaLaurence OlivierPhoenix TheatreWest EndKenneth TynanMichael RedgraveBroadwayCoronet TheatreMarilyn MonroeNoël Coward
First edition (publ. Hamish Hamilton 1954)
The Sleeping Prince: An Occasional Fairy Tale is a 1953 play by Terence Rattigan, conceived to coincide with the coronation of Elizabeth II in the same year.[1] Set in London in 1911, it tells the story of Mary Morgan, a young actress, who meets and ultimately captivates Prince Charles of Carpathia,[2] considered to be inspired by Carol II of Romania.[3]
Contents
1 Original production
2 Critical reception
3 Original Broadway production
4 Adaptations
5 Awards and honors
5.1 Original Broadway production
6 References
7 External links
Original production
Laurence Olivier directed the original production at the Phoenix Theatre in London's West End on November 5, 1953, with the following cast:[4]
- Mary - Vivien Leigh
- The Regent - Laurence Olivier
- The Grand Duchess - Martita Hunt
- The Butler - Peter Barkworth
- The Major-Domo - Paul Hardwick
- The Archduchess - Elaine Inescourt
- The First Footman - Angus Mackay
- Northbrook - Richard Wattis
- The Baroness - Daphne Newton
- The King - Jeremy Spenser
- The Princess - Nicola Delman
- The Second Footman - Terence Owen
- The Countess - Rosamund Greenwood
The production ran for 274 performances.[5]
Critical reception
Kenneth Tynan wrote in the Daily Sketch:
"Once upon a time there was an actor called gruff Laurence Olivier, whose wife was an actress called pert Vivien Leigh, and a playwright called clever Terence Rattigan wrote a play for them, called The Sleeping Prince, with a gruff part for him and a pert part for her, and to nobody's surprise it ran happily ever after, with twice-weekly matinées."[6]
The Spectator however, called it "the very best of its kind";[5]
Original Broadway production
Michael Redgrave directed the play on Broadway at the Coronet Theatre in November and December 1956, with the following cast:[7]
- Mary - Barbara Bel Geddes
- The Regent - Michael Redgrave
- The Grand Duchess - Cathleen Nesbitt
- The Butler - Sorrell Booke
- The Major Domo - Ronald Dawson
- The Archduchess - Margaret Neff Jerome
- The First Footman - William Major
- Northbrook - Rex O'Malley
- The Baroness - Betty Sinclair
- The King - Johnny Stewart
- The Princess - Elwin Stock
- The Second Footman - Martin Waldron
- The Countess - Nydia Westman
The production ran for 60 performances.[7]
Adaptations
- Film
Marilyn Monroe bought the rights to the play and subsequently produced The Prince and the Showgirl (1957), with Rattigan also writing the screen adaptation.[8] The film was directed by and costarred Olivier, who reprised his role as Prince Charles.[9] Although a box office disaster in its day, the New York Times credits Olivier with extracting a "delightful, comic performance" from Monroe.[10]
- Stage
In 1963 the play was also adapted into a musical as The Girl Who Came to Supper, with music and lyrics by Noël Coward.[11]
Awards and honors
Original Broadway production
| Year | Award ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Tony Award | Best Costume Design | Alvin Colt | Nominated |
References
^ Bertolini, John A. (17 November 2016). "The Case for Terence Rattigan, Playwright". Springer – via Google Books..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ Gale, Steven H. (1 February 1996). "Encyclopedia of British Humorists: Geoffrey Chaucer to John Cleese". Taylor & Francis – via Google Books.
^ http://www.natura2000oltenita-chiciu.ro/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Vladimir-Toncea-Carpathia-from-fictional-country-to-nature-conservation.pdf
^ "Production of The Sleeping Prince - Theatricalia". theatricalia.com.
^ ab Wearing, J. P. (16 September 2014). "The London Stage 1950-1959: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel". Rowman & Littlefield – via Google Books.
^ Shellard, Dominic (3 October 2017). "Kenneth Tynan: A Life". Yale University Press – via Google Books.
^ ab League, The Broadway. "The Sleeping Prince – Broadway Play – Original - IBDB". www.ibdb.com.
^ "Detail view of Movies Page". www.afi.com.
^ "The Prince and the Showgirl (1957) - Laurence Olivier - Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related - AllMovie". AllMovie.
^ New York Times, review of The Prince and the Showgirl. Retrieved January 11, 2006.
^ "The Girl Who Came to Supper Broadway @ Broadway Theatre - Tickets and Discounts - Playbill". Playbill.
External links
The Sleeping Prince at the Internet Broadway Database
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