I am not sure how to describe our November play, perhaps as a "Love Story". But when you look at the list of characters, and I tell you that it was written in 1840 and was recently very successfully produced at the National Theatre, I hope you will appreciate that this is no Barbara Cartland. I am very hopeful that we will have a fun afternoon!
London Assurance was written by Dion Boucicault, an Irish actor and playwright famed for his melodramas. By the later part of the 19th century, Boucicault had become known on both sides of the Atlantic as one of the most successful actor-playwright-managers then in the English-speaking theatre. The New York Times heralded him in his obituary as "the most conspicuous English dramatist of the 19th century."
List of Characters
- Sir Harcourt Courtly, cultured 57-year-old fop
- Charles Courtly, his dissolute son
- Dazzle, Charles' equally dissolute companion
- Max Harkaway, country squire
- Grace Harkaway, Max's 18-year-old niece, betrothed to Sir Harcourt
- Lady Gay Spanker, horse-riding virago
- Mr. Adolphus "Dolly" Spanker, her ineffectual husband
- Mark Meddle, lawyer
- Pert, Grace's maid
- Cool, Charles' valet
- James (Simpson)
- Martin, servant to the Courtlys
- Solomon Isaacs, moneylender, in pursuit of Charles
Some pictures from the recent production:
