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Love from a Stranger (play)
Encyclopedia
Love from a Stranger is a 1936 play based on Philomel Cottage, a 1924 short story by British mystery writer Agatha Christie
.
and opened at the New Theatre
on March 31, 1936. Vosper himself starred in the play which was later turned into a successful film. Promotional extracts were broadcast on the BBC Regional Programme
on Friday May 1, 1936 in a twenty minute programme starting at 7.10pm with members of the then-current stage cast.
On May 9, 1936, the final performance was given at the New Theatre and the play immediately transferred to the Queen's Theatre
on Monday, May 11 where it ran until Saturday, August 8, 1936. It reopened two days later at the Streatham Hill Theatre for one week.
was equally enthusiastic stating "The final act is very sure of its effect. The suspense is maintained; each turn of the story is clear and striking; the terror-stricken self-control of the girl and the man's gross and abominable insanity are depicted by Miss Marie Ney and Mr Vosper with every refinement of a murderous thriller. Within the limits of its purpose, the acting of this scene could scarcely be bettered." It is claimed that the climax was so chilling to members of the audience that some fainted with the suspense.
Ivor Brown
in The Observer
of April 5, 1936 said, "There is authentic and tremendous suspense about the struggle between Bruce and his captive wife. One feels that, if any bird did nest near this cottage, it would be the croaking raven or fatal owl." Frank Vosper's performance was described as "very clever" and "a first-rate study of disintegration, in which the muscle of the first act becomes the fearsome flabbiness of the last. Both the chief players have to change character during the play, which, since this is well done, gives it a special acting-value apart from its interest of plot and problem."
The Scotsman
of April 1, 1936 started its review with, "To watch the performance of Love from a Stranger at the New Theatre, is like witnessing a clever conjuring show. One knows that all that is apparently happening is next to impossible, yet one cannot fail to be thrilled." The review went on to say that, "Mr Frank Vosper achieves with great art the transformation from a pleasant young Colonial to a habitual murderer. The scene where he gradually reveals his true character by tearing up his wife's scarf in a paroxysm of murderous fury is invested by him with a realism that is almost horrible. It was difficult to assess the performance of Miss Marie Ney, because it was difficult to believe that she would ever have placed herself in such a situation."
Cast of London Production:
Frank Vosper as Bruce Lovell
Muriel Aked
as Louise Garrard
Norah Howard as Mavis Wilson
Marie Ney
as Cecily Harrington
Geoffrey King as Nigel Lawrence
Charles Hodges
as Hodgson
Esma Cannon
as Ethel
S Major Jones as Dr. Gribble
where it ran from September 21 to circa. November 1, 1936 for thirty-eight performances. The first week (up to September 28) was at the Erlanger Theatre
and from then until the closure of the play it ran at the Fulton Theatre
Cast:
A. G. Andrews as Hodgson
Leslie Austen as Nigel Lawrence
George Graham as Dr. Gribble
Jessie Royce Landis
as Cecily Harrington
Mildred Natwick
as Ethel
Minna Phillips as Louise Garrard
Olive Reeves-Smith as Mavis Wilson
Frank Vosper as Bruce Lovell
The play was first published by William Collins
in June 1936 in both simultaneous hardback (priced five shillings) and paperback (priced three shillings and sixpence
) editions and was re-issued by Samuel French Ltd in 1937.
The play was twice turned into a film. The 1937 British production starred Basil Rathbone
and Ann Harding
and was released in the US as A Night of Terror. The 1947 US remake starred John Hodiak
and Sylvia Sidney
and was released in the UK as A Stranger Walked In.
The play was also televised twice
by the BBC
on November 23, 1938 and May 25, 1947, both as live performances.
A radio version of the play was presented on the BBC Home Service
on March 24, 1945 from 9.30 to 10.45pm as part of the Saturday Night Theatre strand. The play was produced by Howard Rose.
Cast:
Josephine Shand as Louise Garrard
Ann Farrar as Mavis Wilson
Grizelda Hervey as Cecily Harrington
John Clements
as Bruce Lovell
Richard Williams as Nigel Lawrence
Ian Sadler as Hodgson
Freda Falconer as Ethel
Cecil Fowler as Dr. Gribble
A second radio version was broadcast on the General Forces Programme on Wednesday May 9, 1945 from 7.30pm to 8.30pm and was produced by Martyn C. Webster. This version was repeated on Wednesday, July 4 at the same time.
Cast
Pamela Brown as Cecily Harrington
John Slater as Bruce Lovell
Alan Howland as Nigel Lawrence
Rita Vale as Mavis Wilson
Dora Gregory as Louise Garrard
Patric Curwen as Dr Gribble
Frank Tickle as Hodgson
Ellinore Stuart as Ethel
A BBC Radio 4
play was broadcast on January 14, 2002.
The latest adaptation, by Louise Page
, opened on Wednesday 14th April at The Mill at Sonning
, in Berkshire, England. Chloe Newsome
plays Alix, Dido Miles (Fran), Peter Moreton (Dick), Gerald is played by David Michaels
and George by Struan Rodger
.
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
.
Background
The play was adapted by Frank VosperFrank Vosper
Frank Vosper was a British actor and playwright.-Stage:Vosper made his stage debut in 1919 and was best known for playing urbane villains....
and opened at the New Theatre
Noël Coward Theatre
The Noël Coward Theatre, formerly known as the Albery Theatre, is a West End theatre on St. Martin's Lane in the City of Westminster. It opened on 12 March 1903 as the New Theatre and was built by Sir Charles Wyndham behind Wyndham's Theatre which was completed in 1899. The building was designed by...
on March 31, 1936. Vosper himself starred in the play which was later turned into a successful film. Promotional extracts were broadcast on the BBC Regional Programme
BBC Regional Programme
The BBC Regional Programme was a UK radio network which operated from the end of the 1920s until the outbreak of World War II in 1939.-Foundation:...
on Friday May 1, 1936 in a twenty minute programme starting at 7.10pm with members of the then-current stage cast.
On May 9, 1936, the final performance was given at the New Theatre and the play immediately transferred to the Queen's Theatre
Queen's Theatre
The Queen's Theatre is a West End theatre located in Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster. It opened on 8 October 1907 as a twin to the neighbouring Gielgud Theatre which opened ten months earlier. Both theatres were designed by W.G.R...
on Monday, May 11 where it ran until Saturday, August 8, 1936. It reopened two days later at the Streatham Hill Theatre for one week.
Reception of London production
The play garnered good reviews with the Daily Herald stating that it was "a brilliant terror play" and "our blood was gloriously curdled last night". The TimesTimes
The Times is a UK daily newspaper, the original English language newspaper titled "Times". Times may also refer to:In newspapers:*The Times , went defunct in 2005*The Times *The Times of Northwest Indiana...
was equally enthusiastic stating "The final act is very sure of its effect. The suspense is maintained; each turn of the story is clear and striking; the terror-stricken self-control of the girl and the man's gross and abominable insanity are depicted by Miss Marie Ney and Mr Vosper with every refinement of a murderous thriller. Within the limits of its purpose, the acting of this scene could scarcely be bettered." It is claimed that the climax was so chilling to members of the audience that some fainted with the suspense.
Ivor Brown
Ivor Brown
Ivor John Carnegie Brown was a British journalist and man of letters.-Biography:Born in Penang, Malaya, Brown was the younger of two sons of Dr. William Carnegie Brown, a specialist in tropical diseases, and his wife Jean Carnegie. At an early age he was sent to Britain, where he attended Suffolk...
in The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
of April 5, 1936 said, "There is authentic and tremendous suspense about the struggle between Bruce and his captive wife. One feels that, if any bird did nest near this cottage, it would be the croaking raven or fatal owl." Frank Vosper's performance was described as "very clever" and "a first-rate study of disintegration, in which the muscle of the first act becomes the fearsome flabbiness of the last. Both the chief players have to change character during the play, which, since this is well done, gives it a special acting-value apart from its interest of plot and problem."
The Scotsman
The Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
of April 1, 1936 started its review with, "To watch the performance of Love from a Stranger at the New Theatre, is like witnessing a clever conjuring show. One knows that all that is apparently happening is next to impossible, yet one cannot fail to be thrilled." The review went on to say that, "Mr Frank Vosper achieves with great art the transformation from a pleasant young Colonial to a habitual murderer. The scene where he gradually reveals his true character by tearing up his wife's scarf in a paroxysm of murderous fury is invested by him with a realism that is almost horrible. It was difficult to assess the performance of Miss Marie Ney, because it was difficult to believe that she would ever have placed herself in such a situation."
Credits of London production
Director: Murray MacDonaldCast of London Production:
Frank Vosper as Bruce Lovell
Muriel Aked
Muriel Aked
Muriel Aked was a British film actress. She was a student at Liverpool Repertory Theatre for six months but left to do war work. She made her screen debut in 1920 in A Sister to Assist 'Er...
as Louise Garrard
Norah Howard as Mavis Wilson
Marie Ney
Marie Ney
Marie Ney was a British actress who had an acting career spanning five decades, from 1919 to 1969....
as Cecily Harrington
Geoffrey King as Nigel Lawrence
Charles Hodges
Charles Hodges
Charles Hodges is an American organist and songwriter. He is known for his high tone on the Hammond B3 organ, that appeared on records by Al Green, and other musicians signed to Hi Records....
as Hodgson
Esma Cannon
Esma Cannon
Esma Ellen Charlotte Cannon was a diminutive Australian-born character actress, who moved to England in the early 1930s.-Career:...
as Ethel
S Major Jones as Dr. Gribble
Broadway production
Vosper took the play to New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
where it ran from September 21 to circa. November 1, 1936 for thirty-eight performances. The first week (up to September 28) was at the Erlanger Theatre
St. James Theatre
The St. James Theatre is located at 246 W. 44th St. Broadway, New York City, New York. It was built by Abraham L. Erlanger, theatrical producer and a founding member of the Theatrical Syndicate, on the site of the original Sardi's restaurant. It opened in 1927 as The Erlanger...
and from then until the closure of the play it ran at the Fulton Theatre
Fulton Theatre/Helen Hayes Theatre
The Fulton Theatre was a Broadway Theatre located at 210 West 46th Street in New York that was opened in 1911. It was re-named the Helen Hayes Theatre in 1955. The theatre was demolished in 1982...
Credits of Broadway production
Director: Auriol LeeAuriol Lee
Auriol Lee was a popular British stage actress who became a successful West End and Broadway theatrical producer and director.-Biography:...
Cast:
A. G. Andrews as Hodgson
Leslie Austen as Nigel Lawrence
George Graham as Dr. Gribble
Jessie Royce Landis
Jessie Royce Landis
Jessie Royce Landis was an American actress.-Career:She was born Jessie Royce Medbury in Chicago, Illinois. Landis was a stage actress for much of her career...
as Cecily Harrington
Mildred Natwick
Mildred Natwick
Mildred Natwick was an American stage and film actress.- Early life :A native of Baltimore, Maryland, she was born to Joseph and Mildred Marion Dawes Natwick. She graduated from the Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore...
as Ethel
Minna Phillips as Louise Garrard
Olive Reeves-Smith as Mavis Wilson
Frank Vosper as Bruce Lovell
Publication and further adaptations
William Collins (publisher)
William Collins was a Scottish schoolmaster and publisher.Collins was born near Glasgow in 1789. In 1819 he set up a publishing business, initially selling religious books. He produced the first Collins dictionary in 1824, when he also obtained a licence to publish the Bible...
in June 1936 in both simultaneous hardback (priced five shillings) and paperback (priced three shillings and sixpence
British sixpence coin
The sixpence, known colloquially as the tanner, or half-shilling, was a British pre-decimal coin, worth six pence, or 1/40th of a pound sterling....
) editions and was re-issued by Samuel French Ltd in 1937.
The play was twice turned into a film. The 1937 British production starred Basil Rathbone
Basil Rathbone
Sir Basil Rathbone, KBE, MC, Kt was an English actor. He rose to prominence in England as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in over 70 films, primarily costume dramas, swashbucklers, and, occasionally, horror films...
and Ann Harding
Ann Harding
Ann Harding was an American theatre, motion picture, radio, and television actress.-Early years:Born Dorothy Walton Gatley at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, to George G. Gatley and Elizabeth "Bessie" Crabb. The daughter of a career army officer, she traveled often during her early life...
and was released in the US as A Night of Terror. The 1947 US remake starred John Hodiak
John Hodiak
John Hodiak was an American actor who worked in radio and film.-Early life:He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of Walter Hodiak and Anna Pogorzelec . He was of Ukrainian and Polish descent...
and Sylvia Sidney
Sylvia Sidney
Sylvia Sidney was an American actress who rose to prominence in the 1930s appearing in numerous crime dramas.-Early life:...
and was released in the UK as A Stranger Walked In.
The play was also televised twice
Love from a Stranger (TV)
Love from a Stranger is the name of two live BBC Television plays directed by George More O'Ferrall. The plays are based on the 1936 stage play of the same name by Frank Vosper...
by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
on November 23, 1938 and May 25, 1947, both as live performances.
A radio version of the play was presented on the BBC Home Service
BBC Home Service
The BBC Home Service was a British national radio station which broadcast from 1939 until 1967.-Development:Between the 1920s and the outbreak of The Second World War, the BBC had developed two nationwide radio services, the BBC National Programme and the BBC Regional Programme...
on March 24, 1945 from 9.30 to 10.45pm as part of the Saturday Night Theatre strand. The play was produced by Howard Rose.
Cast:
Josephine Shand as Louise Garrard
Ann Farrar as Mavis Wilson
Grizelda Hervey as Cecily Harrington
John Clements
John Clements
Sir John Selby Clements, CBE was an English actor and producer who worked in theatre, television and film.Clements attended St Paul's School and St John's College, Cambridge University then worked with Nigel Playfair and afterwards spent a few years in Ben Greet's Shakespearean Company. He made...
as Bruce Lovell
Richard Williams as Nigel Lawrence
Ian Sadler as Hodgson
Freda Falconer as Ethel
Cecil Fowler as Dr. Gribble
A second radio version was broadcast on the General Forces Programme on Wednesday May 9, 1945 from 7.30pm to 8.30pm and was produced by Martyn C. Webster. This version was repeated on Wednesday, July 4 at the same time.
Cast
Pamela Brown as Cecily Harrington
John Slater as Bruce Lovell
Alan Howland as Nigel Lawrence
Rita Vale as Mavis Wilson
Dora Gregory as Louise Garrard
Patric Curwen as Dr Gribble
Frank Tickle as Hodgson
Ellinore Stuart as Ethel
A BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
play was broadcast on January 14, 2002.
The latest adaptation, by Louise Page
Louise Page
-Life:She graduated from Birmingham University, and University of Wales in 1977.She was commissioned by the Birmingham Arts Lab, and was Yorkshire Television Fellow, at University of Sheffield...
, opened on Wednesday 14th April at The Mill at Sonning
The Mill at Sonning
The Mill at Sonning is a theatre and restaurant , converted from an 18th century flour mill, on an island in the River Thames at Sonning Eye in the English county of Oxfordshire....
, in Berkshire, England. Chloe Newsome
Chloe Newsome
Chloe Newsome is an English actress who is best known for playing the role of Vicky McDonald in the long-running ITV soap opera Coronation Street.-Career:...
plays Alix, Dido Miles (Fran), Peter Moreton (Dick), Gerald is played by David Michaels
David Michaels
David Michaels is a pseudonym for the authors of novels in the Splinter Cell, EndWar, H.A.W.X , and Ghost Recon series, all of which were created by Ubisoft Entertainment and developed under Ubisoft's Tom Clancy license...
and George by Struan Rodger
Struan Rodger
Struan Rodger is a British actor who has appeared widely in a range of supporting roles. His first feature film role was as Eric Liddell's friend and running coach Sandy McGrath, in the Oscar-winning 1981 film, Chariots of Fire....
.