Tea Party (play)
Encyclopedia
Tea Party is a play
written by Harold Pinter
, which Pinter adapted from his own 1963 short story of the same title. As a screenplay
, it was commissioned by the European Broadcasting Union
, directed by Charles Jarrott
, and first transmitted on BBC Television
in the programme The Largest Theatre in the World on 25 March 1965 (Complete Works: Three 100). It was first produced on stage in October 1968 as part of a double bill with Pinter's play The Basement
.
, in October 1968, with the following cast:
Scenery was by Ed Wittstein, lighting by Neil Peter Jampolis, and costumes by Deidre Cartier.
Tea Party opened at the Duchess Theatre
on 17 September 1970, also directed by James Hammerstein
and produced by Eddie Kulukundis
for Knightsbridge Theatrical Productions Ltd, with the following cast" (Complete Works: Three 101):
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
written by Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter, CH, CBE was a Nobel Prize–winning English playwright and screenwriter. One of the most influential modern British dramatists, his writing career spanned more than 50 years. His best-known plays include The Birthday Party , The Homecoming , and Betrayal , each of which he adapted to...
, which Pinter adapted from his own 1963 short story of the same title. As a screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
, it was commissioned by the European Broadcasting Union
European Broadcasting Union
The European Broadcasting Union is a confederation of 74 broadcasting organisations from 56 countries, and 49 associate broadcasters from a further 25...
, directed by Charles Jarrott
Charles Jarrott
Charles Jarrott was a British film and television director. He was best known for costume dramas he directed for producer Hal B...
, and first transmitted on BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
in the programme The Largest Theatre in the World on 25 March 1965 (Complete Works: Three 100). It was first produced on stage in October 1968 as part of a double bill with Pinter's play The Basement
The Basement (play)
The Basement is a television filmscript and stage play by Nobel Laureate Harold Pinter . It was written first as a screenplay for a film, then revised into a filmscript for television, and also produced on stage.-Origin: "The Compartment":...
.
Synopsis
Tea Party "revolves around a family engaged in a business of sanitary engineering." According to an account published in the New Yorker, the play concerns "a middle-aged self-made business man named Sisson" (whom Pinter later renamed Disson), who engages a young secretary, marries a beautiful young second wife, and takes his new brother-in-law into his business–all in the same day";Mysteries abound. What is going on between the wife and her brother? Are they indeed brother and sister? Sisson has his doubts about that … . Why does Sisson feel that there must be something wrong with his eyes, although he knows that he can see clearly and his eye doctor has assured him that his vision is perfect? He forces his secretary to tie a chiffon scarf over his eyes, and then he is able to make a pass at her, in response to one of her many come-ons. Ordinary events assume a sinister tinge. Sisson's two sons, giving him the deadpan treatment that little boys have been inflicting on their elders from time immemorial, seem as eerie as characters out of a ghost story. Always the questions remain. Is there a conspiracy against Sisson.
Original cast of BBC TV production
As listed in the published texts, the original cast of the BBC TV production transmitted on 25 March 1965 was:| Disson | Leo McKern Leo McKern Reginald "Leo" McKern, AO was an Australian-born British actor who appeared in numerous British and Australian television programmes and movies, and more than 200 stage roles.-Early life:... |
| Wendy | Vivien Merchant Vivien Merchant Vivien Merchant was a British actress.-Career:Merchant performed in many stage productions and several films, including Alfie and Frenzy... |
| Diana | Jennifer Wright |
| Willy | Charles Gray Charles Gray (actor) Charles Gray was an English actor who was well-known for roles including the arch-villain Blofeld in the James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever, Sherlock Holmes' brother Mycroft Holmes in the Granada television series, and as The Criminologist in the cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show in... |
| Disley | John Le Mesurier John Le Mesurier John Le Mesurier was a BAFTA Award-winning English actor. He is most famous for his role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson in the popular 1970s BBC comedy Dad's Army.-Career:... |
| Lois | Margaret Denyer |
| Father | Frederick Piper |
| Mother | Hilda Barry |
| Tom | Peter Bartlett |
| John | Robert Bartlett |
Stage production
Tea Party was produced as part of a double bill with The Basement at the Eastside Playhouse in New York, directed by James HammersteinJames Hammerstein
James Hammerstein was an American theatre director and producer. He was the son of Oscar Hammerstein II and his wife Dorothy ....
, in October 1968, with the following cast:
| Disson | David Ford |
| Wendy | Valerie French |
| Diana | June Emery |
| Willy | John Tillinger |
| Disley | Paul Sparer |
| Lois | Rose Roffman |
| Father | Bert Bertram |
| Mother | Hazel Jones |
| Tom | Michael Kearney |
| John | Darel Glaser |
| Waiters | David Dario, Alfred Hayes, Jr |
Scenery was by Ed Wittstein, lighting by Neil Peter Jampolis, and costumes by Deidre Cartier.
Tea Party opened at the Duchess Theatre
Duchess Theatre
The Duchess Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, London, located in Catherine Street, near Aldwych.The theatre opened on 25 November 1929 and is one of the smallest 'proscenium arched' West End theatres. It has 479 seats on two levels....
on 17 September 1970, also directed by James Hammerstein
James Hammerstein
James Hammerstein was an American theatre director and producer. He was the son of Oscar Hammerstein II and his wife Dorothy ....
and produced by Eddie Kulukundis
Eddie Kulukundis
Sir Eddie Kulukundis OBE is a member of a Greek shipping family whose professional career has spanned shipping and the theatre....
for Knightsbridge Theatrical Productions Ltd, with the following cast" (Complete Works: Three 101):
| Disson | Donald Pleasence |
| Wendy | Vivien Merchant |
| Diana | Gabrielle Drake |
| Willy | Barry Foster |
| Disley | Derek Aylward |
| Lois | Jill Johnson |
| Father | Arthur Hewlett |
| Mother | HIlda Barry |
| Tom | Robin Angell |
| John | Kevin Chippendale |
Works cited
- "Harold Pinter (1930–2008)". Doollee.com: The Playwrights Database, (last updated) 23 Feb. 2009. WebWorld Wide WebThe World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
. 23 Feb. 2009.
- Pinter, HaroldHarold PinterHarold Pinter, CH, CBE was a Nobel Prize–winning English playwright and screenwriter. One of the most influential modern British dramatists, his writing career spanned more than 50 years. His best-known plays include The Birthday Party , The Homecoming , and Betrayal , each of which he adapted to...
. Complete Works: Three. New York: Grove PressGrove PressGrove Press is an American publishing imprint that was founded in 1951. Imprints include: Black Cat, Evergreen, Venus Library, Zebra. Barney Rosset purchased the company in 1951 and turned it into an alternative book press in the United States. The Atlantic Monthly Press, under the aegis of its...
, 1978. ISBN 0394170512. [Contents: The Homecoming, Tea Party, The Basement, Landscape, Silence, Revue Sketches: "Night", "That's Your Trouble", "That's All", "Applicant", "Interview", "Dialogue for Three", "With the Memoir, 'Mac', and the short story, 'Tea Party' ".] - –––. The Lover, Tea Party, The Basement: Two Plays and a Film Script. New York: Grove PressGrove PressGrove Press is an American publishing imprint that was founded in 1951. Imprints include: Black Cat, Evergreen, Venus Library, Zebra. Barney Rosset purchased the company in 1951 and turned it into an alternative book press in the United States. The Atlantic Monthly Press, under the aegis of its...
, 1967. ISBN 0394172639. - –––. Plays Three. Expanded edn., Contemporary Classics series. London: Faber and FaberFaber and FaberFaber and Faber Limited, often abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in the UK, notable in particular for publishing a great deal of poetry and for its former editor T. S. Eliot. Faber has a rich tradition of publishing a wide range of fiction, non fiction, drama, film and music...
, 1997. ISBN 0571193838. [Contents: The Homecoming, Tea Party, The Basement, Landscape, Silence, "Night", "That's Your Trouble", "That's All", "Applicant", "Interview", "Dialogue for Three", "Tea Party" (short story), Old Times, No Man's Land.] - –––. Tea Party and The Basement: Two Plays by Harold Pinter. Acting edn., first publ. 1969. New York: Dramatists Play ServiceDramatists Play ServiceEstablished in 1936 by members of the Dramatists Guild and the Society for Authors' Representatives, Dramatists Play Service, Inc. is a theatrical publishing and licensing house...
, Inc., 1998. ISBN 0822211157. - –––. Various Voices: Prose, Poetry, Politics: 1948–2005. London: Faber and FaberFaber and FaberFaber and Faber Limited, often abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in the UK, notable in particular for publishing a great deal of poetry and for its former editor T. S. Eliot. Faber has a rich tradition of publishing a wide range of fiction, non fiction, drama, film and music...
, 2005. ISBN 0571230091.
External links
- Harold Pinter's reading of his short story "Tea Party" (and selected poems and other stories) – At the 92nd Street Y92nd Street Y92nd Street Y is a multifaceted cultural institution and community center located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, at the corner of E. 92nd Street and Lexington Avenue. Its full name is 92nd Street Young Men's and Young Women's Hebrew Association...
in New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on 12 November 1964, hyperlinked in "92Y Podcast: Remembering Harold Pinter, British Playwright", 25 December 2008 (MP3MP3MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
; 65:41). - "Tea Party" – In HaroldPinter.org: Official Website of the International Playwright Harold Pinter ("Plays").