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The play was adapted for Australian TV in 1960. Australian TV drama was relatively rare at the time.<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/60-australian-tv-plays-1950s-60s/|magazine=Filmink|title=60 Australian TV Plays of the 1950s & ‘60s|date=February 18, 2019}}</ref> |
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The play was adapted for Australian TV in 1960. |
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It was directed by Alan Burke who had directed a stage production at the Arrow Theatre in Melbourne in 1952.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2844444 |title=Mr. A. BURKE NEW PRODUCER FOR REPERTORY |newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |volume=26, |issue=7592 |location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia |date=19 December 1951 |accessdate=10 February 2017 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article23155935 |title=Stage 'VENUS OBSERVED' IS A FINE PLAY |newspaper=[[The Argus (Melbourne)]] |issue=32,868 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=7 January 1952 |accessdate=10 February 2017 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> |
It was directed by Alan Burke who had directed a stage production at the Arrow Theatre in Melbourne in 1952.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2844444 |title=Mr. A. BURKE NEW PRODUCER FOR REPERTORY |newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |volume=26, |issue=7592 |location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia |date=19 December 1951 |accessdate=10 February 2017 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article23155935 |title=Stage 'VENUS OBSERVED' IS A FINE PLAY |newspaper=[[The Argus (Melbourne)]] |issue=32,868 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=7 January 1952 |accessdate=10 February 2017 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> |
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Revision as of 22:12, 15 January 2020
Venus Observed is a play in blank verse by the English dramatist and poet Christopher Fry. It was first performed on 18 January 1950 at the St James's Theatre, London, and ran for 229 performances with the following cast:[1]
- The Duke of Altair – Laurence Olivier
- Edgar, his son – Denholm Elliott
- Herbert Reedbeck, his agent – George Relph
- Dominic, Reedbeck's son – Robert Beaumont
- Rosabel Fleming – Valerie Taylor
- Jessie Dill – Brenda de Banzie
- Captain Fox Reddleman, the Duke's butler – Fred Johnson
- Bates, the Duke's footman – Thomas Heathcote
- Hilda Taylor-Snell – Rachel Kempson
- Perpetua, Reedbeck's daughter – Heather Stannard
- Director – Laurence Olivier
- Set designer – Roger Furse
- Composer – Herbert Menges
- Costume designer – Margaret Furse
Scenes:
- The Observatory Room at Stellmere Park, the Duke's mansion
- The Temple of the Ancient Virtues, Stellmere Park
1952 Broadway Production
Olivier's production opened on 13 February 1952 at the New Century Theatre on Broadway, where it ran for 86 performances. A new cast was headed by Rex Harrison as the Duke and his then wife Lilli Palmer as Perpetua.[2]
1957 British TV Adaptation
The play was broadcast on British TV as an ITV Play of the Week in 1957, with John Robinson as the Duke and Frances Rowe as Rosabel.[3][4]
1960 Australian TV Adaptation
| Venus Observed | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Alan Burke |
| Distributed by | ABC |
Release date | 2 November 1960 |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
The play was adapted for Australian TV in 1960. Australian TV drama was relatively rare at the time.[5]
It was directed by Alan Burke who had directed a stage production at the Arrow Theatre in Melbourne in 1952.[6][7]
Cast
- Walter Sullivan as Duke of Altair
- Rachel Lloyd as Perpetua
- David Bluford as Edgar
- Jacqueline Kott as Rosabel
- Gwen Plumb as Jessie
- Ria Sohier as Hilda
- Hugh Stewart
Reception
The critic for The Sydney Morning Herald called Venus Observed a "a pleasantly competent piece of work... a production rich in setting, with exactly the right kind of faded spaciousness you would expect in such a household.... It will be good to see more productions of this calibre.[8]
References
- ^ Wearing, J. P. (16 September 2014). "The London Stage 1950-1959: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel". Rowman & Littlefield – via Google Books.
- ^ "Venus Observed – Broadway Play – Original | IBDB". www.ibdb.com.
- ^ Venus Observed 1957 Adaptation at IMDb
- ^ "CTVA UK - "ITV Play Of The Week" (ITV) Season 2 (1956-57)". ctva.biz.
- ^ Vagg, Stephen (18 February 2019). "60 Australian TV Plays of the 1950s & '60s". Filmink.
- ^ "Mr. A. BURKE NEW PRODUCER FOR REPERTORY". The Canberra Times. Vol. 26, , no. 7592. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 19 December 1951. p. 4. Retrieved 10 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) - ^ "Stage 'VENUS OBSERVED' IS A FINE PLAY". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 32, 868. Victoria, Australia. 7 January 1952. p. 2. Retrieved 10 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Venus Observed". Sydney Morning Herald. 3 November 1960. p. 5.
- Fry, Christopher (2007). The Plays of Christopher Fry, 2. London: Oberon. ISBN 978-1-84943-746-2.