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In Cairo, young Violet is married to the much older British consular agent Sir Arthur Little but falls in love with his secretary, Ronald Parry. As Arthur must decide whether to recommend Parry for a post in Paris, Violet struggles with her feelings and with her husband’s uncompromising sense of public duty.
After William Cardew is declared missing and presumed dead in the First World War, his widow Victoria marries his friend Frederick Lowndes. William returns from a prisoner-of-war camp, leaving Victoria with two husbands who both want to be free of her. She seeks to divorce them both and marry wealthy admirer Leicester Paton, but Britain's restrictive divorce laws force the men into an elaborate staged adultery claim.
Irish widow Lady Frederick, deeply in debt, must navigate several suitors with differing motives and the return of a former lover. Her brother’s gambling debts and her own financial obligations complicate the proposals, while she maneuvers to protect her independence and reputation.
A worldly, ambitious parson courts a wealthy widow and schemes for a bishopric, ultimately winning a pretty heiress.
Philip Carey abandons his artistic ambitions for medicine but becomes consumed by an unhappy attachment to Mildred. His pursuit of love and beauty forces him to confront dependency, disappointment, and the possibility of a different life.
Our Betters is a comedy play by the British writer Somerset Maugham. Set in Mayfair and a country house in Suffolk, the plot revolves around the interaction between newly wealthy Americans and upper-class British society. It premiered at the Nixon Theatre in Atlantic City, New Jersey before transferring to the Hudson Theatre on Broadway where it ran for 112 performances. It did not premiere in London immediately, but then enjoyed a West End run of 548 performances at the Globe Theatre between 12 September 1923 and 3 January 1925. The London cast included Constance Collier, Ronald Squire (succeeding Yorke Stephens), Reginald Owen, John Stuart, Alfred Drayton, Margaret Bannerman and Martita Hunt.
In Cairo, young Violet is married to the much older British consular agent Sir Arthur Little but falls in love with his secretary, Ronald Parry. As Arthur must decide whether to recommend Parry for a post in Paris, Violet struggles with her feelings and with her husband’s uncompromising sense of public duty.
After William Cardew is declared missing and presumed dead in the First World War, his widow Victoria marries his friend Frederick Lowndes. William returns from a prisoner-of-war camp, leaving Victoria with two husbands who both want to be free of her. She seeks to divorce them both and marry wealthy admirer Leicester Paton, but Britain's restrictive divorce laws force the men into an elaborate staged adultery claim.
Irish widow Lady Frederick, deeply in debt, must navigate several suitors with differing motives and the return of a former lover. Her brother’s gambling debts and her own financial obligations complicate the proposals, while she maneuvers to protect her independence and reputation.
A worldly, ambitious parson courts a wealthy widow and schemes for a bishopric, ultimately winning a pretty heiress.
Philip Carey abandons his artistic ambitions for medicine but becomes consumed by an unhappy attachment to Mildred. His pursuit of love and beauty forces him to confront dependency, disappointment, and the possibility of a different life.
Our Betters is a comedy play by the British writer Somerset Maugham. Set in Mayfair and a country house in Suffolk, the plot revolves around the interaction between newly wealthy Americans and upper-class British society. It premiered at the Nixon Theatre in Atlantic City, New Jersey before transferring to the Hudson Theatre on Broadway where it ran for 112 performances. It did not premiere in London immediately, but then enjoyed a West End run of 548 performances at the Globe Theatre between 12 September 1923 and 3 January 1925. The London cast included Constance Collier, Ronald Squire (succeeding Yorke Stephens), Reginald Owen, John Stuart, Alfred Drayton, Margaret Bannerman and Martita Hunt.
Five years into their marriage, Penelope is amused rather than jealous when her husband Dickie’s flirtation with Ada Fergusson comes to light. Her calm acceptance unsettles Dickie, who must confront the complacency behind their relationship.
After years farming in Rhodesia, Thomas Freeman returns to his sister Rose's fashionable London home intending to find a wife. He discovers the parlourmaid Smith has more merit than the idle social set; after rejecting unsuitable matches, they agree to marry.
Charles Battle has been badly hit by losses on the London Stock Exchange and may face bankruptcy. The play follows the Battle family and their friend Alfred Granger's family at the Battles' home, delaying the reveal of how Charles's financial disaster will affect both households.
A young married woman considers leaving her husband for another man and seeks advice from an older couple who eloped thirty years earlier. Their romantic history proves less idealized than she imagined, while the older generation becomes entangled in the younger couple's decision.
Constance Middleton knows her husband is having an affair with her best friend and protects them when the affair is exposed. She then pursues economic independence as an interior decorator, arranges to charge her husband for room and board, and takes her own lover.
On a Malayan plantation, Leslie Crosbie claims she shot her husband’s friend in self-defence. Her lawyer tries to secure her acquittal after an incriminating letter is discovered, but the play reveals the victim was Leslie’s lover and that he had rejected her for another woman.
In interwar Malaya, Leslie Crosbie shoots her neighbor Geoff Hammond and claims he tried to rape her. Her lawyer Howard Joyce learns of a letter linking Leslie and Hammond and buys it from Hammond’s mistress. Leslie admits she killed Hammond after he tried to end their affair, yet is acquitted. When her husband Robert discovers the truth, she stabs herself.
When Maurice Tabret, a disabled former soldier, is found dead, Nurse Wayland suspects murder and the household examines several explanations. After suspicion falls on Maurice's wife Stella, his mother reveals that she gave him an overdose to spare him the pain of discovering Stella's affair and pregnancy.
Set during the Second World War, the play follows a bookish schoolgirl and her parents, whose protected domestic life is disrupted by revolution and invasion. After an invading soldier rapes the girl, her parents accommodate the restored old order while she resists, with tragic consequences.