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Prayer for the French Republic

Play · 2022

In 2016, an American student Molly decides to visit her family in France to find her roots and tries to connect with her distant cousin Marcelle. Marcelle's son is the victim of an anti-Semitic attack, causing Marcelle's husband Charles who immigrated from Algeria to decide to move to Israel. This earns the dismay of Marcelle's brother Patrick, as Marine Le Pen's rise in mainstream French politics continues. The play's second story explores how Marcelle and Patrick's great-grandparents suffered loss during the Holocaust in the 1940s.

Prelude to a Kiss

Play · 1988

Peter is a self-conscious employee at a publishing firm who attends a party. There he meets Rita, a seemingly carefree part-time bartender who hopes to be a graphic designer. The two realize a mutual attraction and begin dating. Over time, Rita reveals her fears about the world, and her hesitancy to invest in joy or dreams when she expects bad things are more likely to happen than good. Despite this, she falls in love with Peter and agrees to marry him. Some time later, the two marry. At their wedding reception, they encounter an unknown Old Man who was passing by and wanted to wish the couple good luck. The Old Man asks to kiss the bride before he leaves and Rita agrees, charmed. As they kiss, Rita and the Old Man magically exchange bodies. Confused and disoriented, Rita wanders away, now inhabiting an elderly male form, while "Rita" and Peter embark on a honeymoon in Jamaica. During the trip, Peter is confused by his wife's new personality and inability to remember basic details of her own life. When they return home, "Rita" seems back to her old self and kisses Peter. After the kiss, Peter realizes this isn't his wife and concludes the impostor read Rita's diary to better masquerade as her. Panicked, he demands her return then leaves the apartment. At the bar where Rita worked, Peter sees the Old Man from the wedding reception. They talk and Peter realizes this is the real Rita, who has been living as the Old Man (whose name is Julius). They hope to make another body swap, but discover the Old Man has fled to stay with Rita's parents the Boyles, telling them the marriage is in turmoil and separation is needed. Peter meets Leah, Julius's daughter, and learns the Old Man is a retired widower who has terminal cancer, with maybe a year left to live. As they consider what to do, Peter and Rita live together as a couple again. Rita now appreciates life more deeply, while Peter realizes he loves her despite the shell she inhabits changing how they relate physically. Peter and Rita finally confront Julius, but the Old Man himself isn't sure how to cause the body swap. He came upon their wedding by chance and envied the bride's youth due to his fear of dying. Rita realizes that during their kiss, she had felt envy for the Old Man as well, wishing she could be someone who had already survived into old age despite any obstacles. As the two realize they no longer have the fears they felt that day, Rita and Julius exchange souls again. Julius takes his leave as Rita and Peter reunite.

Pressure

Play · 2014

Pressure is a 2014 play written by David Haig, based on true events that took place during World War II. It centres on the true story of James Stagg and the weather forecasts that determined the date of the D-Day landings as part of Operation Overlord. The personal and military stresses of Stagg, the tensions between the teams with different weather forecasts for the date of the proposed D-Day, and the events of the 72 hours leading up to D-Day are explored throughout the play. It premiered at the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh in May 2014, and had its West End premiere at the Ambassadors Theatre in June 2018. The play had its North American premiere at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto in January 2023.

Prince Karl

Play · 1886

Karl von Ahrmien is an impoverished German prince. He has agreed to marry Daphne Lowell, an older woman that he believes has a large fortune. However, he falls in love with her beautiful, widowed daughter-in-law, Florence Lowell. To escape his promised marriage, Karl fakes his own death, then pretends to be his own "foster brother", who happens to look identical to the prince. In this guise he takes a job as a courier working for Florence. She discovers his true identity, but keeps her knowledge a secret so he will remain in her service. Karl then discovers that the Lowells' supposed fortune is actually the property of one of Karl's own relatives who has died, and it is Karl's inheritance. With all of their secrets revealed, Florence and Karl agree to marry and share the fortune.

Private Lives

Play · 1930

Act 1 Following a brief courtship, Elyot and Sibyl are honeymooning at a hotel in Deauville, France, although her curiosity about his first marriage is not helping his romantic mood. In the adjoining suite Amanda and Victor are starting their new life together, although he cannot stop thinking of the cruelty Amanda's ex-husband displayed towards her. Elyot and Amanda, following a volatile three-year-long marriage, have been divorced for five years, but they now discover that they are sharing a terrace while on their honeymoons with their new and younger spouses. Elyot and Amanda separately beg their new spouses to leave the hotel with them immediately, but both new spouses refuse to cooperate and each storms off to dine alone. Realising they still love each other and regretting having divorced, Elyot and Amanda abandon their spouses and run off to Amanda's flat in Paris. Act 2 After dinner at the Paris flat several days later, Elyot and Amanda use their code word "Solomon Isaacs", soon abbreviated to "Sollocks", to stop their arguments from getting out of hand. They kiss passionately, but the harmony cannot last: whilst Elyot and Amanda cannot live without each other, neither can they live together. They argue violently and try to outwit each other, just as they had done during their stormy marriage. Their ongoing argument escalates to a point of fury, as Amanda breaks a record over Elyot's head and he retaliates by slapping her face. They seem trapped in a repeating cycle of love and hate, consumed by their private passions and jealousies. At the height of their biggest fight, Sibyl and Victor walk in. Act 3 The next morning Amanda tries to sneak away early but is surprised to find Sibyl and Victor there. As they talk, Elyot enters, and he and Amanda start bickering again. It has been decided that neither of the new spouses will grant a divorce for a year, to give Amanda and Elyot time to confirm if this is really what they want. As tempers rise, Sibyl and Victor begin to bicker with each other, defending their respective spouses. Amanda and Elyot realise that Sibyl and Victor are as suited to each other as they are, forgive each other and sneak out, leaving the younger two together. As Elyot and Amanda tiptoe out, Victor and Sibyl have reached the point of mutual violence.

Processional

Play · 1925

Processional: A Jazz Symphony of American Life (1925) is a four-act modernist comedy by the American playwright John Howard Lawson. It was first produced by the Theatre Guild at the Garrick Theatre in New York, opening on January 12, 1925 in a two-month run. Philip Moeller directed while Mordecai Gorelik designed the sets and costumes. Lee Strasberg played the minor role of First Soldier in the production; Sanford Meisner, too, played a minor part. It was revived by the Federal Theatre Project in 1937, at Maxine Elliott's Theatre.

Professor Mamlock

Play · 1934

Before the May 1932 elections, in Mamlock's clinic. The personnel and patients in the clinic discuss the political situation. Ruof and Hellpach support Adolf Hitler, while Hirsch and Seidel believe his rise to power will lead to war. Mamlock arrives and forbids conversation about politics in the institute. 28 February 1933. Mamlock's house. Rolf claims the Nazis staged the Reichstag fire; after a heated argument with his father, who disapproves of his political stance, Rolf must move out of the residence. Simon arrives and announces that the SA are searching the clinic for 'non-Aryan' doctors. The government decrees that all communists, pacifists, Jews and other opponents of the new regime will be banned from practicing medicine and holding other offices. Ruoff declares she will not be willing to work under a Jew; Hellpach leaves the clinic to join the SS. April 1933. Mamlock's house. Mamlock is not allowed to enter his clinic by law, while his daughter Ruth is attacked at school. Ruth and Ellen realize that their early, idealistic support of the Nazis was misguided. When Mamlock attempts to talk with Hellpach, who now runs the institute, he encounters a group of SA men who molest him. He returns home a broken man, carrying a Yellow badge. The next day, in the clinic. A new government decree lifts the working ban from all veterans of the First World War. Mamlock and Hirsch return to the clinic. There, Hellpach announces that all 'non-Aryans' who are not subject to the decree will be dismissed. Simon loses his work. Mamlock is revolted by this, and demands justice. He organizes a petition in which he calls upon the government to treat all citizens equally. Hellpach is enraged, and demands from all other personnel to sign an affidavit according to which Mamlock is guilty of various crimes. Mamlock is shocked to see that they all agree to do so – except Ruoff, who rejects her Nazi convictions. He realizes that his friends have abandoned him. Exasperated and despaired, Mamlock tells Inge that she and his son should fight for a better future. Then, he commits suicide.

Proof

Play · 2000

The play focuses on Catherine, the daughter of Robert, a recently deceased mathematical genius in his fifties and professor at the University of Chicago, and her struggle with mathematical genius and mental illness. Catherine had cared for her father through a lengthy mental illness. Upon Robert's death, his ex-graduate student Hal discovers a paradigm-shifting proof about prime numbers in Robert's office. The title refers both to that proof and to the play's central question: Can Catherine prove the proof's authorship? Along with demonstrating the proof's authenticity, Catherine also finds herself in a relationship with Hal. Throughout, the play explores Catherine's fear of following in her father's footsteps, both mathematically and mentally and her desperate attempts to stay in control. The play opens with Catherine sitting in the backyard of her large, old house. Robert, her father, reveals a bottle of champagne to help celebrate her 25th birthday. Catherine complains that she hasn't done any worthwhile work in the field of mathematics, at least not to the same level as her father, a well-known math genius. He reassures her that she can still do good work as long as she stops sleeping until noon and wasting time reading magazines. Catherine confesses she is worried about inheriting Robert's inclination towards mental instability. He begins to comfort her but then alludes to a "bad sign" when he points out that he did, in fact, die a week ago. Robert disappears as Catherine dozes off. She awakens when Hal, one of Robert's students, exits the house. He has been studying the hundreds of notebooks Robert left behind after his death, looking for any work that could be published. Catherine assures him that the notebooks are filled with scribbles and nonsense since her father wrote them when he was at his most delusional. Hal, attempting to flirt, invites her to go see his band later that night. Catherine becomes suspicious of him and demands to see what is in his backpack. She roots through it to find nothing but becomes infuriated when a notebook falls out of Hal's jacket. She dials the police while accusing him of trying to steal her father's work and pass it off as his own. He admits that he was sneaking it away but only to give it back to her later as a birthday present. He opens to a page that Robert wrote during a time when he was lucid. In it, Robert writes it is a "good day" and thanks to Catherine for taking care of him and expresses hope for the future. Hal leaves Catherine with the notebook. She begins to cry until she hears police sirens. The next day Claire, Catherine's sister who just flew in from New York, is setting up brunch for them in the backyard. Catherine enters and Claire tries to goad her into idle chitchat as Catherine quietly seethes. Claire declares she is getting married and invites Catherine to stay with her and her fiance in New York. Catherine assures her she will come in January for the wedding, but Claire keeps pressing her to go earlier. When Catherine demands to know why Claire is inundating her with questions, Claire tells her the police came over earlier to check in on Catherine. Catherine admits to calling the police the previous night and tries to explain her altercation with Hal but only ends up sounding unhinged to the dubious Claire. Hal appears and asks to continue his work sorting the notebooks. Catherine lets him inside and Claire drops a hint for Catherine to try flirting with Hal by offering a bagel. Catherine storms into the house. Later that night, after the funeral, Claire holds a party in the house for her friends as well as Hal and Robert's students. Catherine escapes to the porch where Hal finds her and offers her a beer. Hal confesses that he is not so sure about his own mathematical abilities since he considers math to be a "young man's game". Catherine tries to reassure him with a quote from Carl Friedrich Gauss. Hal responds by kissing her, much to Catherine's surprise. He apologizes for trying to steal the notebook and she apologizes for calling the police. They kiss again and Hal asks Catherine if she remembers meeting him years earlier. She says she does and recalls she thought he was "not boring". They continue to kiss. The next morning Catherine sits outside. Hal exits the house and tells her he would like to spend the rest of the day with her. Catherine gives him a key to Robert's desk and tells him to look inside. He goes into the house. A moment later, Claire comes into the backyard, extremely hungover. Catherine, now in a good mood, tries to make nice with Claire. Claire takes the opportunity to continue to push Catherine to move to New York. Catherine asks why she should move to New York to which Claire confesses that she is selling the house. Catherine becomes enraged at the idea and she accuses Claire of abandoning her to take care of their sick father alone. Claire insists that the reason she did so was to keep working to pay for the house as well as Catherine's education. Catherine reveals that she had to quit school to tend to Robert and then accuses Claire of trying to have her committed. Claire admits that she has researched doctors and facilities for Catherine but insists that she was not planning on having her committed. In the middle of the row, Hal appears clutching a notebook, barely containing his excitement. He tells Claire that Catherine is in possession of one of Robert's notebooks which holds a very important proof. Claire asks Catherine where she found it and Catherine tells them she didn't find it—she wrote it. Four years earlier, Robert sits in the backyard. Catherine tells him she thinks he is getting better and he agrees. She blurts out that she has decided to go to college in a couple months, funded by Claire, but promises she will be only a short drive away if he were to need her again. Robert protests and demands to know why she waited so long to tell him. When she points out that he hadn't been well until recently and was, at one point, trying to decode extraterrestrial messages in library books, he becomes upset. Hal interrupts, much to his embarrassment, to present his final dissertation to Robert. Robert assures him they will eventually work out the problem points together, then suddenly realizes he has forgotten Catherine's birthday. He apologizes and offers to take her out to dinner. Catherine invites Hal along but he says he can't go. Catherine shows Hal out and Robert sits down to write a notebook entry, declaring it to be the aforementioned "good day". Resuming the end of the first act, Catherine declares she was the one who wrote the proof and is met with incredulity by both Hal and her sister. The handwriting is very much like Robert's and Hal questions Catherine's mathematical abilities given that she only had a few months' education at Northwestern. Catherine tells him that her real education was living with Robert. When Hal offers to show it to other math experts to confirm the authenticity of the proof, Catherine refuses. She tells Hal she trusted him and then accuses him of having no talent and being past his prime. Hal storms off and Catherine begins to rip the notebook apart. Claire gets it away from her and Catherine runs into the house. The next morning, Hal attempts to visit Catherine and apologize for his behavior. Claire stops him to say Catherine won't talk to her, let alone Hal. Claire accuses him of sleeping with Catherine despite her being unstable. Hal argues that he had no bad intentions and insists Catherine is stronger than Claire thinks. He requests to have the notebook to verify its authenticity with fellow mathematicians. Claire gives it to him and tells him she is taking Catherine with her to New York the next day. She expresses concern for Catherine's future mental stability. Almost four years earlier, Robert sits in the backyard, in the cold and writing furiously. Catherine enters and reprimands him for sitting in the cold with no jacket. Robert tells her it is too hot in the house and that the cold is better for helping him work. Catherine is shocked that he is working again and he assures her that he is sharper than ever. She is ecstatic that his previous mental instability has passed and asks to see his work. He says he would love for her to take a look and asks if she'd like to take time off school to work with him. Before she decides, Robert insists she look at his latest idea and thrusts a notebook into her hands. Catherine glances at it and becomes quiet. She tells him they need to go inside and Robert explodes with fury. He yells at her to read what he has written. She reads aloud, a nonsensical, rambling paragraph mathematically equating winter, books, and the cold. It is obvious that Robert's mind is deteriorating as it had been before. Catherine realizes Robert is descending into confusion and shivering uncontrollably. She tries to take him inside when he asks her not to leave. She promises she won't. Four years later, Claire is in the backyard. Catherine enters with her suitcase. She asks Claire about life in New York. Claire mentions potential schools or jobs for Catherine, who is quick to mock her by making ridiculous demands for a Freudian psychiatrist who will listen as she blames all her problems on Claire. Claire leaves Catherine's plane ticket before storming off. Hal enters and tells Catherine that the proof checks out and apologizes for not believing her. Catherine tells him there is no proving that she wrote it and he can claim it as his own if he wants. Hal tells her he believes she is the one who wrote it and offers to read through it with her. Catherine admits she knows she is like her father but is terrified of becoming like her father. Hal reassures her that maybe she will be better. Catherine opens the proof and begins to talk through it with Hal.

Psyche Debauched

Play · 1675

Two princes have been vying for the Princess None-so-fair's affections, but she is interested in neither of them. Princess None-so-fair's sisters are both in love with the princes, who do not return their feelings. The two sisters, envious of the princess, are happy to learn that Mother Woossat, the local brothel owner, is plotting to stage their sister's death; Mother Woossat is experiencing a shortage of customers because large amounts of men continuously fall in love with the princess, and by removing her from the picture, Mother Woossat's business will thrive once more. Mother Woossat enlists the church to convince Princess None-so-fair's father to marry her off to a large white bear, who is actually Mother Woosat's son, Bruin, in disguise. It is believed that Princess None-so-fair has been eaten by the bear, but in reality, she is living happily with Bruin. The pair is eventually separated when Mother Woossat, jealous of her relationship with Bruin, sends Princess None-so-fair to prison. Luckily, the lovers are later reunited when Bruin arrives to rescue her.

Punch without Judy

Play · 1939

Punch without Judy is a 1939 comedy play by the British author Max Catto. After its première at the Q Theatre in Kew Bridge, London, it transferred to New Theatre in the West End where it ran for 33 performances between 5 December and 30 December 1939. The West End cast included Peter Murray Hill, Henry Kendall, Ernest Jay, Basil Langton, Marjorie Rhodes, Elizabeth Allan and Olga Edwardes. The plot was revolved around romance between students living Bloomsbury. The same year the author's successful thriller They Walk Alone had also appeared in the West End. Phyllis Calvert appeared at Q Theatre in the role subsequently played by Elizabeth Allan in the West End. Calvert met her future husband, co-star Peter Murray Hill, during the production and was spotted by Gainsborough Pictures who signed her to a contract.

Purlie Victorious

Play · 1961

The 2023 revival performs the show without intermission. Act I Purlie Victorious Judson returns to his small hometown in Georgia, with Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins and a plan to win back his family inheritance from Ol’ Cap’n Cotchipee, the plantation owner. Purlie’s dream is to buy back Big Bethel, the community’s church, so that he can preach freedom to the cotton pickers. Purlie shares his plan with his brother Gitlow and sister-in-law Missy, who despite their initial skepticism agree to help. Later that afternoon, in the back office of the village commissary, Idella is tending to Charlie, Ol’ Cap’n Cotchipee’s son, who got a black eye in a barroom brawl the previous night over his support of racial integration. Ol’ Cap’n Cotchipee does not share or respect his son’s progressive values and arrives to punish Charlie. Charlie distracts his father by delivering the cotton and commissary reports. Every negro family is in debt, and Charlie challenges his father’s “cheating” ways. Ol’ Cap’n becomes agitated, and Charlie holds his ground; Gitlow comes into the commisary and gives evasive answers when Ol' Cap'n asks him whether or not he joins Charlie in supporting racial integration. Ol’ Cap’n runs him off and then collapses due to the stress; Gitlow tries to comfort him by singing old spirituals. Act II It is time for Purlie’s plan. Gitlow lets Purlie and Lutiebelle into the back door of the commissary. Lutiebelle is dressed up as Purlie’s deceased Cousin Bee, whom she will pretend to be to win back the family inheritance. Purlie and Lutiebelle rehearse one last time before Ol’ Cap’n arrives. All does not go according to plan, but Purlie jumps in and wins Ol’ Cap’n over with flattery. Ol' Cap'n agrees to give the money, but when he asks Lutiebelle to sign a receipt, Lutiebelle accidentally signs her real name, rather than signing as Cousin Bee. This exposes their ruse, and a fight ensues. The sheriff is called, but Purlie and Lutiebelle escape. Two days later, Purlie returns to Missy and Gitlow’s shack. Idella is there looking for Charlie, who is missing. Missy thanks her for getting Ol’ Cap’n to drop the charges against Purlie and encourages Purlie to ask Lutiebelle to marry him. He is determined to get his Church back. Gitlow returns bragging that he has secured the $500 inheritance from Ol’ Cap’n, in exchange for Lutiebelle working at the house. Purlie fumes. Lutiebelle enters in a disheveled state. Ol’ Cap’n has cornered her in the pantry. Furious, Purlie heads up to the house to confront Ol’ Cap’n. Act III Later that night, Lutiebelle and Missy wait at the shack for Purlie to return. Gitlow arrives without news. He suspects Purlie has fled rather than confront Ol’ Cap’n. Lutiebelle and Missy worry. Finally, Purlie returns with $500 and Ol’ Cap’n’s bull whip. Purlie tells the others how he sought vengeance on Ol’ Cap’n. The others celebrate his victory until Idella arrives and reveals the truth about how Purlie has secured the money. During a final confrontation with Ol' Cap'n, it is revealed that when Charlie purchased Big Bethel, against his father's orders, he registered the deed in Purlie's name, shocking Ol' Cap'n into dying of a heart attack. Epilogue The play concludes with Purlie at the pulpit in Big Bethel during a funeral for Ol' Cap'n, offering a unique and heartfelt blessing for unity and freedom for all.

Pygmalion

Play · 1913

On a rainy summer evening at Covent Garden in London, various pedestrians seek shelter under the portico of St. Paul's Church. Among them are a mother and daughter in evening dress - Mrs Eynsford-Hill and Clara - waiting for Clara's brother Freddy to secure a taxicab. Freddy returns unsuccessful after an extensive search and is dispatched once more by the impatient women. In his haste, he collides with a young flower girl, scattering her violets. Mrs Eynsford-Hill provides the girl with sixpence in compensation. An elderly gentleman in evening attire then takes shelter. The flower girl attempts to sell him a bloom. A bystander draws attention to a man who has been recording the conversation in a notebook. The flower girl, fearing the note-taker to be a police informant who might compromise her respectability, becomes agitated. The note-taker calms the gathering and proceeds to identify the geographic origins of several individuals solely from their speech patterns, correctly placing the flower girl in Lisson Grove and the elderly gentleman in a sequence of locations including Cheltenham, Harrow, Cambridge, and India. As the rain ceases, Mrs Eynsford-Hill and Clara depart on foot. The note-taker and the elderly gentleman introduce themselves: the former is Henry Higgins, a specialist in phonetics and author of a universal alphabet; the latter is Colonel Pickering, a student of Indian dialects who has travelled expressly to meet Higgins. The two men arrange to continue their acquaintance. Higgins asserts that, through phonetic training, he could enable the flower girl to pass as a duchess within three months. Before leaving with Pickering, he deposits a quantity of coins in her basket. Freddy reappears with a taxicab, only to discover that his mother and sister have already gone. The flower girl engages the vehicle and directs it first, for effect, toward Buckingham Palace before instructing the driver to convey her to her modest lodging in Angel Court, Drury Lane. Upon arrival, she counts her unexpected gains and retires to bed. The next morning, in Higgins's laboratory at his residence in Wimpole Street, Higgins and Pickering examine phonetic apparatus and discuss the science of speech. Mrs Pearce, the housekeeper, announces the arrival of a young woman, the flower girl they encountered the previous evening. Identifying herself as Eliza Doolittle, she requests instruction in refined speech so that she may secure employment in a flower shop rather than sell flowers on the street, offering one shilling per lesson. Higgins initially dismisses her as of no further phonetic interest, but Pickering proposes a wager: he will cover all expenses of the experiment if Higgins succeeds in training Eliza to pass as a duchess at an ambassador's garden party within six months. Intrigued by the challenge and by Eliza's pronounced Cockney dialect, Higgins accepts. He instructs Mrs Pearce to bathe and reclothe the girl at once, treating the undertaking as a scientific project. Mrs Pearce expresses practical and moral reservations concerning Eliza's welfare, family circumstances, and future prospects once the experiment concludes. Higgins remains largely indifferent to these considerations, regarding Eliza primarily as material for linguistic study. After some resistance, Eliza is compelled to bathe and is provided with clean attire. During this interval, Pickering seeks assurance that Higgins will behave honorably toward their pupil; Higgins affirms that pupils are regarded as sacred. Mrs Pearce further admonishes Higgins regarding his habitual language and personal manners, which she deems unsuitable for the girl's presence. Alfred Doolittle, Eliza's father and a dustman, then arrives. He first appears to demand his daughter's return, but soon reveals that he seeks financial compensation for relinquishing her. He describes himself as one of the "undeserving poor" and argues that middle-class morality systematically disadvantages men of his sort. After a rhetorical exchange, Higgins presents him with five pounds, which Doolittle accepts with the declaration that the sum will be spent promptly rather than saved. Eliza reappears, thoroughly cleansed and dressed in a Japanese kimono. Her transformation astonishes both her father and the two gentlemen. After Doolittle departs, Eliza shows growing awareness of her altered appearance and circumstances, and Higgins and Pickering acknowledge the formidable task they have undertaken. At the residence of Higgins's mother on Chelsea Embankment, Higgins arrives uninvited during her regular afternoon reception and informs her of his progress with Eliza. He has arranged for Eliza to attend the gathering as a preliminary test of her ability to pass in polite society, restricting her conversation to the weather and matters of health. The visitors are the Eynsford-Hills, followed by Pickering. Eliza is elegantly attired and speaks with precise and refined pronunciation. She conducts herself with outward composure and makes a favourable first impression. When the conversation turns to health, however, her recounting of an aunt's death, which contains references to possible foul play and alcoholism, reveals both her original social background and residual habits of speech. Her utterance of the phrase "not bloody likely" upon her departure causes marked consternation among the company; Clara subsequently adopts the expression as fashionable. After the guests depart, Mrs Higgins confronts her son and Pickering with the experiment's complications, particularly the question of Eliza's future once her linguistic training is complete. The two men remain absorbed in the technical success of their undertaking and dismiss her concerns. Later, Eliza appears in full evening dress with Higgins and Pickering at a formal reception at a London embassy. A former pupil of Higgins named Nepommuck, acting as an interpreter, examines her speech and concludes that she is a Hungarian of royal blood, precisely because her English is too perfect to be that of a native; the hostess and other guests accept this assessment. Eliza thus succeeds in passing as a person of high rank, thereby fulfilling the terms of the wager between Higgins and Pickering. One midnight in Higgins's laboratory, Higgins and Pickering return from a series of engagements that included a garden party, a dinner, and the opera. They are relieved that the wager has been won and that the lengthy effort is finished, regarding the social obligations as tedious and artificial. Eliza, still in full evening attire, remains silent and largely disregarded while the two men discuss the day's events and prepare to retire. Eliza retrieves Higgins's slippers and places them before him without comment. After Pickering withdraws, she loses her composure and hurls the slippers at Higgins. She accuses him of indifference to her fate now that the experiment has succeeded and demands to know what is to become of her. Higgins, surprised by her outburst, treats the matter lightly. He suggests that she might marry or that Pickering could establish her in a florist's shop, and he fails to recognize the depth of her distress. Eliza then inquires whether the clothes and accessories she wears belong to her or to Pickering, noting that her original garments were destroyed. She removes and returns the hired jewels and a ring that Higgins had purchased for her. Higgins, chucking the ring into the fireplace, is offended at what he regards as her ingratitude and angrily departs. Left alone, Eliza feels a brief sense of triumph before retrieving the ring. The next morning, Higgins and Pickering arrive at Mrs Higgins's residence in considerable agitation, having discovered that Eliza left Wimpole Street during the night and having informed the police of her disappearance. Mrs Higgins criticizes their conduct and their presumption in treating Eliza as property. Alfred Doolittle enters, transformed in appearance and circumstances. An American philanthropist, acting upon a casual recommendation once made by Higgins, has bequeathed him an annual income of three thousand pounds on the condition that he lecture for a moral reform organization. Doolittle laments that the bequest has destroyed his former independence as one of the undeserving poor and has subjected him to the constraints of middle-class respectability. He is on his way to marry Eliza's stepmother at St. George's, Hanover Square. Mrs Higgins discloses that Eliza is upstairs and recounts her sense of having been disregarded after the successful conclusion of the experiment. Eliza then appears, composed and self-possessed. She expresses gratitude to Pickering for the courtesy that first gave her self-respect, while observing that Higgins continues to regard her merely as the product of his instruction. She agrees to attend her father's wedding. After the others depart for the ceremony, Higgins and Eliza remain. She refuses to resume a subordinate role in his household and asserts her intention to maintain her independence, whether by teaching phonetics or by marrying Freddy. Higgins acknowledges that he has grown accustomed to her presence and will miss her, yet he declines to alter his manner or to offer conventional affection. He expresses satisfaction at her newfound strength of character, and Eliza leaves with dignity, declining to perform a list of errands for him. Left alone, Higgins self-assuredly chuckles at the idea of Eliza marrying Freddy.

QED

Play · 2001

Set in June, 1986, less than two years before Feynman's death, in Feynman's office at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, the play follows Feynman through a day of his life. As the real Feynman does in his books What Do You Care What Other People Think? and Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!, the stage character talks directly to the audience; we learn from this and from phone calls with off-stage characters that Feynman is to appear that night playing his bongo drums in a student production of the musical South Pacific, that he is expecting a delegation from the Russian Republic of Tuva, which Feynman is whimsically determined to visit (as detailed in Ralph Leighton's book, Tuva or Bust!), and that he is eager to make his views known in the final report of the Rogers Commission charged with the Challenger disaster. From phone conversations between Feynman and his doctors, we also learn that Feynman's cancer has returned, and that his doctors are urging him to undergo further surgical procedures, which are not without their own risk. Feynman's conversation with the audience also touches on a number of additional topics well-known to readers of his autobiographical writings: the Manhattan Project and safe-cracking, how he learned to draw, his father, as well as musings on physics and, more generally, on the nature of science and knowledge. In the second act, the play returns to Feynman's study later at night on the same day, after the performance is over. We meet the only other character in addition to the main protagonist: a (fictional) young student by the name of Miriam Field, who has attended one of Feynman's lectures and both witnessed his bongo performance and attended the after-play party. Where Feynman had earlier grown dispirited both by his own condition and by memories of his long-dead wife, Miriam manages to pull him out of his depression. Feynman informs his doctors that he will consent to have surgery, after all; but requests that they awaken him from anesthesia if they determine that he is about to die intraoperatively, because "that would be an interesting experience".

Quality Street

Play · 1901

The play is set in Napoleonic times. Act 1 There is heightened anticipation as the local gossips of the town discuss the developing relationship between Miss Phoebe Throssel and Valentine Brown. Phoebe then confesses to her sister, Susan, that Brown intends to drop by later that day, and both are certain he means to propose. When he finally does appear, it is not to ask for Phoebe's hand in marriage but to announce his intention to join the fight in Europe against Napoleon. This leaves the girls devastated. Act 2 Ten years after the departure of Brown, we find the girls have set up a school in order to pay the rent. Phoebe has not accepted any other suitor and has allowed herself to become an "Old Maid" and school mistress. Phoebe, however, longs for her youth, and the return of Captain Brown only deepens her melancholy. "I am tired of being lady-like," she declares. With some encouragement from her maid, Patty, she creates the fictional character of Miss Livvy, a more energetic, flirtatious and naughty version of her younger self, and begins to tease Captain Brown who, captivated by her, persuades her and Susan to accompany him to the ball. Act 3 At the ball, and Phoebe is still playing the part of Miss Livvy. In this guise, she has captured the eyes of many of the young men and the scorn of ladies. However, Phoebe is now annoyed that Brown seems to prefer this unsubstantial 'young' flirt that she has created to her true personality and qualities. Her actions cause events to come to a head as her act is almost brought to light by the local gossiping girls Fanny Willoughby and Henrietta Turnbull. In a final confrontation with Captain Brown, we discover that he has found his love for Miss Phoebe and not for Miss Livvy, as he insists that "I have discovered for myself that the schoolmistress in her old maid's cap is the noblest Miss Phoebe of them all." Act 4 Miss Livvy still hangs heavy over the sisters: having been created, she is now difficult to dispose of. The local gossips watch for any sign of Miss Livvy and frequently visit the sisters' home. Brown comes to ask for Phoebe’s hand and is turned down without explanation. As a result, he becomes aware of the disguise and the sisters' plight and sets out to right all wrongs, even his own.

Queen Elizabeth Slept Here

Play · 1949

Queen Elizabeth Slept Here is a comedy play by the British writer Talbot Rothwell. It was inspired by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman's 1940 Broadway play George Washington Slept Here, with the setting switched to England and many alterations to the plot and characters. The story takes place at an Elizabeth era cottage in Buckinghamshire. A hit, it ran for 349 performances at the Strand Theatre in London's West End between 3 November 1949 and 2 September 1950. The original West End cast starred Dulcie Gray, Michael Denison and also included Kenneth Connor and Julien Mitchell. Later on in the run the lead roles were taken over by Rosalyn Boulter and Jimmy Hanley. Direction was by Richard Bird Rothwell was emerging at the time as a popular writer, and later became known for his scripts for the Carry On film series.

Quid Pro Quo

Play · 1844

Quid Pro Quo is an 1844 comedy play by the British writer Catherine Gore, best known for her novels. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket in London on 18 June 1844. The original cast included Louisa Cranstoun Nisbett as Lord Bellamont, Robert Strickland as Jeremy Grigson, John Buckstone as Captain Sippet, William Farren as Sir George Mordent, Henry Howe as Rivers, Julia Bennett as Lady Mary Rivers, Julia Glover as Mrs. Grigson, Mrs. Edwin Yarnold as Ellen and Anne Humby as Bridget Prim. The prologue was spoken by Benjamin Webster. The play was selected in a competition by a special committee led by Charles Kemble out of ninety six entries, for which Gore was rewarded with £500.

Quiz

Play · 2017

Quiz is a play written by James Graham. Originally commissioned by theatre producer, William Village, it made its world premiere at the Minerva Theatre, Chichester, in November 2017, before transferring to the Noël Coward Theatre in London's West End in March 2018. The play centres on the true story of Charles Ingram and the coughing scandal that surrounded his 2001 win of £1,000,000 on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. In 2020, the stage play was adapted for a TV series of the same name.

Rabbit Hole

Play · 2006

Rabbit Hole is a play written by David Lindsay-Abaire. It was the recipient of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play premiered on Broadway in 2006, and it has also been produced by regional theatres in cities such as Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The play had its Spanish language premiere in San Juan, Puerto Rico in the autumn of 2010. The play deals with how family members survive a major loss and includes comedy as well as tragedy. Cynthia Nixon won the 2006 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for her performance as Becca in the New York production, and the play was nominated for several other Tony awards.

Race

Play · 2009

A racially charged sex crime takes place which leads to charges being made against Charles Strickland, a wealthy resident in his town. He quickly goes to his friend Jack Lawson, a criminal attorney, and retains him to defend his case. Lawson agrees and begins to rely on help from a young black attorney he calls Susan working in his three-lawyer office. As evidence and police reports begin to accumulate for the preparation of the defense of the case, Jack begins to suspect deep flaws in the police investigation of the crime scene. He notes that although the crime reports clearly identify the crime victim as having worn a red sequin dress on the night of the sex crime that something is wrong with the details in the police reports. From his personal experience, he explains to his fellow law office partners (Susan and Brown) how fragile sequin dresses are in general, and how even the slightest incident of jarring or simple out-on-the-town wearing of a sequin dress inevitably leads to sequins popping and falling off almost without any provocation whatsoever. However, the police reports, although otherwise seeming to be thorough, do not mention red sequins being missing or lying around the victim's room in question where an apparent extensive struggle had taken place. The other law partners are impressed by the startling omission, and all three partners come to the conclusion, with increasing and visible confidence before each other, that this omission by the police is very deeply flawed. They are convinced that the credibility of the police reports cannot withstand questioning in the courtroom. All three lawyers feel that their client will be exonerated. The next day, however, news come to the lawyers that a maid in the hotel has "remembered" that she saw sequins under the bed. In the process of further interviews with his client, discussions with his partner, and with Susan, Jack becomes aware of even further complications in the case. The ethnic prejudices of his old friend whom he is defending turn out to be highly suspect and pejorative. More importantly, he begins to suspect that Susan's hand in the activities taking place in the law office after receiving the case may be tainted. Susan turns out to have strong feelings about racially motivated sex crimes and she is far from unbiased in the representation of the case. As Jack continues to quiz her and challenge her on her own beliefs it becomes clear that Susan had come to play a part in the statement of the maid materialising overnight and invalidating the fragile sequin theory the partners were planning to use. It becomes clear by the final curtain that Susan had leaked the information concerning the basis of Jack's planned defense, the fragile sequin theory, to the police and/or DA. It becomes clear that Susan had done this in order to influence the outcome in a matter of justice involving a question of bigotry and of race.

Radio Golf

Play · 2005

Harmond Wilks, an Ivy League-educated man who has inherited a real estate agency from his father, his ambitious wife Mame, and his friend Roosevelt Hicks want to redevelop the Hill District in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The project, called the Bedford Hills Redevelopment Project, includes two high-rise apartment buildings and high-end chain stores like Starbucks, Whole Foods, and Barnes & Noble. Harmond is also about to declare his candidacy to be Pittsburgh's first black mayor. Roosevelt has just been named a vice-president of Mellon Bank and has been tapped by a Bernie Smith to help him acquire a local radio station at less than market value, which is possible through a minority tax incentive. A complication arises when Harmond discovers that the house at 1839 Wylie, slated for demolition, was acquired illegally. Harmond offers the owner of the property market value for the house, but the owner refuses to sell. Harmond decides the only way to proceed is to build around the house, which will require minor modifications to the planned development, and calls the demolition company to cancel the demolition. Roosevelt sees no reason to delay since no one but Harmond, Roosevelt, Mame, and the house's owner know the truth, a view Mame supports. When, on the day of the demolition, which Roosevelt has put back into motion, Harmond refuses to be swayed from his stand, Roosevelt announces he will be buying Harmond out and Bernie Smith will be helping him. Harmond accuses Roosevelt of being Smith's "black face" and the two argue over the consequences of Harmond demanding changes in the development plans and if Roosevelt is allowing himself to be used by Bernie Smith. Harmond tells Roosevelt to leave the Bedford Hills Redevelopment office, which is owned by Wilks Realty. The scene ends with Harmond leaving the office to join the group of Hill residents at 1839 Wylie protesting the demolition.

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