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Cavalcade

Play · 1931

It is nearly midnight. Robert and Jane Marryot are seeing in the New Year quietly together in their London house. Their happiness is clouded by the Boer War: Jane's brother is besieged in Mafeking, and Robert himself will shortly be going to South Africa. Robert and Jane invited their butler, Bridges, and his wife, Ellen, to join them. Bells, shouting, and sirens outside usher in the New Year, and Robert proposes a toast to 1900. Hearing her two boys stirring upstairs, Jane runs up to see after them, and her husband calls to her to bring them down to join the adults. A month later, a contingent of volunteers are leaving for the war. On the dockside Jane and Ellen are seeing off Robert and Bridges. As the men go aboard, Jane comforts Ellen, who is crying. A band strikes up "Soldiers of the Queen". The volunteers wave their farewells to the cheering crowd. The Marryot boys, Edward, aged twelve, and Joe, aged eight, are playing soldiers with a young friend, Edith Harris. She objects to being made to play "the Boers", and they begin to quarrel. The noise brings in their mothers. Joe throws a toy at Edith, and is sharply slapped by Jane, whose nerves are on edge with anxiety about her brother and her husband. Her state of mind is not helped by a barrel-organ outside, playing "Soldiers of the Queen" under the window. Margaret, Edith's mother, sends the organ-grinder away and proposes to take Jane to the theatre to take her mind off her worry. Jane and Margaret are in a stage-box, watching MirabeIle, the currently popular musical comedy. The plot is the usual froth, but the denouement is not reached: the theatre manager comes onstage to announce that Mafeking has been relieved. Joyous uproar breaks out; the audience claps and cheers and some begin to sing "Auld Lang Syne". The cook, Annie the parlourmaid, and Ellen's mother Mrs Snapper are preparing a special tea to greet Bridges on his return from the war. He comes in with Ellen, looking well, and kisses his little baby, Fanny. He tells them that he has bought a public house so that he and Ellen can work for themselves in future. The celebratory mood is dampened when Annie brings in a newspaper reporting that Queen Victoria is dying. This scene is all in mime. Robert and Jane are walking in Kensington Gardens with their children when they meet Margaret and Edith Harris. Everyone is in black, solemn and silent, following the Queen's death. On the balcony, Jane, Margaret, their children and the servants are watching Queen Victoria's funeral procession. Robert, who was awarded the Victoria Cross is walking in the procession, and Jane has some difficulty in making her boys suppress their excitement and pay due respect as the coffin passes. As the lights fade, Joe comments, "She must have been a very little lady ". Jane and Robert are attending a grand ball given by the Duchess of Churt. The Major-domo announces, "Sir Robert and Lady Marryot". Jane has brought her son Edward, now eighteen, to see Ellen in the flat above the public house. They have just finished tea, together with Flo and George, relations of the Bridges. Seven-year-old Fanny has been dancing to entertain them. Bridges enters, clearly drunk. Jane, dismayed, makes a tactful departure. Bridges starts to bully Fanny and is ejected from the room by George and Flo. After emerging from the pub, Bridges carries on up the road. He is knocked down and killed by a car. Edward Marryot is holding his twenty-first birthday party, with many smart young guests. Rose, an actress from the old Mirabelle production, proposes his health and sings the big waltz number from the show. A concert party of six "Uncles" is performing in a bandstand. Ellen and her family are there and Fanny wins a prize for a song and dance competition. They unexpectedly meet Margaret, Jane and Joe. Ellen tells them that she has kept on the pub since her husband's death and that Fanny is now at a dancing-school and determined to go on the stage. Edward has married Edith Harris, and they are on their honeymoon. They speculate blithely how long the initial bliss of marriage will last. As they walk off, she lifts her cloak from where it has been draped on the ship rail, revealing the name Titanic on a lifebelt. The lights fade into complete darkness; the orchestra plays "Nearer, My God, to Thee" very quietly. War has been declared. Robert and Joe are keen to join the army. Jane is horrified, and refuses to indulge in the jingoism she sees around her. Soldiers are seen endlessly marching. The orchestra plays songs of the First World War. Joe and Fanny – now a rising young actress – are dining in a West End restaurant. Joe is in army officer's uniform. He is on leave but is about to return to the Front. They discuss marriage, but she envisages opposition from his family, and bids him wait until he is back from the war for good. Jane sees Joe off at the railway station. Like many of the women on the platform she is distressed. Ellen visits Jane, having found out that Joe is emotionally involved with her daughter. The two mothers fall out: Ellen thinks Jane regards Fanny as beneath Joe socially. As Ellen is leaving, the maid brings in a telegram. Jane opens it and tells Ellen. "You needn't worry about Fanny and Joe any more, Ellen. He won't be able to come back at all, because he's dead." Surrounded by the frantic revelry of Armistice Night, Jane is walking, dazed, through Trafalgar Square. With tears streaming down her face, she cheers wildly and waves a rattle, while the band plays "Land of Hope and Glory ". Margaret and Jane, both now elderly, are sitting by the fire. Margaret leaves, after wishing a happy New Year to Jane and Robert, who has come in to drink a New Year toast with his wife. Jane drinks first to him and then to England: "The hope that one day this country of ours, which we love so much, will find dignity and greatness, and peace again". Robert, Jane, Margaret, Ellen, and the full company are in a night club. At the piano, Fanny sings "Twentieth Century Blues", and after the song everyone dances. The lights fade, and a chaotic succession of images representative of life in 1929 is spotlighted. When the noise and confusion reach a climax the stage suddenly fades into darkness and silence. At the back a Union Jack glows through the darkness. The scene ends with the lights coming up on the massed company singing "God Save the King".

Celebrity Autobiography: In Their Own Words

Play · 2005

Celebrity Autobiography: In Their Own Words was a one-hour comedy television special that premiered on December 5, 2005, on Bravo. The show featured comedians reading actual excerpts from celebrity autobiographies. The special was based on a live show written by Eugene Pack, which opened in Los Angeles, California in 1998. Excerpts were chosen because of their melodramatic and/or vacuous nature. Autobiographies which were connected, such as memoirs by former Hollywood couple Burt Reynolds and Loni Anderson, were read together. Celebrities whose autobiographies were read included Burt Reynolds, Loni Anderson, members of 'N Sync, Madonna, Sylvester Stallone, Mr. T, Elizabeth Taylor, Kathie Lee Gifford, Ivana Trump, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Vanna White, Kenny Loggins, Tommy Lee and David Cassidy. Comedians included Bruce Vilanch, Jay Mohr, Cheryl Hines, Kevin Nealon, Doris Roberts, Fred Willard, Niecy Nash, Kel Mitchell, Laraine Newman and Andrea Martin. An off-Broadway production with a rotating cast featuring Matthew Broderick, Kristen Johnston, Rachel Dratch, Kristen Wiig, Sherri Shepherd, Richard Kind, Claudia Shear, Scott Adsit, Fred Armisen, Will Forte, Jason Sudeikis, Kenan Thompson, Casey Wilson, Bobby Moynihan, Bob Balaban, Joy Behar, Richard Belzer, Craig Bierko, Bobby Cannavale, and Alan Cumming, among others, won the Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience.

Ceremonies in Dark Old Men

Play · 1969

In 1950s Harlem, widower Russell Parker runs a failing barbershop while his daughter Adele supports the family and his sons Theo and Bobby are unemployed. Theo persuades Russell to join a bootlegging scheme with crime boss Blue Haven; as the business succeeds, Bobby turns to burglary and Russell steals from the profits to court a young woman. Their attempts to escape poverty unravel, while Russell retreats into memories of his vaudeville past.

Chariots of Fire

Play · 2012

Chariots of Fire is the inspirational true story of two great British athletes, outsiders who overcome prejudice and personal strife to compete in the 1924 Paris Olympics. Eric Liddell is a devout Scottish Christian who runs for the glory of God. Harold Abrahams is the son of an immigrant Lithuanian Jew who runs to overcome prejudice. The two young track athletes live for the purity and honour of running, and prevail in the face of enormous odds. The story begins in 1919, and climaxes in the heartbreaks and triumphs of the 1924 Paris Olympics.

Charles VIII of France

Play · 1671

Charles VIII of France also known by the longer title The History Of Charles The Eighth Of France; Or, The Invasion Of Naples Of The French is a 1671 tragedy by the English writer John Crowne. It is based on the reign of Charles VIII of France and particularly his Italian War of the 1490s. It was first performed at the Dorset Garden Theatre by the Duke's Company with a cast that included Thomas Betterton as Charles the Eighth, Matthew Medbourne as Alphonso, Henry Harris as Ferdinand, William Smith as Prince of Salerne, John Young as Ascanio, Samuel Sandford as Trivultio, Philip Cademan as Ghost, John Crosby as Lewis, Henry Norris as Mompensier, Mary Betterton as Isabella, Margaret Osborne as Cornelia, Elinor Dixon as Julia and Anne Shadwell as Irene.

Charles the First

Play · 1834

Charles the First is a historical tragedy by the British writer Mary Russell Mitford. It depicts the imprisonment and trial of Charles I before his execution in 1649 following his defeat in the English Civil Wars. It was first written in 1825 and originally intended to be performed at Covent Garden. Mitford wrote the play with the encouragement of William Macready and Charles Kemble, the two leading performers at Covent Garden. However, the politically controversial topic of regicide led to it being refused a licence by the Lord Chamberlain, the Duke of Montrose. It was not performed until 1834 at the Victoria Theatre south of the River Thames, a less prestigious venue than Covent Garden but not subject to the licensing system. It passed off without incident and was both a popular and critical success. It premiered on 2 July 1834. William Abbot, a co-manager of the Victoria, played the title role of Charles while Charles Selby was Lord Fairfax. Other performers were less well-known than the company at Covent Garden would have been. It was published the same year, and was dedicated to her friend and fellow playwright Thomas Talfourd.

Charles the Second

Play · 1824

Charles the Second is an 1824 historical comedy in two acts by the British-based American writer John Howard Payne. It is set at the court of Charles II in Restoration London, and features a series of adventures in the company of his friend Rochester. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden on 27 May 1824. The original cast included Charles Kemble as Charles II, John Duruset as Edward, John Fawcett as Captain Copp, Harriet Faucit as Lady Clara, Maria Tree as Mary. It was performed 14 times in its initial run. An afterpiece, the running time was roughly an hour and fifty minutes. It subsequently performed in the United States at the Park Theatre Olympic Theatre in New York.

Charley's Aunt

Play · 1892

Jack Chesney and Charley Wykeham are undergraduates at Oxford University in love with, respectively, Kitty Verdun and Amy Spettigue. Charley receives word that his aunt, Donna Lucia d'Alvadorez, a rich widow from Brazil whom he has never met, is coming to visit him. The boys invite Amy and Kitty to lunch to meet her, also intending to declare their love to the girls, who are being sent away to Scotland with Amy's uncle, Stephen Spettigue, who is also Kitty's guardian. They seek out another Oxford undergraduate, Lord Fancourt Babberley (known as "Babbs"), to distract Donna Lucia while they romance their girls. While they are out, Babbs breaks into Jack's room to steal all his champagne, but Jack and Charley intercept him and persuade him to stay for lunch. Babbs tells the boys about his own love, the daughter of an English officer called Delahay, whom he met in Monte Carlo, although he does not remember her name. Babbs also uses Jack's room to try on his costume for an amateur play in which he is taking part. Amy and Kitty arrive to meet Jack and Charley, but Donna Lucia has not arrived yet, and so the girls leave to go shopping until she shows up. Annoyed, Jack orders Charley to go to the railway station to wait for Donna Lucia. Jack soon receives an unexpected visit from his father, Sir Francis Chesney, a retired colonel who served in India. Sir Francis reveals that he has inherited debts that have wiped out the family's fortunes; instead of going into politics as he had intended, Jack will have to accept a position in Bengal. Horrified, Jack suggests that Sir Francis should marry Donna Lucia, a widow and a millionaire, in order to clear the family debts. Sir Francis is hesitant but agrees to meet Donna Lucia before he makes a decision. Charley receives a telegram saying that Donna Lucia will not be arriving for a few days. The boys panic: the girls are coming, and they won't stay without a chaperone. Fortunately Babbs's costume happens to be that of an old lady. Jack and Charley introduce Babbs as Charley's aunt. His strange appearance and unchanged voice (he had never acted before) do not raise any suspicions. Babbs annoys the boys by accepting kisses from Amy and Kitty; the boys respond to his flirtations with violence. Sir Francis soon enters to meet Donna Lucia. He takes one look at Babbs and tries to leave, but Jack retrieves him. Spettigue arrives, angered that Kitty and Amy are lunching with the boys without his permission. However, the penniless Spettigue soon learns that Charley's aunt is Donna Lucia D'Alvadorez, the celebrated millionaire. He decides to stay for lunch to attempt to woo "Donna Lucia". Outside Jack's rooms, in the grounds of St Olde's College, the boys are trying to get their girls alone so that they can confess their love. However, Babbs is in the way, charming the girls as Donna Lucia. Jack's father, Sir Francis, has decided to propose marriage to Donna Lucia, purely for money. Jack urgently corners Babbs and orders him to let his father down gently. Babbs does so, which Sir Francis finds to be a relief. Spettigue still wants to marry "Donna Lucia" for her money. Meanwhile, the real Donna Lucia, who turns out to be an attractive woman of middle age, arrives with her adopted niece, Miss Ela Delahay, an orphan. The money left to Ela by her father is enough to make her independent for life. Ela reveals that her father had won a lot of money at cards from Fancourt Babberley, for whom Ela still holds a great deal of affection. Donna Lucia recounts the story of a colonel named Frank who she once met more than twenty years ago, of whom she was similarly fond. However, he was too shy to propose, and he left for India before he could tell her how he felt. Sir Francis enters, Donna Lucia recognizes him, and the two rekindle their affection. However, before she can introduce herself, she discovers that someone is impersonating her. To investigate, she introduces herself as "Mrs Beverly-Smythe", a penniless widow. Jack and Charley finally make their declarations of love to their girls. However, they discover that they need Spettigue's consent to marry. The girls enlist Babbs to get the consent from the greedy Spettigue. Spettigue invites the entire party, including the real Donna Lucia and Ela, to his house, so that he can talk to "Donna Lucia" in private. Babbs, recognizing Ela as the girl he fell in love with in Monte Carlo, tries to escape, but he is caught by Spettigue. Babbs is upset by being in the same room as the girl he loves without being able to talk to her. Jack and Charley try to calm him down. Babbs spends time with the real Donna Lucia, Ela, Amy and Kitty, during which the real Donna Lucia embarrasses Babbs by showing how little he really knows about Donna Lucia. Ela takes a liking to the fake Donna Lucia, who sounds like the man she loves, and pours her heart out to Babbs, telling him of the anguish of losing her father and of the man who cared for him in his dying days, Lord Fancourt Babberley. She admits that she loves him and longs to see him again. Babbs tricks Spettigue into giving the letter of consent for the marriages of Charley to Amy and Jack to Kitty by accepting marriage to Spettigue. (Kitty's father's will specified that if she marries without Spettigue's consent, Spettigue would inherit all of the money.) Charley can no longer keep up the lie and admits that "Donna Lucia" is not really his aunt. Babbs, now dressed in a suit, confirms that he had been playing the part of Charley's aunt. As he is about to return to Spettigue the letter of consent, the real Donna Lucia reveals her identity and takes the letter, stating that it "is addressed to and has been delivered to Donna Lucia d'Alvadorez". Spettigue storms off, threatening to dispute the letter. Amy is upset at everyone for making a fool of her uncle. Donna Lucia reassures her and gives the girls the letter. Sir Francis and Donna Lucia are engaged (he made the proposal before he realized her identity); the young couples can marry; and Babbs confesses his feelings to Ela.

Cheap Living

Play · 1797

Cheap Living is a 1797 comedy play by the English writer Frederick Reynolds. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London on 21 October 1797. The original cast included Richard Suett as Old Woodland, Charles Kemble as Young Woodland, Robert Palmer as Scatter, Charles Bannister as Spunge, Dorothea Jordan as Sir Edward Bloomly, Jane Pope as Mrs. Scatter, Maria Theresa Kemble as Elinor Bloomly. The Irish premiere occurred on the 2 January 1799 at the Crow Street Theatre in Dublin.

Cheating Cheaters

Play · 1916

Nan Carey becomes a member of a group of jewel thieves who pretend they are the wealthy Brockton family in order to gain the confidence of real high society families. While traveling, Nan (using the name Ruth Brockton) attracts the romantic attention of Tom Palmer, who turns out to be one of the Brocktons' neighbors. While attending a tea party thrown by the Palmers, the Brockton gang tricks the Palmers into inviting Nan to stay with them while the rest of the Brocktons are supposedly visiting Chicago. The Brocktons expect this ruse will allow them to steal the Palmers' jewelry. It is then revealed to the audience that the "Palmer family" is another group of thieves, who are planning to steal the Brocktons' jewelry while the Brocktons are out of town. Thinking the Brocktons have left, the Palmer gang slips into the Brockton mansion, but are captured by the Brocktons. Meanwhile, Nan has gone to the Palmer mansion to burglarize it. Upon her return, the two groups each realize the other is a criminal gang, and they decide to join forces. Their planning is interrupted by detectives from the Ferris Detective Agency, who capture the combined gangs on behalf of the insurance companies for their past victims. Nan is revealed to be Ruth Ferris, head of the agency, who has been working undercover posing as a thief. Because her love for Tom is real and not just part of her cover, she offers him the opportunity to confess and join her agency rather than be turned over to the police.

Chicken and Biscuits

Play · 2020

Chicken & Biscuits is a play by Douglas Lyons that made its Broadway debut in 2021 at the Circle in the Square Theatre. The comedy's planned four-month run was cut short due to the challenges surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Lyons made his Broadway debut as a playwright ten years after he did so as an actor in The Book of Mormon. The Broadway production starred Norm Lewis and Michael Urie in the story of a New Haven pastor's funeral that was disrupted by family drama. Prior to its Broadway engagement, Chicken & Biscuits debuted at the Queens Theatre in the Park on February 28, 2020, and was the latter's first Broadway transfer.

Children! Children!

Play · 1972

The setting is the apartment of the Collins family in the Gramercy Park neighborhood of New York City, two hours before New Year's Eve. Philip and Evelyn Collins, parents of preteens Mark, Bobby and Susan, attend a new year's party with Dr. Yaeger and his wife Peg. The new babysitter Helen Giles, having just recovered from a nervous breakdown, is subjected to the children's devious and sadistic abuse, sexual passes, and a fall down the stairs. The returning parents believe the sitter is still mentally unsound, after which the parent's own viciousness is revealed to be the source of the children's behavior.

Chinglish

Play · 2011

An American businessman arrives in a bustling Chinese province looking to score a lucrative contract for his family's sign-making firm. He soon finds that the complexities of such a venture far outstrip the expected differences in language, customs and manners – and calls into questions even the most basic assumptions of human conduct. The U.S. and China are at a critical moment in history—each nation is deeply interested in, but knows very little about the other. Chinglish was born from the many visits I’ve made to China over the past five or six years to witness the exciting changes there. During one visit, I toured a new arts center where everything was first-rate—except for the ridiculously translated English signs. It was at that moment I thought of writing this play." -David Henry Hwang, Playwright

Christine Jorgensen Reveals

Play · 2005

Christine Jorgensen Reveals is a 2005 American theatrical show that depicts the 1957 one-hour interview of Christine Jorgensen by Nipsey Russell. This was billed as her "only recorded interview", though she had actually participated in recorded interviews with Tom Snyder, Dick Cavett, Joe Pyne, and others. The show begins with a brief documentary. Then, Jorgensen's entire interview is lip synched by the two actors. The show received a generally positive critical response and earned the 2006 Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience. It has been mounted several times since its 2005 Off-Broadway production.

Circe

Play · 1677

Circe is a 1677 tragedy by the English writer Charles Davenant. It was first staged by the Duke's Company at the Dorset Garden Theatre in London. The play's music was composed by John Banister. The original cast included Thomas Betterton as Orestes, Joseph Williams as Pylades, William Smith as Ithacus, Henry Harris as Thoas, Mary Lee as Circe and Mary Betterton as Iphigenia. It was revived, probably in 1690, with additional music by Henry Purcell including six pieces for the revival, including music for instrumental ensembles, vocal soloists, and choirs (Z.575). In 1984 the play was revived in a period-style production in Cambridge, Massachusetts by Harvard students. The production was produced and directed by James A. Glazier. The production used Purcell and Bannister's original music, with Purcell contrafacta for missing numbers arranged and directed by Paul Merkley. Baroque choreography was provided by Margaret Daniels.

City Politiques

Play · 1683

City Politiques is a 1683 comedy play by the English writer John Crowne. It was first performed by the United Company at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane by the recently formed United Company. The original cast are not known. It came at the time of the Tory Reaction to the earlier Popish Plot and Exclusion Crisis, and was of numerous plays of the time that ridiculed the Whig party. It is set during the 1610s in the southern Italian city of Naples, then under Spanish rule.

Clarence

Play · 1919

A great deal of the dialogue centers on Clarence's mysterious background, which comes out bit by bit. Even his surname isn't known until late in the play. Act I (The anteroom of Mr. Wheeler's private office, New York.) Mrs. Martyn suggests Mr. Wheeler might want to see a young soldier in the waiting room. At first Mr. Wheeler demurs, but as his wife, son, daughter, and daughter's governess parade through the waiting room baying out their complaints, he realizes it might be politic to offer the young doughboy a job to keep him quiet. Mr. Wheeler is impressed that Clarence could drive mules in the Army without learning to swear, thinking this may be the fellow to ride herd on his family. Mrs. Martyn, unable to hear Clarence through Cora's chattering, has recorded his surname as "Smun". All that the family knows about the plainly ailing Clarence is that he was discharged for his liver. (Curtain) Act II (Living room of Mr. Wheeler's home, Englewood, New Jersey. Daytime, three weeks later) Clarence now acts as general handyman at the Wheeler home, as well as secretary to Mr. Wheeler, since he is plainly well educated. He has grown healthier and stands straight, but still wears his uniform for lack of civilian clothes. Della and Rosie admire his husband potential, while Dinwiddie can't decide whether Clarence is domestic staff or a professional man. Violet is beset with suitors: first Bobby, then Hubert Stem, and now Clarence who shyly seeks her company. Cora is distraught when she learns Hubert was using her as a stalking horse to draw the protective Violet to him. Clarence frustrates Hubert's attempt to woo Violet then calms Mrs. Wheeler's unwarranted jealousy over Mr. Wheeler and Violet. But Violet doesn't want Clarence to pursue her, and requests he keep his distance. Della has now abandoned her designs on Bobby and switched to Clarence, as does Cora. When Clarence's army backpay arrives, he buys a new suit and used saxophone, and leads Cora and Dinwiddie into an impromptu parade. (Curtain) Act III (Same, that evening.) Della spars with a jealous Dinwiddie, then startles Bobby by comparing him unfavorably to Clarence. She reveals Clarence used to work in a "lavatory". Violet still refuses Clarence's tenative approaches, but is reconciled with Mrs. Wheeler. Cora asks Clarence what was wrong with his liver, to which he replies he was shot in it. "At Château-Thierry?" asks Mrs. Wheeler, to which he answers "During training". Violet, Bobby, and Mr. Wheeler cannot agree on Clarence's last name, offering Moon, Smart, and Smun respectively. Hubert Stem now brings a newspaper clipping about an Army deserter named "Charles Short". Clarence frustrates him by obtuseness, but reacts angrily when accused of being Charles Short. Mr. Wheeler tries to calm him, explaining they know so little about him. Clarence shouts that all you have to do is look him up in Who's Who, as he is the expert on Coleoptera. The situation is defused when Dinwiddie reports a plumbing emergency. Clarence exits to stop the flooding while Mr. Wheeler calls for a dictionary. (Curtain) Act IV (Same, the next morning.) The Wheeler family bickers after breakfast, Bobby and Cora endlessly sniping and aggravating Mr. Wheeler. Only Mrs. Wheeler remains calm. The crux of the matter is they can't remember the word Clarence told them. They also can't find a Clarence in Who's Who under any of the surnames they thought were his. Clarence explains to Della that he worked in a laboratory, not a lavatory, but she doesn't know the difference. Violet comes down with her suitcase and hat. She is leaving, but is surprised when Clarence says he is too. While they are alone Clarence explains that he is an entomologist, and has re-applied for his old job. He expects a letter that morning confirming the re-appointment. He overwhelms Violet with his confidence in planning their future; she is swept along in the tide. The letter arrives for C. Smith, Esq., provoking astonishment among everyone. The Who's Who is re-consulted and reveals his doctorate and other impressive credentials. Violet and Clarence depart, while the miffed Cora, frustrated in love again, swallows and says softly "Oh, Clarence". (Curtain)

Clash by Night

Play · 1941

Clash by Night is a romantic triangle drama by Clifford Odets which premiered on Broadway in 1941 and was later adapted to film and television. The title derives from Matthew Arnold's poem "Dover Beach" (1867): Ah, love, let us be true To one another! for the world, which seems To lie before us like a land of dreams, So various, so beautiful, so new, Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light, Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain; And we are here as on a darkling plain Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight, Where ignorant armies clash by night.

Clementina

Play · 1771

Clementina is a tragic play by the Irish writer Hugh Kelly, first staged at Theatre Royal, Covent Garden in February 1771. The plot follows the marriage of a young Italian woman Clementina and her lover Rinaldo, despite her father's opposition to the wedding as he had wished her to marry Palermo. It ends with Palmero killing Rinaldo, and Clementina committing suicide in her despair. In the History of Drama, Allardyce Nicoll describes it as "a poor dull pseudo-classic production, in spite of its Italian scene". The original cast included Mary Ann Yates as Clementina, Robert Bensley as Granville and Richard Wroughton as Palermo.

Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick

Play · 1998

Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick is a 1998 play written by the English dramatist Terry Johnson, who also directed the original production at the National Theatre. The play is about the off-screen love affair between Carry On film stars, Barbara Windsor and Sid James. The comedy also portrays the filming of the "Carry On" series as a less than glamorous affair, characterised by leaking caravans, inadequately paid actors and argumentative co-stars. Most of the play's action takes place in rainy locations, with Barbara staying in Sid's trailer, while he and co-star Kenneth Williams carry on their feud, which began when they starred together in the TV series Hancock's Half Hour. In 2000, Johnson adapted the play for television as Cor, Blimey!.

Cleomenes, the Spartan Hero

Play · 1692

Cleomenes, the Spartan Hero or Cleomenes, The Spartan Heroe: A Tragedy is a 1692 tragedy by the English writer John Dryden. It was first staged at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane by the United Company. It portrays the reign of Cleomenes, the King of Sparta, inspired by Plutarch's history of the period. Dryden's version is strongly Jacobite in drawing parallels from his overthrow to the recent Glorious Revolution in England. Because of this it was temporarily banned by the authority of Queen Mary. The original Drury Lane cast included Thomas Betterton as Cleomenes, Anthony Leigh as Cleonidas, John Verbruggen as Ptolomy, Samuel Sandford as Sosybius, William Mountfort as Cleanthes, Edward Kynaston as Pantheus, John Hodgson as Coenus, Mary Betterton as Cratisiclea, Anne Bracegirdle as Cleora and Elizabeth Barry as Cassandra. It was published by Jacob Tonson who had by this time secured exclusive rights to Dryden's work past and present. The published version was dedicated to the Tory politician, the Earl of Rochester.

Cleone

Play · 1758

The plot concerns a woman named Cleone, whose brother-in-law, Glanville, attempts to convince her husband that she is unfaithful. Granville decides to have his servant kill Cleone so Glanville can frame his own brother, Siffroy for the murder; Glanville plans to have it believed that Siffroy has murdered Cleone in a jealous rage. Glanville involves his devoted wife, Isabella, in his scheme, carrying it out under the pretext that he is avenging himself against Siffroy for stealing his fortune, but in reality, Glanville is motivated by his jealousy of Cleone, who has rebuffed his advances towards her. Glanville's servant accidentally murders Cleone's child instead of his intended target. Glanville and his servant are found out and arrested by the police. Despite the attempts of her father, brother, and husband to rehabilitate her, an aggrieved Cleone dies of madness.

Cleonice, Princess of Bithynia

Play · 1775

Cleonice, Princess of Bithynia is a 1775 tragedy by the British writer John Hoole. It is set in Bithynia during the Ancient era. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden in London. The original Covent Garden cast included Spranger Barry as Artabuses, Robert Bensley as Lycomedes, William Thomas Lewis as Pharnaces, John Lee as Orontes, Thomas Hull as Teramenes, James Thompson as Officer, John Whitfield as Agenor and Elizabeth Hartley as Cleonice.

Clive of India

Play · 1933

Clive of India is a play by the British author R.J. Minney. It portrays the life of the eighteenth century soldier and politician Robert Clive, particularly focusing on his victory at the Battle of Plassey. It was based on a biography of Clive that Minney had written two years earlier. First staged at the Theatre Royal at Windsor in 1933, it had a lengthy West End run from January 1934 to January 1935, originally at Wyndham's Theatre before a transfer to the Savoy, encompassing a total 413 performances. Leslie Banks played the title role, while the cast also included Raymond Huntley, Winifred Evans, Gillian Lind and Leo Genn.

Closer

Play · 1997

A young man, Dan, takes a young woman to hospital after she has been hit by a taxi; they flirt while waiting for the doctor to attend to her bloodied knee. Dermatologist Larry inspects her leg briefly and leaves. Dan and the young woman introduce themselves—he is Daniel Woolf, an obituary writer and failed novelist who mentions how he and his colleagues use euphemisms humorously in their work in obituaries. At the young woman's prompting, he says that his euphemism would be "reserved" and hers would be "disarming". She is Alice Ayres, a self-described waif who has a scar along her leg shaped like a question mark. Wanting him to spend the rest of the day with her, she calls in sick to his office for him. More than a year later, Dan is on the verge of publishing a book based on Alice's past as a stripper, and Anna is taking his photograph for publicity. Dan is infatuated with Anna, despite being in a relationship with Alice, for whom he left his former girlfriend. He begs Anna to see him again, and she rejects him. Alice overhears this conversation. She asks Anna to take her photo, and after Dan leaves, confronts her. Anna insists that she is "not a thief" and snaps a photo of a tear-stricken Alice. Six months later, Dan and Larry meet in an adult chat room. Dan impersonates Anna and has Internet sex with Larry. He tries to play a practical joke on Larry by arranging for Larry to meet him (Dan pretending to be Anna in the chat room) in the London Aquarium the next day. When Larry arrives, stunned to see Anna (who Dan did not know would be there), he acts believing that she is the same person from the chat and makes a fool of himself. Anna catches on and says that Dan was probably playing a practical joke on him. She reveals that it is her birthday and snaps a photo of Larry. At Anna's exhibition of photos, Alice stands in front of the photo of her, looking at it; Dan is watching her. They have an argument over Alice's feeling that Dan will leave her. Larry meets Alice, whom he recognises as the woman in the photo, and knows that she is Dan's girlfriend. Meanwhile, Dan persuades Anna to carry on an affair with him. They cheat on their partners with each other, even through Anna and Larry's marriage. A year later, they tell their partners the truth and leave to be with each other. Alice, devastated, disappears from Dan's life. She returns to stripping, using the name Jane. Larry finds her at a seedy strip club in London, where he pushes her to tell the truth about her name. He asks, "Tell me something true, Alice." She says, "Lying is the most fun a girl can have without taking her clothes off—but it's better if you do." They share a connection based on mutual betrayal and heartbreak. He asks her to meet him later for sex. She declines. A month after this, Anna is late meeting Dan for dinner. She is coming from asking Larry to sign the divorce papers. Dan finds out that Larry had demanded Anna have sex with him before he would sign the papers. Dan becomes upset and jealous, asking Anna why she did not lie to him. They have a candid, truthful conversation. Anna reveals that she did have sex with Larry and he did sign the papers. Alice meanwhile has been having sex with Larry. On his birthday, she summons him to the museum and sets up Anna to meet him there. Larry and Anna exchange words, as Anna discovers Alice and Larry have been having a casual relationship. Larry asks Anna if their divorce will ever become finalised; he leaves when Alice emerges. The two women share an exchange in which their mutual animosity is revealed. Anna calls Alice "primitive", a description Alice accepts. The younger Alice describes Larry's emotional state as troubled and learns from Anna that Dan still calls out for "Buster" (Alice's nickname) in his sleep. Anna goes back to Larry. Distraught, Dan confronts Larry at his office and has to reconcile himself to the loss of Anna. Larry recommends that Dan return to Alice and reveals that he had seen her in the strip club. He lies for Alice at first and tells Dan that they did not have sex, since Alice feared that, if Dan found out, he would not want her any more. At the end, Larry decides to hurt Dan and reveals the truth—that they had sex. Dan and Alice, back together, prepare to go to the United States. They relive the memories of their first meeting, but Dan is haunted by their encounters with Larry and Anna and pushes Alice to tell him the truth. In the moment when Alice becomes caught between refusing to tell the truth and being unable to lie to him, she says, "I don't love you anymore. Goodbye." (She had told Dan in the beginning that these are the words she tells her significant others when their relationship is over and she is going to leave.) She tells Dan to leave. He struggles with her; she spits in his face, and he throws her back on the bed, grabbing her neck. She dares him to hit her, and he does; she leaves. Later, Anna and Larry meet again, only to reveal that they have broken up once again and Larry is dating Polly, a young nurse. They are meeting because Alice has died the night before in New York, having been hit by a car while crossing the street. Their conversation also reveals that "Alice" was always a pseudonym—her real name was actually Jane. Larry leaves as Dan arrives because he has patients to see. Dan talks with Anna and says that no one could identify Alice's body and he is flying over to the United States to do so. Before Dan leaves, he tells Anna that Ruth, his ex-girlfriend whom he left for Alice/Jane, is now married, has a child, and is pregnant with a second. She married a poet, having fallen in love with him (without ever having met him) after reading his book of poems, Solitude. Dan and Anna bid each other goodbye. Dan leaves to catch his flight, leaving Anna alone.

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