A Spring Song

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A Spring Song
Written by Ray Mathew
Date premieredMarch 1958
Place premieredBrisbane
Original languageEnglish
Genredrama

A Spring Song is a 1958 Australian play by Ray Mathew.

Contents

The play was given a reading by the Elizabethan Theatre Trust in 1957. The Age called the script "moving". [1] It played at the Sydney Pocket Theatre in 1958 and the Sydney Morning Herald said it was "not a success". [2]

The play was successfully presented at the Edinburgh Festival in 1964 [3] and transferred to the West End that year. [4] The Evening Standard called it a "mellow, sentimental melodrama". [5]

The play was filmed for Canadian television in 1965 with the story relocated to Canada. Zoe Caldwell starred. [6]

Premise

The story of a farming family consisting of a father and his three daughters, Margaret, Kerry and Helen. Margaret is dying and falls in love with their boarder. Helen moves to Sydney. Kerry is in love with Geoff, a grazier's son, but is trapped into staying at home.

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References

  1. Grant, Bruce (31 August 1957). "A source of great richness". The Age. p. 19.
  2. "New play by Ray Mathew". The Sydney Morning Herald. 8 August 1958. p. 4.
  3. "Spring Song of Outback in London". The Australian Women's Weekly . Vol. 32, no. 25. Australia, Australia. 18 November 1964. p. 13. Retrieved 26 July 2023 via National Library of Australia.
  4. "Sydney Playwright's London Opening – A spring song fell with a thud". The Canberra Times . Vol. 39, no. 10, 964. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 30 September 1964. p. 21. Retrieved 26 July 2023 via National Library of Australia.
  5. "This may bring a tear in Sydney". Evening Standard. 29 September 1964. p. 4.
  6. "Festival presents a spring song". The Ottawa Citizen. 8 May 1965. p. 114.