 First edition cover | |
| Author | Paul Gallico |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
Publication date | 1958 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 157 |
| Followed by | Mrs. 'Arris Goes to New York |
Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris is a novel written by Paul Gallico and published in 1958. In the United Kingdom, it was published as Flowers for Mrs Harris. It was the first in a series of four books about the adventures of a London charwoman.
The plot revolves around Ada Harris, who is so enchanted by her employer's haute couture wardrobe that she becomes determined to go to the House of Dior in Paris to purchase an evening gown of her own. She achieves her goal with the assistance of a French marquis, whom she first meets at the house of Dior during an afternoon showing and who becomes a long-term friend as do a series of other characters revealed to have hidden hearts. The comic tale takes on a final poignant overtone when the dress is loaned to an up-and-coming actress, with disastrous consequences. Initially devastated, Mrs. Harris reflects that the experiences she had in pursuit of the dress were worth its loss.
Subsequent titles in the series are Mrs. 'Arris Goes to New York (1960), Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Parliament (1965), and Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Moscow (1974). (The original U.K. titles were Mrs Harris Goes to New York, Mrs Harris MP, and Mrs Harris Goes to Moscow.)
In New York, the French Count re-appears and, again, all but one or two characters reveal hidden hearts.
In Parliament, Mrs Harris finds that being nice, kind and hopeful does not always lead to people being nice and kind in return. There is rather less comedy in this third book.
In Moscow, Mrs Harris wins a trip there and stumbles onto the Soviet Union's most embarrassing problem: it has bought a cargo of toilet paper that has had to be marked as birdseed.
A musical-theatre adaptation, Flowers for Mrs Harris , with book by Rachel Wagstaff and music and lyrics by Richard Taylor, was produced by Sheffield Theatres in May 2016, directed by Daniel Evans, having been originally commissioned by Vicky Graham Productions. The production won three UK Theatre Awards: Best Design (Lez Brotherston), Best Performer in a Musical (Clare Burt in the titular role) and Best Musical Production. The awards were presented at the UK Theatre Awards 2016 ceremony at London's Guildhall in October 2016. A new production was mounted at Chichester Festival Theatre in September 2018, again directed by Daniel Evans, starring Clare Burt once more as Mrs Harris, alongside Joanna Riding as Lady Dant/Madam Colbert, Claire Machin as Violet Butterfield, and Gary Wilmot as the Major/Monsieur Armand. The production was streamed online to great acclaim in April 2020.
The complete 2018 Chichester Festival Theatre cast and orchestra reassembled over 3 days in July 2020 to record the score. The recording took place on stage at the Festival Theatre, due to the restriction imposed as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic making it impossible to record in a studio, whereas the Festival Theatre stage was large enough to accommodate full cast and band, sufficiently distanced. It was conducted by Tom Brady and recording engineer was Mike Walker. The recording was released in 2020. [4] [5]
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Paul William Gallico was an American novelist and short story and sports writer. Many of his works were adapted for motion pictures. He is perhaps best remembered for The Snow Goose, his most critically successful book, for the novel The Poseidon Adventure, primarily through the 1972 film adaptation, and for four novels about the beloved character of Mrs. Harris.
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Anthony Fabian is a British producer, writer and director of feature films, shorts, documentaries, and classical music programmes made through his company, Elysian Films. He is the director of Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris starring Lesley Manville and Isabelle Huppert, released in the US by Focus Features in July 2022 and by Universal Pictures in the rest of the world later in the year. His first feature film, Skin, won 22 international awards. His feature documentary, Good Hope, about the past, present and potential future of South Africa, was released in 2020. He has also worked as music supervisor on a number of feature films, including Restoration, GoldenEye, Schubert and Hilary and Jackie.
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Flowers for Mrs Harris is a musical with a book by Rachel Wagstaff and music, lyrics and orchestrations by Richard Taylor. It is based on the 1958 American novel Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico, which was released as Flowers for Mrs Harris in the United Kingdom.
Lucas Nicolas Bravo is a French actor and model. He is best known for starring in the Netflix romantic comedy series Emily in Paris (2020–present) as chef Gabriel, Emily's downstairs love interest. He is also known for his roles in the comedy-drama Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (2022) and the romantic comedies Ticket to Paradise (2022), and The Honeymoon (2022).
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is a 2022 historical comedy drama film directed and produced by Anthony Fabian, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Carroll Cartwright, Keith Thompson, and Olivia Hetreed. It is the third film adaptation of the 1958 novel Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico. The film stars Lesley Manville, Isabelle Huppert, Lambert Wilson, Alba Baptista, Lucas Bravo, Ellen Thomas, Rose Williams, and Jason Isaacs. The film enjoyed strong box office success in the United States arthouse circuit. Manville received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical for her performance. The film also won a British Independent Film Award (BIFA) and received a nomination for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Costume Design.
