Red Sky at Morning (play)

Last updated
Red Sky at Morning
Written by Dymphna Cusack
CharactersAlicia
Michael
Landlord
Landlady
Emma
An Officer in the 83rd Regiment
Date premieredSeptember 1935
Place premieredSydney Player's Club
Original languageEnglish
Subjectconvict era
Genremelodrama
SettingSydney

Red Sky at Morning is a 1935 Australian stage play by Dymphna Cusack. The play helped launch Cusack's writing career and was filmed in 1943. [1]

Contents

It was first performed at Sydney Player's Club in September 1935 and adapted for radio in 1938. [2] It was later revived in 1939. [3] [4]

The play was published in 1942 along with other Australian plays including Daybreak, Touch of Silk and Interval. The Sydney Morning Herald said "The last scene grips one, though it ends tamely." [5] It was often produced on radio and in amateur theatres during the subsequent years.

Noted critic Leslie Rees wrote of the play that:

An undertone of passionate resentment against injustice and coercion is heard, but there is also a mannered wit and an acute realisation of character, a clear-cut picture of the times. It is a play of style. Against these considerable merits must be men tioned a sparseness of action, especially the failure to satisfy expectations in the second act. However, the texture of the speech in this play is so fine, the quality of compassion so moving, that such a fault does not, to my mind at any rate, become paramount. To play a curtain-raiser in the same programme would help conceal the deficiency. [6]

The play was presented in May 1939 as part of Australian Drama Month at the Independent Theatre. [7] The Sydney Morning Herald said it was "very well presented" although felt it would have been more effective as a one act play. [8]

One critic said "it is considered by many competent judges to be the best Australian play to date." [9]

Premise

In 1812 New South Wales, a woman, Alicia, is unhappily married to a brutal officer. She falls in love with an Irish convict, Michael and they decide to flee together.

Radio adaptations

The play was adapted for radio in 1938 directed by John Cairns. [10] [11] [12] The Wireless Weekly said "all the way through there was a suggestion of cliches. The fact that the writing was stylish and poetical does not redeem the play one little bit." [13]

The play was performed again in 1940. Wireless Weekly called it "A well-constructed play, and the dialogue has a lambent, graceful quality. But one feels that Miss Cusack’s passion for discussion and the graceful phrase holds up the action too often. " [14]

There was a version in 1943 where the play was performed by the members of the film adaptation of the play including Peter Finch. [15]

Other versions of the play were produced on radio in 1952 [16] and 1957. [17]

Film adaptation

See Red Sky at Morning (1944 film). [18] [19]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Fire on the Snow</i> Play written by Douglas Stewart

The Fire on the Snow is a 1941 Australian verse play by Douglas Stewart about the Terra Nova Expedition to Antarctica by Robert Falcon Scott. It premiered on ABC radio on 6 June 1941 to great acclaim and inspired a series of Australian verse dramas on ABC radio.

Ned Kelly is a 1942 radio play by Douglas Stewart about the outlaw Ned Kelly.

Awake My Love is a 1947 Australian stage play by Max Afford.

Wives Have Their Uses is a 1938 Australian stage play by Gwen Meredith. It is a comedy.

Morning Sacrifice is a 1942 Australian stage play by Dymphna Cusack. It was based on Cusack's experience as a school teacher.

Merry-Go-Round is a 1936 Australian radio play by Max Afford. It won first prize in the ABC Radio Contest for best play.

A Sirius Cove is a 1935 Australian comedy play by Lionel Shave.

The Daughter of the Dragon is a 1938 Australian musical radio drama with music by Frederick Whaite, who worked for the ABC. It was a light musical comedy, set in China. Book and lyrics were by Muriel Leslie and D. Bowes Kelley.

Royal Mail is a 1939 Australian stage play by Alexander Turner.

Exit Socrates is a 1939 Australian radio play by Catherine Shepherd. It was considered one of the more notable Australian radio plays of that year.

Seapiece is a 1938 Australian radio play by Catherine Shepherd about an out of work actor.

Son of Inspector Champion is a 1940 Australian radio serial by Claire Meillon set in bushranging days.

The Sacred Place is a 1912 Australian play by Louis Esson. It was set amongst Muslims in Melbourne. The play was based on a 1907 short story.

A Cat Across Their Path is a 1939 Australian radio play by Max Afford.

Tales of the Southern Cross is a 1940 Australian radio drama series by Joy Hollyer. It was a series of children's Sunday plays, based on Australian history and true adventure.

Spartacus is a 1942 Australian radio play by Dymphna Cusack about the rebel slave Spartacus. It was the last of the ABC's Bonus Competition Plays.

Shallow Cups is a 1933 Australian play by Dymphna Cusack.

Coat of Arms is a 1937 Australian radio play by Alexander Turner. It was a comedy for two actors. The play was one of Turner's best known.

Mother's Day is a 1940 Australian play by Leslie Rees. It received a number of amateur productions.

<i>Air Spy</i>

Air Spy is a 1939 Australian radio serial starring Arundel Nixon and Ronald Morse. It was one of the first Australian radio dramas to expressly reference World War Two. It debuted on 12 December 1939.

References

  1. ↑ "Australian Writers Series". The Australasian . Vol. CXLVII, no. 4, 728. Victoria, Australia. 19 August 1939. p. 42. Retrieved 4 September 2023– via National Library of Australia.
  2. ↑ "Social and Personal". The Sydney Morning Herald . National Library of Australia. 21 November 1938. p. 18 Supplement: Women's Supplement. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
  3. ↑ "Australian Drama". The Sydney Morning Herald . National Library of Australia. 6 May 1939. p. 19. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
  4. ↑ Details of original production at AusStage
  5. ↑ "AUSTRALIAN PLAYS". The Sydney Morning Herald . National Library of Australia. 3 October 1942. p. 6. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
  6. ↑ "THE DRAMA IN AUSTRALIA". The West Australian . Perth: National Library of Australia. 22 July 1939. p. 5. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
  7. ↑ "AUSTRALIAN DRAMA MONTH". The Sydney Morning Herald . No. 31, 616. New South Wales, Australia. 1 May 1939. p. 4. Retrieved 4 September 2023– via National Library of Australia.
  8. ↑ "AUSTRALIAN DRAMA". The Sydney Morning Herald . No. 31, 621. New South Wales, Australia. 6 May 1939. p. 19. Retrieved 4 September 2023– via National Library of Australia.
  9. ↑ "AUSTRALIAN DRAMA MONTH". Macleay Argus . No. 8706. New South Wales, Australia. 23 May 1939. p. 4. Retrieved 4 September 2023– via National Library of Australia.
  10. ↑ "SOCIAL and PERSONAL". The Sydney Morning Herald . No. 31, 478. New South Wales, Australia. 21 November 1938. p. 18 (Women's Supplement). Retrieved 13 March 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  11. ↑ ""Turn on the Wireless"". Daily Examiner . Vol. 29, no. 9439. New South Wales, Australia. 4 November 1938. p. 11. Retrieved 4 September 2023– via National Library of Australia.
  12. ↑ "SUNDAY ... NOVEMBER 20", The Wireless Weekly: The Hundred per Cent Australian Radio Journal, vol. 32, no. 21, Sydney: Wireless Press, November 18, 1938, nla.obj-713997263, retrieved 13 March 2024– via Trove
  13. ↑ "SOUND OR NOISE A Criticism of Plays and Players", The Wireless Weekly: The Hundred per Cent Australian Radio Journal, vol. 32, no. 23, Sydney: Wireless Press, December 2, 1938, nla.obj-714483891, retrieved 13 March 2024– via Trove
  14. ↑ "Debunking Romance", The Wireless Weekly: The Hundred per Cent Australian Radio Journal, vol. 35, no. 13, Sydney: Wireless Press, March 30, 1940, nla.obj-718430315, retrieved 13 March 2024– via Trove
  15. ↑ "Coming on the air", ABC Weekly, vol. 5, no. 30, Sydney: ABC, 24 July 1943, nla.obj-1315256080, retrieved 13 March 2024– via Trove
  16. ↑ "RADIO PLAYS for NEXT WEEK A.B.C", ABC Weekly, vol. 14, no. 1, Sydney: ABC, 5 January 1952, nla.obj-1659039221, retrieved 13 March 2024– via Trove
  17. ↑ "RADIO PLAYS for NEXT WEEK A.B.C.", ABC Weekly, vol. 19, no. 8, Sydney: ABC, 23 February 1957, nla.obj-1553694984, retrieved 13 March 2024– via Trove
  18. ↑ "New Australian Film Production". Truth . No. 2767. New South Wales, Australia. 17 January 1943. p. 23. Retrieved 4 September 2023– via National Library of Australia.
  19. ↑ "AUSTRALIAN FILM AT NORTH SYDNEY". Daily Mirror. No. 547. New South Wales, Australia. 11 February 1943. p. 5 (Late Final Extra). Retrieved 13 March 2024– via National Library of Australia.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.