Ring Round the Moon

Last updated
Ring Round the Moon
Written by Christopher Fry
CharactersMadame Desmortes
Diana Messerschmann
Lady Dorothy India
Frédéric
Geraldine Capulet
Guy-Charles Romainville
Hugo
Isabelle
Joshua
Mother (Josephine)
Patrice Bombelles
Romuald Messerschmann
Place premiered Globe Theatre
Original language English
Genre Comedy
SettingA glamorous society ball in 1950s France
Official site

Ring Round the Moon is a 1950 adaptation by the English dramatist Christopher Fry of Jean Anouilh's Invitation to the Castle (1947). Peter Brook commissioned Fry to adapt the play and the first production of Ring Round the Moon was given at the Globe Theatre. The production starred Paul Scofield, Claire Bloom and Margaret Rutherford. [1] [2]

Notable productions

Music was composed by Jason Carr, and Wayne McGregor was movement director. Lighting was designed by Mark Henderson, and sound was designed by Gregory Clarke.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Savoy Theatre</span> Theatre in London

The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps for Richard D'Oyly Carte and opened on 10 October 1881 on a site previously occupied by the Savoy Palace. Its intended purpose was to showcase the popular series of comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan, which became known as the Savoy operas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Old Vic</span> Theatre in Waterloo, London

The Old Vic is a 1,000-seat, not-for-profit producing theatre in Waterloo, London, England. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, and renamed in 1833 the Royal Victoria Theatre. In 1871 it was rebuilt and reopened as the Royal Victoria Palace. It was taken over by Emma Cons in 1880 and formally named the Royal Victoria Hall, although by that time it was already known as the "Old Vic". In 1898, a niece of Cons, Lilian Baylis, assumed management and began a series of Shakespeare productions in 1914. The building was damaged in 1940 during air raids and it became a Grade II* listed building in 1951 after it reopened.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noël Coward Theatre</span> West End theatre in St. Martins Lane in London, formerly the Albery Theatre

The Noël Coward Theatre, formerly known as the Albery Theatre, is a West End theatre in St. Martin's Lane in the City of Westminster, London. It opened on 12 March 1903 as the New Theatre and was built by Sir Charles Wyndham behind Wyndham's Theatre which was completed in 1899. The building was designed by the architect W. G. R. Sprague with an exterior in the classical style and an interior in the Rococo style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gielgud Theatre</span> Theatre in Londons West End since 1906

The Gielgud Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, at the corner of Rupert Street, in the City of Westminster, London. The house currently has 986 seats on three levels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theatre Royal Haymarket</span> West-End theatre in London, England

The Theatre Royal Haymarket is a West End theatre on Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use. Samuel Foote acquired the lease in 1747, and in 1766 he gained a royal patent to play legitimate drama in the summer months. The original building was a little further north in the same street. It has been at its current location since 1821, when it was redesigned by John Nash. It is a Grade I listed building, with a seating capacity of 888. The freehold of the theatre is owned by the Crown Estate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Fry</span> English poet and playwright

Christopher Fry was an English poet and playwright. He is best known for his verse dramas, especially The Lady's Not for Burning, which made him a major force in theatre in the 1940s and 1950s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicholas Clay</span> English actor

Nicholas Anthony Phillip Clay was an English actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West End theatre</span> Mainstream professional theatre staged in and near the West End of London

West End theatre is mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres in and near the West End of London. Along with New York City's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English-speaking world. Seeing a West End show is a common tourist activity in London. Famous screen actors, British and international alike, frequently appear on the London stage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vaudeville Theatre</span> Theatre in London

The Vaudeville Theatre is a West End theatre on the Strand in the City of Westminster. As the name suggests, the theatre held mostly vaudeville shows and musical revues in its early days. It opened in 1870 and was rebuilt twice, although each new building retained elements of the previous structure. The current building opened in 1926, and the capacity is now 690 seats. Rare thunder drum and lightning sheets, together with other early stage mechanisms, survive in the theatre.

Allan Leigh Lawson is an English actor, director and writer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duchess Theatre</span> Theatre in London, England

The Duchess Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, London, located in Catherine Street near Aldwych.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wyndham's Theatre</span> Theatre in London

Wyndham's Theatre is a West End theatre, one of two opened by actor/manager Charles Wyndham. Located on Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, it was designed c.1898 by W. G. R. Sprague, the architect of six other London theatres between then and 1916. It was designed to seat 759 patrons on three levels; later refurbishment increased this to four seating levels. The theatre was Grade II* listed by English Heritage in September 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rupert Penry-Jones</span> British actor

Rupert William Penry-Jones is a British actor, known for his performances as Adam Carter in Spooks, Clive Reader in Silk, DI Joseph Chandler in Whitechapel, and Mr. Quinlan in the American horror series The Strain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angela Thorne</span> English actress (1939–2023)

Angela Margaret Leslie Thorne was an English actress of stage, television and film having performed roles in World in Ferment (1969), Get Some In! (1976), The Good Life (1977), Midsomer Murders, Foyle's War and Heartbeat, The BFG (1989) as the voice of the Queen, Three Up, Two Down and Lassie (2005).

Invitation to the Castle is a 1947 satirical play by the French playwright Jean Anouilh. It was adapted in 1950 by Christopher Fry as Ring Round the Moon. The play concerns twins, a cold, manipulative playboy Hugo, and his sensitive brother Frédéric. Frédéric is madly in love with Diana, the spoiled daughter of a self-made millionaire. She herself wants Hugo, as his impenetrability teases her. To show to Frédéric that Diana is not worth his attentions, Hugo invites to a ball Isabelle, a lower-class dancer, whom he Pygmalion-like transforms into an aristocratic beauty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Playhouse Theatre</span> Theatre in London

The Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, located in Northumberland Avenue, near Trafalgar Square, central London. The Theatre was built by F. H. Fowler and Hill with a seating capacity of 1,200. It was rebuilt in 1907 and still retains its original substage machinery. As of November 2021, the theatre has been refurbished and is home to a revival of the musical Cabaret with a seating capacity of 550.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Mathias</span> British actor

Sean Gerard Mathias is a Welsh actor, director, and writer. He is known for directing the film Bent and for directing highly acclaimed theatre productions in London, New York City, Cape Town, Los Angeles and Sydney.

The Mercury Theatre was an Australian theatre company that was co-founded by Peter Finch and existed from 1946 to 1954. It was named after the American Orson Welles' theatre company of the same name.

Marla Rubin is an Olivier Award and South Bank Sky Arts Award-winning West End and Broadway theatre producer.

<i>A Christmas Carol</i> (2017 play) 2017 play by Jack Thorne based on Charles Dickens novella

A Christmas Carol is a play by Jack Thorne based on the 1843 novella of the same name by Charles Dickens. The adaptation was written for The Old Vic in London where it premiered for the Christmas 2017 season and has returned every year since due to popular demand. It has also performed on Broadway, on a US tour and in Melbourne.

References

  1. "Ring Round the Moon (Play) Plot & Characters". StageAgent. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  2. "Ring Around the Moon | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 16 January 2024.