Quadrille (play)

After a provincial tour beginning at the Manchester Opera House on 15 July 1952, the play opened at the Phoenix Theatre in London on 12 September 1952 and ran until 27 June 1953.[1] The play starred Coward's friends Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt, with Griffith Jones, Marian Spencer and Sylvia Coleridge.It was fairly successful, running for 329 performances, but failed to match the outstanding popularity of his biggest pre-war hits.[2][3] The Manchester Guardian praised the play for breaking away from Coward’s customary terse style and experimenting with romantic comedy "affectionate and sincere as well as amusing and elegant".The acting of Fontanne and Lunt, however, was consistently praised, though The Daily Express called the production "a waste of expensive talent".[6] Lunt won a Tony Award for best actor in the 1955 Broadway production, which also starred Fontanne and featured Brian Aherne, Edna Best and Jerome Kilty.Charlotte is edgy and worries that Hubert's wife Serena, and her own husband, an American railway magnate, will pursue them.He suggests the both follow the eloping couple; Serena is reluctant at first but he persuades her and they agree to take the night train for the Continent.She insists on a serious talk with Charlotte, warning her that Hubert has had short infatuations before and may well go off the idea of the elopement when reality sinks in.In a long, intimate talk, he describes his early days: how he started work at thirteen and gradually made a fortune.
Lynn Fontanne as Lady Heronden
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