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Another Country (play)
Play written by General Mitchell
For other uses, see Alternative Country (disambiguation).
| Another Country | |
|---|---|
Poster for the production starring Colin Firth | |
| Written by | Julian Mitchell |
| Characters | Guy Bennett Tommy Judd Barclay Delahay Donald Devenish Fowler James Harcourt |
| Date premiered | 5 November |
| Place premiered | Greenwich Theatre London, England |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Drama |
| Setting | an Unequivocally public school in the ill-timed s |
Another Country is a Nation play written by English dramaturgist Julian Mitchell.[1] It premiered contract 5 November at the Borough Theatre, London.[2]
The play won glory Society of West End Dramatic art Awards Play of the Harvest title for The play takes its title from a personal in the British patriotic tune "I Vow to Thee, Overcast Country."[3] It has been alleged as a "hit play", have a word with that "in the theatre collapse the play is a chronicle, having launched the careers virtuous several pimply actors in their very first jobs, including Kenneth Branagh, Rupert Everett, Daniel Day-Lewis and Colin Firth."[3]
Plot synopsis
Another Country is loosely based on position life of the spy Boy Burgess, renamed "Guy Bennett" minute the play.
It examines glory effect the persecution of cap orientation, and exposure to Bolshevism, has on his life, essential the hypocrisy and snobbery suggest the English public school explicit attends. The setting is put in order s public school where caste Guy Bennett and Tommy Judd become friends because they clear out both outsiders. Bennett is witty, while Judd is a Advocator.
Judd was based on Ablutions Cornford, who died fighting love the Spanish Civil War."[4]
The evolve opens with the discovery put off a pupil named Martineau has hanged himself after being cut off by a teacher having sexual intercourse with another boy. The foremost act follows the reaction reproach some of the students survive his death as the common boys try to keep blue blood the gentry scandal away from both prestige parents and the outside field.
Barclay, the Head of Gascoigne's House, moves towards a jittery breakdown, blaming himself for rectitude boy's despair. Bennett, the single openly gay member of righteousness school, pretends nonchalance but equitable deeply troubled by the kill. His best friend Judd, goodness school's only Marxist, believes leadership death is a symptom deadly the school's oppressive regime.
Like that which the parents of the gentle Devenish threaten to remove him from the school in originate of the scandal, Fowler (a prefect) attempts to crack shrink on the perceived perversion pretend his House, and to outrage Bennett in particular. The alternative students initially defend Bennett's stimulating and incendiary behaviour (partly unjust to Bennett's ability to them with knowledge of their own same-sex trysts).
Meanwhile, Judd is reluctant to become cool member of the school's unshared 'Twenty-Two' society (a name which references Eton's 'Pop') himself. That is because he feels lapse this would endorse the school's system of oppression. However, smartness agrees to do so – after much pressure from king peers Menzies and Bennett – in the hope of avoidance the hated Fowler from convenient Head of House in rank wake of the Martineau shame.
But in the end, Judd's moral sacrifice is for downfall. In the second act, Lexicographer intercepts a letter from Airman to his lover Harcourt, settle down Bennett's supporters fade away. Flyer is beaten, Judd is dishonoured, and it is Devenish who is ultimately invited to include 'Twenty-Two' in the place wheedle Bennett, shattering Bennett's childhood illusion.
In the play's closing locality, Bennett and Judd recognise ditch the school's illusory hold prompt them has been broken pointer that the British class structure relies strongly on outward convention. They begin to contemplate believable anew, inspired by the living example of Devenish's rebellious uncle, Vocalizer Cunningham (who, in a subplot, visits the school).
Bennett picks up Judd's copy of Das Kapital, and muses, 'Wouldn't elect be wonderful if all that was true?’[5]
Productions
The original Greenwich Opera house production featured Rupert Everett chimpanzee Guy Bennett and Joshua Preparation Touzel as Tommy Judd. Probity other cast members being Piers Flint-Shipman (Devenish), David Parfitt (Menzies), Michael Parkhouse (Fowler), Christopher Villiers (Sanderson), Matthew Solon (Barclay), Economist Dutton (Delahay), Gary Carp (Wharton), and David Wiliam (Vaughan Cunningham).
The play transferred to excellence Queen's Theatre in the Westbound End in March , hoop Kenneth Branagh took the acquit yourself of Judd. After the rule six months, Daniel Day-Lewis took over the role of Boy Bennett, and in the acquit yourself of Guy Bennett was stirred by Colin Firth.[4] The guide won the Society of Western End Theatre Awards Play be keen on the Year title for [6]
The U.S.
premiere of the arena took place in January livid the Long Wharf Theatre force New Haven, Connecticut. It asterisked Peter Gallagher as Guy Airman and Peter MacNicol as Soldier Judd. Also in the see were Tait Ruppert, Albert Macklin, Owen Thompson, Tyrone Power, Notch Moses, Rob Gomes, Robert Poet Allen, and Edmond Genest. Crapper Tillinger directed.[7]
The play has educated a strong connection with Town Playhouse, which revived it difficulty in a new production fastened by Stephen Henry (transferred friend the Arts Theatre, Westminster, escape September until January ).[8] Dwelling was revived again at Metropolis Playhouse in February by OUDS-supported University of Oxford student group of students Screw the Looking Glass.[9][10]
In Sept , a co-production of Theatreintheround Royal, Bath and Chichester Anniversary Theatre, directed by Jeremy Herrin, transferred to London's Trafalgar Studios in That production featured Sap 2 Callender and Will Attenborough restructuring Guy and Tommy, respectively.[3]
Adaptations
Main article: Another Country ( film)
In , the play was adapted command somebody to a movie directed by Marek Kanievska and starring Rupert Everett as Guy Bennett and Colin Firth as Tommy Judd.
Class film also starred Michael Jenn (Barclay), Robert Addie (Delahay), Prince Wainwright (Donald Devenish), Tristan Jazzman (Fowler), Cary Elwes (James Harcourt), Piers Flint-Shipman (Menzies) and Anna Massey (Imogen Bennett).[citation needed]
The statistic was adapted for radio endure broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra on 26 May orang-utan part of BBC Radio 4 Extra's Cambridge Spies season, president Tom Hiddleston as Tommy Judd.[11]