31:
115:
Though it was premiered in 1921, the play is set in the early 1930s. Margaret
Fairfield divorces her husband, who has been in a mental hospital for many years, in order to remarry. Their daughter cares for the father and faces the fact that his mental illness may be hereditary. Although not
116:
permitted at the time in
Britain, the play imagines a future where divorce is permitted where a spouse is incurably insane. Due to evolving cultural views, divorce was a popular subject in novels and drama of the time.
228:
on
November 7. It closed in March 1922, after a total run of 173 performances. After it closed on Broadway, it toured North America, and local revivals on both sides of the Atlantic occurred into the 1940s.
216:
had decided to try producing a serious drama in New York for the next season (instead of his customary musical comedies) and agreed to take it on. In
America, the play was premiered at
431:
412:
314:
Radio adaptations were broadcast in
Britain during December 1935; in the United States during April 1941; and again in the United States on December 1, 1946.
470:
220:
on
October 10, 1921. Despite good reviews, audiences were slow to grow. The Cohan theatre had already planned to mount a new show when
505:
212:
saw the play in London, and intrigued by the character of Hilary
Fairfield, bought the American rights. Broadway producer
304:
288:
284:
175:
104:
100:
96:
495:
490:
217:
349:
95:. It was her first play, and her most popular, and was adapted to films of the same name three times, in
459:
500:
125:
70:
331:
399:
464:
383:
225:
171:
8:
485:
365:
436:
417:
213:
181:
153:
133:
413:
Allan
Pollock Welcomed; War Hero Gives a Tense Performance in "A Bill of Divorcement"
300:
250:
196:
35:
30:
271:
162:
141:
296:
479:
265:
241:
209:
92:
51:
39:
453:
395:
370:
292:
187:
137:
308:
283:
The play has been adapted into films of the same name three times. The
129:
132:
as producer, and ran for 402 performances. The cast included
124:
The play was first performed in London on March 14, 1921 at
402:, pp. 63-95 (includes extended excerpts from the play)
224:
began to grow popular, so the show was moved to the
354:
World War One: Plays, Playwrights & Productions
477:
467:(full play, published 1921, via gutenberg.org)
465:A Bill of Divorcement: A Play in Three Acts
405:
256:Fred Graham as The Rev. Christopher Pumphrey
386:(1921) (play, includes London cast listing)
384:A Bill of Divorcement: A Play in Three Acts
29:
332:British Theatre and Performance 1900-1950
376:
432:Dillingham to Make Fourteen Productions
366:A Bill of Divorcement, Long, March 1921
478:
471:Photographs of 1921 British production
424:
389:
203:
358:
350:Clemence Dane's A Bill of Divorcement
348:Pollack, Rhoda-Gale (14 March 2018).
344:
342:
340:
324:
159:Agnes Thomas as Miss Hester Fairfield
119:
455:A Bill of Divorcement
13:
337:
14:
517:
447:
506:British plays adapted into films
232:
199:as The Rev. Christopher Pumphrey
287:was a British production. The
278:
193:Stanley Lathbury as Dr. Alliot
147:
1:
317:
174:as Grey Meredith (appears in
259:Ada King as Hester Fairfield
91:is a play by English author
7:
247:Lillian Brennard as Bassett
238:John Astley as Kit Pumphrey
110:
10:
522:
460:Internet Broadway Database
42:in the Broadway production
400:The Best Plays of 1921-22
262:Arnold Lucy as Dr. Alliot
218:George M. Cohan's Theatre
168:Dorothy Martin as Bassett
76:
65:
57:
47:
28:
23:
496:Plays by Clemence Dane
491:Plays set in the 1930s
244:as Margaret Fairfield
156:as Margaret Fairfield
88:A Bill of Divorcement
24:A Bill of Divorcement
226:Times Square Theater
172:Charles Aubrey Smith
411:(11 October 1921).
364:(21 January 2004).
285:1922 silent version
268:as Hilary Fairfield
253:as Sydney Fairfield
204:Broadway production
190:as Hilary Fairfield
165:as Sydney Fairfield
126:St Martin's Theatre
71:St Martin's Theatre
437:The New York Times
418:The New York Times
330:D'Monte, Rebecca.
214:Charles Dillingham
208:The English actor
154:Lilian Braithwaite
134:Lilian Braithwaite
301:Katharine Hepburn
251:Katharine Cornell
197:Fewlass Llewellyn
120:London production
84:
83:
77:Original language
36:Katharine Cornell
513:
441:
440:, p. 18, col. 2.
430:(21 July 1921).
428:
422:
421:, p. 22, col. 2.
409:
403:
393:
387:
380:
374:
362:
356:
346:
335:
328:
307:was directed by
291:was directed by
274:as Gray Meredith
33:
21:
20:
521:
520:
516:
515:
514:
512:
511:
510:
476:
475:
450:
445:
444:
429:
425:
410:
406:
394:
390:
382:Dane, Clemence
381:
377:
363:
359:
347:
338:
334:, p. 130 (2015)
329:
325:
320:
281:
272:Charles Waldron
235:
206:
184:as Kit Pumphrey
163:Meggie Albanesi
150:
142:Meggie Albanesi
122:
113:
66:Place premiered
43:
17:
12:
11:
5:
519:
509:
508:
503:
501:West End plays
498:
493:
488:
474:
473:
468:
462:
449:
448:External links
446:
443:
442:
423:
404:
388:
375:
357:
336:
322:
321:
319:
316:
297:John Barrymore
280:
277:
276:
275:
269:
263:
260:
257:
254:
248:
245:
239:
234:
231:
205:
202:
201:
200:
194:
191:
185:
179:
178:by Dr. Alliot)
169:
166:
160:
157:
149:
146:
121:
118:
112:
109:
82:
81:
78:
74:
73:
67:
63:
62:
59:
58:Date premiered
55:
54:
49:
45:
44:
34:
26:
25:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
518:
507:
504:
502:
499:
497:
494:
492:
489:
487:
484:
483:
481:
472:
469:
466:
463:
461:
457:
456:
452:
451:
439:
438:
433:
427:
420:
419:
414:
408:
401:
397:
396:Mantle, Burns
392:
385:
379:
373:
372:
367:
361:
355:
351:
345:
343:
341:
333:
327:
323:
315:
312:
310:
306:
302:
298:
294:
290:
286:
273:
270:
267:
266:Allan Pollock
264:
261:
258:
255:
252:
249:
246:
243:
242:Janet Beecher
240:
237:
236:
233:Broadway cast
230:
227:
223:
219:
215:
211:
210:Allan Pollock
198:
195:
192:
189:
186:
183:
180:
177:
173:
170:
167:
164:
161:
158:
155:
152:
151:
145:
143:
139:
135:
131:
127:
117:
108:
106:
102:
98:
94:
93:Clemence Dane
90:
89:
79:
75:
72:
68:
64:
60:
56:
53:
52:Clemence Dane
50:
46:
41:
40:Allan Pollock
37:
32:
27:
22:
19:
454:
435:
426:
416:
407:
391:
378:
371:The Guardian
369:
360:
353:
326:
313:
295:and starred
293:George Cukor
282:
221:
207:
188:Malcolm Keen
138:Malcolm Keen
123:
114:
87:
86:
85:
18:
309:John Farrow
279:Adaptations
222:Divorcement
148:London cast
486:1921 plays
480:Categories
318:References
182:Ian Hunter
130:Basil Dean
48:Written by
305:1940 film
289:1932 film
176:1940 film
111:Synopsis
458:at the
128:, with
80:English
398:, ed.
303:. The
103:, and
69:(UK)
299:and
140:and
105:1940
101:1932
97:1922
61:1921
38:and
16:Play
482::
434:,
415:,
368:,
352:,
339:^
311:.
144:.
136:,
107:.
99:,
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
