When We Are Married (Oberon Modern Plays)

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Set designers Carolyn and David Garwes with their construction team created an Edwardian sitting room perfectly: aspidistras, antimacassars, velvet curtains and sepia photographs conveyed an image of prosperous respectability, cushioned from the world outside. The costumes complemented the set, giving an impression of starched, buttoned-up formality, creating a sense that keeping up appearances is of prime importance. After the war Priestley continued his writing, and his work invariably provoked thought, and his views were always expressed in his blunt Yorkshire style. Set in a prosperous woollen town in Yorkshire's West Riding, 'When We Are Married' is a comedy which has stood the test of time relatively well. Now a septuagenarian, it's as much a historical piece as a comedy, but it's also one of those plays that has actors fighting for parts because of the richness of the characters, and the riches to be found in Priestley's unique concept and nimble dialogue. This fine ensemble make the most of every moment. Maureen Lipman as Clara Soppitt employs her exceptional comic timing to great effect as her mousey husband (Sam Kelly) suddenly finds his voice and exerts his authority. Simon Rouse's bombastic Councillor Parker has to rethink his marital stance as his initially meek wife Annie (Michele Dotrice) bluntly tells him that he's not only "pompous, dull and stingy" but also "very, very dreary". And David Horovitch's Alderman Helliwell finds his temper strained as his better half Maria (played by Susie Blake) threatens to leave him and the drudgery she endures in running the household. A robustly enjoyable piece...This is a popular comedy, and, when played this well, it is easy to see why it is one of the most durable works of the last century." Special mention must go to Kat Rose-Martin as Ruby Birtle, the Helliwells’ untidy 15 year old maid, with her complete inability to state anything but the truth on all occasions. Her timing is exemplary, and this audience completely fell in love with her.

Into this tasteful palette burst the startling vermilion of Lottie Grady (Zoe Lambert), and the lurid suit and tie of Henry Ormonroyd (Barrie Rutter), in much the same way as these characters crash into the story.Priestley, J. B. (1938). When We Are Married: A Yorkshire Farcical Comedy (French's actinged.). London: Samuel French. ISBN 0-573-01476-0.

Personally I can’t think of a better antidote to these dark, dank November nights. Highly recommended. A must see for anyone with a sense of humour. Have realistic hopes and the show delivers well …hope for misunderstandings ...hope for SLS (second lead syndrome) hope for a not so necessary leap...hope for typical gender role reversal through horror movies and roller coaster rides (that’s the typical way to describe things...I am not a discriminating fella ...both are allowed to be scared...) ….hope for a lot of cute scenes and laughs...hope for fillers ….hope for a cliched drama ...and there you are ...this drama will meet all your expectations ! (aren’t you wondering ….why am I stressing so much on cliches ….bec the drama wouldn’t exist without them...no not even an ep) Minor performance niggles aside, When We Are Married is a solid and successful effort from Northern Broadsides. They’ve proven themselves as a company that tell their stories with soul and northern charm. This production doesn’t try to smash stereotypes in the way that their previous efforts have done. Rather, it merely showcases the uniqueness and power of live performance. Second male lead… not evil or selfish… he was ready to become just a friend & silently help her … I really pity him… T_THope Amateur Dramatic Independent Theatre (HADIT) provided laughs galore in their production of J.B. Priestley’s well-loved comedy, When We Are Married, writes Margaret Coupe. Three self-made men and their wives discover, at their silver wedding celebrations, that the ceremonies were performed by a minister who was not authorised to do so. Mo Zixian ( Ian Yi ) — I hope they gave him a different suit lol. He was literally repeating the same suit in the whole drama. He had a good role here & his acting compliments it. I wish to see him in a lead role someday…

Simon Higlett's lovingly-recreated sitting room, where all the action takes place, got a well-deserved round of applause when the curtain went up. And Christopher Luscmbe's excellent direction ensures there's space for both the characterisations and Priestley's dialogue to shine. What's new? there's accidental kisses (too many of them), wrist grabs with long pause, constantly looking at each other moments (and me be like "Let's skip 30 sec" the same thing is still going on "Oh no! Let's skip more………" ) and ta-da this is how they fell in love, a bitch yet Beautiful looking 2nd female lead who plans obstacles, then ML saving FL like some superhero, the good 2nd male lead (who will never get the girl **actually sad for him** )… again what's new!? When We Are Married is a comedy by the English dramatist J. B. Priestley. Written in 1934, [1] it was first performed in London at the St. Martin's Theatre, London, on 11 October 1938. It transferred to the larger Prince's Theatre in March 1939 and ran until 24 June of that year. [2] Plot [ edit ]In J B Priestley's play of 1938, three couples who were married on the same day, at the same church are celebrating their 25th wedding anniversaries. The couples have positions in society and a public image to maintain. The husbands are leading members of the local non-conformist chapel and two them have seats on the local council. The celebrations seem to be going well until the husbands discover to their horror that the minister who married them did not have the appropriate legal qualifications. Given their standing in the local community, the couples initially want to keep the whole business hushed-up. But as events unfold, some of the individuals involved see a chance to escape from relationships that have been rather less than true marital bliss. Northern Broadsides create a highly comedic and warm live experience that is a joy to share with other audiences. I just hope they keep this up, and they continue in this enjoyable vein. I suspect that this revival is most likely to be appreciated by those of a certain age. Though it is dated in terms of the societal values it portrays, there's also much which feels modern, especially in terms of role reversal. But it is a rather 'northern' play in terms of both the style of humour and some of the linguistic niceties. For example, I don't hear many people in London describing an argument as 'fratching', even though it is correctly listed in the dictionary. So I'm not sure that West End audiences will fully appreciate the nuances in Priestly's well-observed description. Still, it has endearing charm, great characters and more than enough humour to make for a good night out. The bombshell about the illegal marriages was delivered with barely suppressed glee by the new la-di-dah organist (Danny Washington) and this ‘right to-do’ allowed the audience to see the fault-lines and power plays in the three central relationships. When Priestley left the army he studied at Cambridge University, where he completed a degree in Modern History and Political Science. Subsequently he found work as theatre reviewer with the Daily News, and also contributed to the Spectator, the Challenge and Nineteenth Century. His earliest books included The English Comic Characters (1925), The English Novel (1927), and English Humour (1928). His breakthrough came with the immensely popular novel The Good Companions, published in 1929, and Angel Pavement followed in 1930. He emerged, too, as a successful dramatist with such plays as Dangerous Corner (1932), Time and the Conways (1937), When We Are Married (1938) and An Inspector Calls (1947).

In November 1938, When We Are Married became the first play to be televised unedited from a theatre when the BBC relayed the complete performance between 8.30 and 10.50 pm on 16 November. [7] St. Martin's Theatre", The Times, 12 October 1938, p. 12; "Princes Theatre", The Times, 28 March 1939, p. 12; and "Theatres", The Times, 24 June 1939, p. 10 A film adaptation was released in 1943 by British National Films featuring the three male leads from the original stage production and 1938 TV adaptation in the same roles: Raymond Huntley as Albert Parker (playing the same role again later in a 1951 television adaptation [8]), Lloyd Pearson as Joseph Helliwell and Ernest Butcher as Herbert Soppitt; the cast also included Sydney Howard as Henry Ormonroyd, Olga Lindo as Maria Helliwell, Marian Spencer as Annie Parker, Ethel Coleridge as Clara Soppitt, Barry Morse as Gerald Forbes, Marjorie Rhodes as Mrs. Northrup and Lydia Sherwood as Lottie Grady. [9] A made-for-television version was also produced in 1957. [10] For the rest...music ….no I am sorry it didn’t catch my attention ...no rewatch value either….cuz the first watch also feels like rewatch ...lol a b Schmidt, Klaus M.; Schmidt, Ingrid (12 December 2016). Lexikon Literaturverfilmungen: Deutschsprachige Filme 1945 - 1990. ISBN 9783476035929.This comedy is one of those delightful Who's Who of British Theatre productions that doesn't put a foot wrong. Written in 1938 by one of Britains best playwrights, JB Priestly, it is set in Northern England, 1908, where the theme of the story would indeed have made the participants social pariahs and bywords. Three couples are celebrating their combined 25th wedding anniversaries when they receive news of such calamity, such misfortune, such...well I shan't spoil the surprise, just try and watch it if you can. The story centres around solving what seems at first to be unsolvable. This is the premise of JB Priestley’s classic comedy When We Are Married in the more than capable hands of Barrie Rutter and Northern Broadsides. the villain here or 2nd female lead ~ doesn't gives a damn about her own life, has no self respect & just wants ML anyhow so she keeps pestering him even after he rejects her with insults… she is evil af… I wanted to shout at her. "Girl, wake up. He is married. He jumps around with his wife, praising her & what not. So please open your eyes. Move on. You are pretty, rich & talented. You deserve better." Oh! but she wants to be villain after all… When We Are Married is a domestic comedy set in 1908, in a house belonging to a dull, seen-better-days couple, Alderman Joseph Helliwell and his wife Maria (Mark Stratton and Geraldine Fitzgerald). They’ve got two other rather dull married couples joining them: the Soppitts (Steve Huison and Kate Anthony) and the Parkers (Adrian Hood and Sue Devaney). They’re all celebrating their joint wedding anniversary of 25 years, but all isn’t well when a young man named Gerald (Luke Adamson) pops into the house and tells them that their marriages were never authorised. Female lead was taking advantage of SML till the end… like Girl he confessed to you already yet you keep talking to him as if nothing happened and even accepting extra helps from him…