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Charley's Aunt
Charley's Aunt
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Author: Brandon Thomas Publisher: Samuel French Format: Softcover # of Pages: 156 Pub. Date: 1962 ISBN-10: 0573606927 ISBN-13: 9780573606922 Cast Size: 4 women, 6 men
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About the Play:
Charley's Aunt is a full-length farce by Brandon Thomas.
Oxford students Jack and Charley can't court their sweethearts
without a chaperone. Charley anticipates his aunt from Brazil will
act as chaperone while he and classmate Jack entertain their
sweethearts. But what to do when auntie's arrival is delayed? Why,
ask a rugby-playing friend to dress up and fill the role, of course!
With its mix of slapstick, wit, a bad wig, and some lipstick,
Charley's Aunt is still a laugh-out-loud classic!
Particularly
suitable for schools and play contests.
Charley's Aunt
is the hilarious events that arise when two students, Jack and
Charles, use the excuse of the imminent visit of Charley's aunt Donna
Lucia to invite their young ladies to their rooms. From
Mrs. Doubtfire to Tootsie to Uncle Miltie, there's nothing more
hilarious than a man in a dress! Jack Chesney loves Kitty Verdun and
Charley Wickham loves Miss Amy Spettigue. They invite the ladies to
meet Charley's wealthy aunt from Brazil, "where the nuts come
from". Cancelling her visit at the last minute, the millionaire
aunt sends the boys into cataclysmic confusion. What do they do now?
The problem is solved by drafting their feckless Oxford undergrad pal
into a black satin skirt, bloomers and wig. As "Charley's Aunt",
this charming frump is introduced to the ladies, to Jack's father and
to Stephen Spettigue, Amy's guardian. When the real aunt turns up,
classic comic confusion ensues as Fancourt Babberley, posing as
"Charley's Aunt", tricks Spettigue into agreeing to the
marriage of his ward, the real aunt marries Jack's father, Jack gets
Miss Verdun, and Fanny Babs regains the fortune he lost at gambling
as well as the girl he loves.
Charley's Aunt was first produced in 1892 at the Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds. It was a huge success and transferred to at the Royalty
Theatre in London and then to the Globe (now the Gielgud Theatre) in 1893, achieving the record-breaking run of four years. It premiered on Broadway in 1894 the Standard Theatre. Widely considered one of the most sensational comedies of all
time, the play has long been performed in regional
repertory, high school, college, and community theatre productions.
Cast: 4 women, 6 men
What people say:
"There's plenty of life in the
nonagenarian Charley's Aunt.
Brandon Thomas's farce, which had its premiere
in London on Dec. 21, 1892, was reportedly the most popular play
among amateur theatrical groups some 60 years later, having been
translated into more than a score of languages." — New
York Times
"When British playwright
Brandon Thomas penned this lighthearted romp in 1892, he could have
no idea this sojourn through the romantic mis-adventures of three
upper crust Oxford chums would still be actively produced worldwide
more than a hundred years later, or that, over the years, it would
boost the careers of such Hollywood stalwarts as Jack Benny, Ray
Bolger, Jose Ferrer and Rene Auberjonois." — Variety
"Charley's Aunt
is to Brandon Thomas what Louie Louie was to the
Kingsmen. Thomas had only one enduring hit – but brother, what a
hit it was. At its peak, Charley's Aunt (1892)
ran simultaneously y in 48 theatres in 22 languages, including
Esperanto and Zulu. Today, it's still a popular chestnut. Charley's
Aunt is regularly staged worldwide." —
Times-Colonist
(Victoria, B.C.)
About the Playwright:
Walter Brandon Thomas (1850 to 1914) was an English actor,
playwright and song writer. He is best known for writing the comic
play Charley's Aunt, which broke all historic records for
plays of any kind, with an original London run of 1,466 performances. |
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