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The Voice of the Turtle
The Voice of the Turtle
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Author: John Van Druten Publisher: Dramatists Play Service (cover may change) Format: Softcover # of Pages: 165 Pub. Date: 1944 Edition: Acting ISBN-10: 0822212137 ISBN-13: 9780822212133 Cast Size: 2 female, 1 male
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About
the Play:
The Voice of the Turtle has long been a favourite of acting teachers for
Female Monologues and Female/Male Scenes.
The Voice of the Turtle is a full-length romantic comedy by John
Van Druten. A young actress is forced to entertain a soldier for
the evening when her friend, who was supposed to do so, cancels. The Voice of the Turtle is a
classic of modern, sophisticated comedy that centers largely upon a
most attractive and charming young man and an equally attractive
young woman who, by gradual stages, fall in love with each other.
The Voice of the Turtle is about single
life and sexual yearning in wartime Manhattan. A serviceman on leave
finds himself without a date or a place to stay, only to accidentally
arrive at the apartment of a wide-eyed young actress, Sally
Middleton, who has sworn off love since an affair with a married
producer went south. That is, until her promiscuous best friend Olive
leaves her alone with the courtly Sergeant Bill Page, whom Olive has
stood up for a better prospect. With no plans and no hotel rooms to
be found, Bill ends up camping on Sally's sofa and taking her to
dinner as recompense. The passion of the moment leads to a sexual
encounter and love blooms. Though gentle and sensitive by today's
standards, John Van Druten's play was considered daring in its
day for its treatment of love and sex. Sally and Olive openly talk of
sexual affairs, and Sally and Bill spends the night together after
knowing each other less than 48 hours, with seeming nice girl Sally
saying "There's a beast in me, too!" just before the lights
go out.
The Voice of the Turtle premiered in 1943 on Broadway at
the Morosco Theatre and played for more than four years (more than
1,500 performances), the ninth-longest running play in Broadway
history. The play has
become a favourite scene study vehicle in acting classes and
workshops and has
been
performed in regional, college, and community theatre
productions.
Cast: 2 female, 1 male
What people say:
"A heartwarming, feel-good
play about life and love in a simpler ... John Van Druten's
The Voice of the Turtle ... is a 1943 romantic
comedy set in wartime Manhattan that reminds us how sweet it can be
to live in the moment and to grab the brass ring when it comes our
way." — BroadwayWorld
"The Voice of the Turtle
unfolds as a lovely antidote to cynicism. The World War II-era drama
by John Van Druten ... could play like an old-fashioned museum piece.
But ...the years have not dimmed The
Voice of the Turtle, or dampened the hope
implicit in its sincere approach to romance." — The
Boston Globe
"The Voice of the Turtle,
a gentle romantic comedy by John Van Druten, is
a souvenir from an earlier age of American theater ... The play
itself holds up well, nearly 70 years after its first production. Van
Druten's take on sexual freedom and gender roles must have seemed
daring at the time and remains relevant as it questions the double
standard for men and women. At its heart, though, what is timeless
about The Voice of the Turtle is the notion that
love, commitment and stability offer the best hope for happiness in
an often cold and cruel world." — Lowell Sun
About the Playwright:
John Van Druten
(1901-1957) was an English playwright and theatre director who, after
being educated as a solicitor, found much success writing for the
London theatre in the 1920s and '30s. He relocated to the United
States in 1940, and became a naturalized American citizen in 1944. He
was known for his primarily light comedies about witty and urbane
observations of contemporary life and society.
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