Mrs Pretty and the Premier was a 1914 Australian play by Arthur Adams.[1]
| Mrs Pretty and the Premier | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Arthur Henry Adams |
| Date premiered | September 26, 1914 |
| Place premiered | Athenaeum Hall, Melbourne |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | political comedy |
| Setting | The premier's office |
The play was published in 1914 before its initial production.[2]
The play was produced in the West End in London in 1915, when that was extremely rare for Australian plays.[3]
Leslie Rees called it "a saucy and spry play that one could enjoy seeing on a stage today, especially when making the most of the charm of Edwardian dress and atmosphere. It is quite the best of Adams's efforts for the theatre, the equal of light comedies of the day produced in the major oversea centres, though unhappily lacking that final touch of style which results from a writer’s deeper belief in his own character creations and the themes that they exemplify."[4]
Premise
editThe Premier's first secretary is in love with the Premier, William Power.
Radio adaptation
editIt was adapted for Australian radio by Edmund Barclay in 1951[5] and 1955 (a production directed by Raymond Menmuir).[6]
References
edit- ^ B. G. Andrews and Ann-Mari Jordens, 'Adams, Arthur Henry (1872–1936)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/adams-arthur-henry-4969/text8247, published first in hardcopy 1979, accessed online 16 September 2023.
- ^ "June", The Bulletin, 35 (1796), Sydney, N.S.W: John Haynes and J.F. Archibald, 16 Jul 1914, retrieved 16 September 2023 – via Trove
- ^ ""MRS. PRETTY AND THE PREMIER."". The Maitland Daily Mercury. No. 13, 954. New South Wales, Australia. 8 December 1915. p. 6. Retrieved 16 September 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Rees, Leslie (1953). Towards An Australian Drama. p. 67.
- ^ "Radio Plays for Next Week A.B.C.", ABC Weekly, 13 (8), Sydney, 24 February 1951, retrieved 16 September 2023 – via Trove
- ^ "Radio Plays for Next Week A.B.C.", ABC Weekly, 17 (20), Sydney, 14 May 1955, retrieved 16 September 2023 – via Trove
External links
edit- Mrs Pretty and the Premier at Ausstage
- Adams, Arthur Henry (1914). Three plays for the Australian stage.
- Complete recording of play
- 1951 radio version at AustLit