The House by the Lake is a 1956 British stage thriller in three acts, by Hugh Mills.[1] The main characters are Maurice and Stella, a brother and sister who plot to murder their unlikeable brother, Colin.[2] The other characters include Maurice's wife, Janet, Colin's long-suffering wife, Iris, and Colonel Forbes, a neighbour.[3]
| The House by the Lake | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Written by | Hugh Mills |
| Date premiered | 30 April 1956 |
| Place premiered | Prince of Wales Theatre, Cardiff |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Thriller |
| Setting | Country house outside London, present day |
It premiered at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Cardiff[4] before transferring to London's West End, where it ran for two years, starring Flora Robson and Andrew Cruickshank;[5][6] and has since become a staple of amateur dramatics.[7]
Original production
editThe play, directed by John Fernald, opened at the Duke of York's Theatre on 9 May 1956, with the following cast:
- Brenda - Doreen Morton
- Colin - Paul Lee
- Colonel Forbes - Andrew Laurence
- Colonel Forbes - Frank Royde
- Iris - Sylvia Coleridge
- Janet Holt - Flora Robson
- Maurice Holt - Andrew Cruickshank
- Mr Howard - Alan McNaughtan
- Mr. Howard - Richard Warner
- Nurse Thomson - Annette Kerr
- Stella - Jenny Laird
The production was designed by Fanny Taylor.
References
edit- ^ Hesse, Beatrix (2 August 2015). The English Crime Play in the Twentieth Century. Springer. ISBN 9781137463043 – via Google Books.
- ^ Lawson, Mark (31 March 2006). "Mark Lawson on Look Back in Anger". the Guardian.
- ^ "doollee.com - the playwrights database of modern plays". www.doollee.com.
- ^ Wearing p.430
- ^ "Production of The House by The Lake - Theatricalia". theatricalia.com.
- ^ "Google Groups". groups.google.com.
- ^ "Auditions: The House by the Lake, A thriller by Hugh Mills". Eventfinda.
Bibliography
edit- Wearing, J.P. The London Stage 1950–1959: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel. Rowman & Littlefield, 2014.
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