The Royal Family (play)

The Royal Family
First edition (1928)
Written by	George S. Kaufman Edna Ferber
Date premiered	28 December 1927
Place premiered	Selwyn Theatre New York City
Original language	English
Genre	Comedy
Setting	a New York City duplex apartment in 1927

The Royal Family is a play written by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber. Its premiere on Broadway was at the Selwyn Theatre on 28 December 1927, where it ran for 345 performances to close in October 1928. It was included in Burns Mantle's The Best Plays of 1927–1928.

Plot summary

Characters

• Fanny Cavendish – Cavendish Family Matriarch
• Julie Cavendish – Fanny's daughter
• Tony Cavendish – Fanny's son
• Gwen Cavendish – Fanny's granddaughter
• Herbert Dean – Fanny's brother
• Kitty Dean – Fanny's sister-in-law
• Oscar Wolfe – Cavendish Family's Long-time Agent
• Gilbert Marshall – Julie's Love Interest
• Perry Stewart – Gwen's Fiancee

The story is a parody of the Barrymore family of actors, with particular aim taken at John Barrymore and Ethel Barrymore. The character Tony Cavendish, a heavy-drinking womanizer, represents John Barrymore. Julie Cavendish is the prima donna Broadway star Ethel Barrymore. Ethel Barrymore was offended and her critical comments were quoted by the press; however John Barrymore saw the production in Los Angeles and was amused, and congratulated Fredric March on his performance as Tony Cavendish. (Otto Kruger had played the role on Broadway.)

Productions

The 1977 Great Performances presentation of the 1975 Broadway revival starring Rosemary Harris was released on DVD

• In England, Noël Coward directed the West End version of the play in 1934, with a cast that included Laurence Olivier as Tony.
• Before moving to Broadway, the play had successful out-of-town try-outs in Newark and Atlantic City.
• The Royal Family opened one day after the revolutionary musical Show Boat, based on Ferber's novel of the same title.
• Edna Ferber herself acted in The Royal Family at the Maplewood Theater in 1940, in a production staged by Cheryl Crawford
• A revival of the comedy was one of the highlights of the 1975–76 season on Broadway. Directed by Ellis Rabb, it starred Rosemary Harris as Julie Cavendish, George Grizzard as Tony, and Eva Le Gallienne as the theatrical matriarch, Fanny. Rabb received the 1976 Tony Award for best director. The production was telecast on the PBS series Great Performances on November 9, 1977,^[1] with Rabb replacing Grizzard as Tony. This version was released on DVD.
• The play was revived as part of Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre's 2001–02 season with Amy Morton and Rondi Reed in the cast.
• Another revival ran from September to December 2009 at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. It starred Rosemary Harris as Fanny, Jan Maxwell as Julie Cavendish, and Ana Gasteyer as Kitty Dean.
• In 2001, Emily Blunt made her debut opposite Judi Dench in Sir Peter Hall's production of the play.

Adaptations

The play was adapted in 1930 by Herman Mankiewicz for the film The Royal Family of Broadway released by Paramount Pictures. The film was directed by George Cukor and Cyril Gardner and stars Ina Claire and Fredric March. Several live television adaptions were produced, including one in 1952, a BBC film for television, starring Morton Lowry as Tony Cavendish and Charmion King as Julia, renamed as 'Theatre Royal'^[2] and one in 1954, with Fredric March reprising his role as Tony, Helen Hayes as Fanny, and Claudette Colbert as Julie.

Awards and nominations

Awards

• 1975 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play
• 2010 Nominated for Best Revival of a Play

References

1. "Television This Week: Of Special Interest". The New York Times. November 6, 1977. Retrieved 2016-09-23.
2. http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/558845

Further reading

• Kaufman, George S.; Ferber, Edna (1928). The Royal Family; A Comedy in Three Acts (First ed.). Garden City, New York: Doubleday, Doran & Company, Inc. OCLC 1490010.

External links

• The Royal Family at the Internet Broadway Database
• The Royal Family (1977 revival) at the Internet Broadway Database
• The Royal Family (2009 revival) at the Internet Broadway Database
• 1945 Theatre Guild on the Air radio adaptation at Internet Archive