Chains (play)
Encyclopedia
Chains is a play by the English playwright Elizabeth Baker
. It was first performed in April 1909 by the Play Actors Subscription Society at the Court Theatre
.
The play explores the lives of the lower middle class
who filled up the clerical posts of the office world in Edwardian England. The Wilsons are a young couple who live in the suburbs of London. Charley is a clerk in the City
, while Lily is a homemaker. In order to make ends meet, they take in lodgers. Fred Tenant, their present lodger, has decided to abandon his clerical career and emigrate to Australia
with what meagre savings he has in order to seek a new life. Charley, who finds life in England narrow and constraining, also wishes to leave. His desire is given added impetus as his company, going through difficult times, has reduced his wages. Practically everyone ridicules Fred Tenant for throwing up a 'good situation', and Charley finds himself alone in his desire to emigrate. His wife, his in-laws, his friends all oppose his wish; only his feisty sister-in-law Maggie can see what grinds him down and supports him. In the end, Fred leaves but Charley fails to do the same as his wife Lily has fallen pregnant. Charley abandons thoughts of Australia, accepts his fate with great bitterness and returns to his clerical job.
The play was Elizabeth Baker's first performed play and was performed just once at the Court Theatre. It was staged the following year at the Duke of York's Theatre
and included Sybil Thorndike
and Lewis Casson
in the cast. It was subsequently produced in Manchester
and Birmingham
.
In 2007, the Orange Tree Theatre
which specializes in rediscovering long-forgotten classics revived Chains. The cast included Justin Avoth (Charley), Amy Noble
(Lily), Ashley George (Fred) and Octavia Walters (Maggie). It was directed by Auriol Smith
. Chains played to packed houses and received praise from theatre critics for its minutely-observed realism, for its focus on a little-discussed segment of society, and also for its relationship to the concerns of its present audience.
Elizabeth Baker
Elizabeth Baker was an English playwright. She earned her living primarily as a typist, and was a spinster until the age of 39 when she married James Allaway, a widower, in June 1915. By then, she had already written several plays...
. It was first performed in April 1909 by the Play Actors Subscription Society at the Court Theatre
Court Theatre
Court Theatre or Royal Court Theatre may refer to:*Court Theatre , Chicago, Illinois*Court Theatre , a theatre company in Christchurch, New Zealand*Court Theatre of Buda, Budapest, Hungary...
.
The play explores the lives of the lower middle class
Lower middle class
In developed nations across the world, the lower middle class is a sub-division of the greater middle class. Universally the term refers to the group of middle class households or individuals who have not attained the status of the upper middle class associated with the higher realms of the middle...
who filled up the clerical posts of the office world in Edwardian England. The Wilsons are a young couple who live in the suburbs of London. Charley is a clerk in the City
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
, while Lily is a homemaker. In order to make ends meet, they take in lodgers. Fred Tenant, their present lodger, has decided to abandon his clerical career and emigrate to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
with what meagre savings he has in order to seek a new life. Charley, who finds life in England narrow and constraining, also wishes to leave. His desire is given added impetus as his company, going through difficult times, has reduced his wages. Practically everyone ridicules Fred Tenant for throwing up a 'good situation', and Charley finds himself alone in his desire to emigrate. His wife, his in-laws, his friends all oppose his wish; only his feisty sister-in-law Maggie can see what grinds him down and supports him. In the end, Fred leaves but Charley fails to do the same as his wife Lily has fallen pregnant. Charley abandons thoughts of Australia, accepts his fate with great bitterness and returns to his clerical job.
The play was Elizabeth Baker's first performed play and was performed just once at the Court Theatre. It was staged the following year at the Duke of York's Theatre
Duke of York's Theatre
The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End Theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster. It was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre, until her death in 1935. It opened on 10 September 1892 as the Trafalgar Square Theatre, with Wedding...
and included Sybil Thorndike
Sybil Thorndike
Dame Agnes Sybil Thorndike CH DBE was a British actress.-Early life:She was born in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire to Arthur Thorndike and Agnes Macdonald. Her father was a Canon of Rochester Cathedral...
and Lewis Casson
Lewis Casson
Sir Lewis Thomas Casson MC was a British actor and theatre director and the husband of Dame Sybil Thorndike.-Early life:...
in the cast. It was subsequently produced in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
.
In 2007, the Orange Tree Theatre
Orange Tree Theatre
The Orange Tree Theatre is a 172-seat theatre at 1 Clarence Street, Richmond in south west London, built specifically as a theatre in the round....
which specializes in rediscovering long-forgotten classics revived Chains. The cast included Justin Avoth (Charley), Amy Noble
Amy Noble
Amy Noble is an actress from Surbiton in Surrey.She has played Becky Martin in Holby City, and Lydia Asler in EastEnders. She also appeared Peter Kosminky's Bafta award-winning Britz on Channel 4, and in the My Family Christmas special "Ho Ho... No" in 2008...
(Lily), Ashley George (Fred) and Octavia Walters (Maggie). It was directed by Auriol Smith
Auriol Smith
Auriol Smith is an English actress and theatre director. She is a founder member and associate director of the Orange Tree Theatre. She started her career as an actor, but now divides her time between acting and directing.-Early years:...
. Chains played to packed houses and received praise from theatre critics for its minutely-observed realism, for its focus on a little-discussed segment of society, and also for its relationship to the concerns of its present audience.