Humble Boy
Encyclopedia
Humble Boy is a 2001 English play by Charlotte Jones
. The play was presented in association with Matthew Byam Shaw and Anna Mackmin, and was first performed on the Cottesloe stage of the Royal National Theatre on August 9, 2001. [1]
. In fact there is nothing original about the play or its theme. “Charlotte Jones
knows her Stoppard, her Hamlet
, her Ayckbourn, and among other things perhaps the fourth book of Vergil's "Georgics" on the subject of Aristaeus
's bees.” [2]
Charlotte Jones
draws upon techniques of Tom Stoppard
in applying multiple layers of what seems to be random events, people, movement, and philosophies. Jones, “offers a play with inklings of the aforementioned Hamlet, bees, horticulture, theoretical physics (specifically, super string theory), anosmeia, swing music, and the elusiveness as well as the playfulness of language.” [3]
Thoughts of playwright Alan Ayckbourn
are also apparent in Jones’ work. “Set entirely outdoors in the Humbles' garden (Ayckbourn territory), we witness the Humbles' domestic struggle (definitely Ayckbourn here), Felix's confrontation with his past, and his own mental difficulties in maintaining his familial and professional responsibilities.” [4]
Throughout the summer the distance between Flora and Felix grows. Flora sends her friend Mercy to befriend Felix and relay information back. Felix can see right through his mother’s devious agenda and finds that the gardener Jim, who is ignored by everyone, is the only one he can confide in.
Felix reunites with an ex-girlfriend, Rosie Pye daughter of George Pye. She claims to have changed her life after breaking up with Felix and became a nurse and a single mother. Rosie tries to ease Felix’s tension by fornication only to be interrupted by Flora and George coming home. Rosie reveals to Felix that they have been having an affair for a long time even when James was alive. She also tells Felix before she leaves that he is the father of her daughter Felicity.
Felix now becomes very distraught and even suicidal. A confrontation occurs at a garden dinner party where Flora plans to officially announce her wedding with George. After a period of emotional outbursts which ends with Mercy leaving after being harassed by Flora, a moment of revelation occurs as Felix reminds Flora of the intelligence and devotion of James to his unfaithful wife. Flora cancels her wedding and sends George off. As Felix and Flora have a moment of forgiveness in the garden, Flora finally gives notice to the gardener Jim, which turns out to be the spirit of James Humble.
triangle. The “Freytag Pyramid” depicts key points that produce a “well-made” play as follows: 1. In the beginning there is a State of Equilibrium which acts as an introduction to the characters and plot 2. The Inciting Incident that disturbs balance in the world of the characters 3. A central struggle or MDQ is arisen that the main character (usually the protagonist) must confront 4. Rising action occurs as obstacles set back the main characters goal 5. The Climax or final obstacle points the play into a new direction 6. A Resolution is confronted and characters must adjust 7. A New State of Equilibrium is attained and differs from the beginning. [5]
In reference to Humble Boy, the Freytag
Pyramid may be analyzed as follows:
Flora Humble – Beautiful and self-centered, Flora is the mother of Felix and her need for absolute power attributes to problems in relationships with the people around her.
George Pye – Confident, well-built, modern, and big band music savvy. George is the complete opposite of James Humble, the deceased father of Felix. He plans to marry Flora.
Rosie Pye – Daughter of George and former girlfriend of Felix. She is a nurse and also has a 7 year old daughter that she believes to be Felix’s.
Jim – The gardener of the estate, he is an old man in his 60s. He is virtually ignored by everyone in the play until the end. He is the only source in which Felix can truly
confide in.
Mercy Lott – Friend (although seemingly a slave) of Flora, she is kind but doesn’t seem to be all there. She has a secret crush on George Pye.
Felix in many regards acts as the modern day Hamlet; he has a brilliant but troubled mind, will not let go of the death of his father, and falls into depression and even contemplates suicide. His work involves finding the “mother” of all theories to “unite” all aspects of physics which “runs parallel to his inability to comprehend the union of opposites that was his parents’ marriage.” [6]
Flora is the strong-willed and obvious leader of the Humble family. Jones runs a parallel of the hierarchy of bees in respect to Flora’s position as the household power. Flora acts as a queen bee that is surrounded by servants willing only to please her.
As David Rush explains, “Characters often have different jobs to do. This is their functional aspect.” [7] These functions and the characters to which they relate to in Humble Boy are as follows:
The Protagonist
/ Felix Humble – The individual whom the play is about and the character that drives the action.
The Antagonist
/ Flora Humble – The person that stands in the way of the protagonist achieving his goal.
The Confidant
/ Jim – The character whom the protagonist confides in.
The Foil (literature)
/ George – Characters who compare and contrast to others to illuminate the personality of others.
The Raisonner / Jim – The character who delivers the “idea” of the play, acts as the spokesperson for the author.
The Utilitarian / Rosie – A character whose sole purpose is to move the plot forward.
The Comic Relief
/ Mercy – Characters who serve no real purpose in advancing the plot however bring a sense of comedy into the play.
Reversed Social Hierarchy - The stereotype of the social structure in which “men” are the leaders and hold the most power is reversed. Flora acts as the head of the Humble estate and everyone else are more or less her pawns. This idea runs parallel with the social construction of a bee colony in which the queen bee is the most powerful.
Humility – The surname which the main characters in the play are given, spark the on-going debate between classical and the Christian view of humility. The last name Humble, relates the Christian view that humility and self-sacrifice are primary virtues of a well lived life. As opposed to the classical Aristotle view that the humble man’s lack of appropriate self-respect makes him just as foolish as the vain man. [8]
explains as any place where a character runs off to and experiences a change. In our case Felix leaves his “real” world at Cambridge knowing in the back of his mind the distraught relationship between him and his mother and goes to the “green world” otherwise their home and that relationship is repaired. Also a moment of cognitio occurs where the characters are enlightened with a moment of insight. [9]
Peter Brook
and his thoughts on Deadly Theater truly encapsulate Humble Boy. He describes Deadly Theater as the theater that is repetitious, unoriginal, well acted which creates a “boring” piece of work. As the play Humble Boy so closely resembles that of William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Brook says, “Of course nowhere does the Deadly Theater install itself so securely, so comfortably and so slyly as in the works of William Shakespeare
. We see his plays done by good actors in what seems the proper way… yet secretly we find it excruciatingly boring.” [10]
studied English at Balliol College, Oxford University, before training to become and actress. She worked for six years in theater and television and supported herself by working as a waitress. Her urge to write plays didn’t come about by a lifelong ambition; rather she was inspired to do so because up until then her career was that of a frustrated actor desperate for work. [11] Her first play, Airswimming
, debuted at Battersea Arts Centre
in 1998. She then proceeded to write In Flame
and Martha, Josie and the Chinese Elvis before writing Humble Boy.
in 2001, directed by John Caird
, with the leads played by Simon Russell Beale
and Diana Rigg
, and also featuring Cathryn Bradshaw
, Denis Quilley
, Marcia Warren
and William Gaunt
. This production won the 2001 Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best New Play and two 2001 Olivier Awards (for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
, for Marcia Warren; and Best Set Designer
for Tim Hatley
).
It has since also been produced at the Tarragon Theatre
, the Vancouver Playhouse
, the Theatre Calgary
, the Citadel Theatre
and the Manitoba Theatre Centre
Oxford Theatre Guild will be presenting their new production of the play at Oxford Playhouse from Tuesday 5th to Saturday 9th April 2011. It will be directed by Simon Tavener and features Phillip Cotterill (Felix), Cathy Oakes (Flora), Alex Reid (Rosie), Joanna Matthews (Mercy) and Andrew Whiffin (Jim).
[2] Grayling, A.C. "Humble Boy." Online Review London. 2002. The Times Literary Supplement. 2 Mar. 2009
[3] Theatre Journal, Vol. 54, No. 3 (Oct., 2002), pp. 483
[4] Theatre Journal, Vol. 54, No. 3 (Oct., 2002), pp. 484
[5] Rush, David. "A Student Guide to Play Analysis." Southern Illinois Printing Press, 2005. Carbondale, IL. p38-39.
[6] James, Deborah. Humble Boy. Vancouver: National Arts Centre, 2005. p. 7
[7] Rush, David. "A Student Guide to Play Analysis." Southern Illinois Printing Press, 2005. Carbondale, IL. P68-78
[8] James, Deborah. Humble Boy. Vancouver: National Arts Centre, 2005. p. 4
[9] Rush, David. "A Student Guide to Play Analysis." Southern Illinois Printing Press, 2005. Carbondale, IL. P113-138
[10] Brook, Peter. The Empty Space. New York: Touchstone, 1996. p. 9-10
[11] Jones, Charlotte. "In her own write." Interview with Chloe Fox. Telegraph. 4 Feb. 2002. 2 Mar. 2009.
[12] Jones, Charlotte. Humble Boy. Queen Square: Faber and Faber, 2001. p. 1
Charlotte Jones (writer)
Charlotte Jones is a British actress and playwright.Her first play Airswimming debuted in 1997 at the Battersea Arts Centre in London. Her other plays include In Flame, The Dark, The Lightning Play, and Humble Boy...
. The play was presented in association with Matthew Byam Shaw and Anna Mackmin, and was first performed on the Cottesloe stage of the Royal National Theatre on August 9, 2001. [1]
Background
Humble Boy is a play inspired by HamletHamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
. In fact there is nothing original about the play or its theme. “Charlotte Jones
Charlotte Jones (writer)
Charlotte Jones is a British actress and playwright.Her first play Airswimming debuted in 1997 at the Battersea Arts Centre in London. Her other plays include In Flame, The Dark, The Lightning Play, and Humble Boy...
knows her Stoppard, her Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
, her Ayckbourn, and among other things perhaps the fourth book of Vergil's "Georgics" on the subject of Aristaeus
Aristaeus
A minor god in Greek mythology, which we read largely through Athenian writers, Aristaeus or Aristaios , "ever close follower of the flocks", was the culture hero credited with the discovery of many useful arts, including bee-keeping; he was the son of Apollo and the huntress Cyrene...
's bees.” [2]
Charlotte Jones
Charlotte Jones (writer)
Charlotte Jones is a British actress and playwright.Her first play Airswimming debuted in 1997 at the Battersea Arts Centre in London. Her other plays include In Flame, The Dark, The Lightning Play, and Humble Boy...
draws upon techniques of Tom Stoppard
Tom Stoppard
Sir Tom Stoppard OM, CBE, FRSL is a British playwright, knighted in 1997. He has written prolifically for TV, radio, film and stage, finding prominence with plays such as Arcadia, The Coast of Utopia, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, Professional Foul, The Real Thing, and Rosencrantz and...
in applying multiple layers of what seems to be random events, people, movement, and philosophies. Jones, “offers a play with inklings of the aforementioned Hamlet, bees, horticulture, theoretical physics (specifically, super string theory), anosmeia, swing music, and the elusiveness as well as the playfulness of language.” [3]
Thoughts of playwright Alan Ayckbourn
Alan Ayckbourn
Sir Alan Ayckbourn CBE is a prolific English playwright. He has written and produced seventy-three full-length plays in Scarborough and London and was, between 1972 and 2009, the artistic director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, where all but four of his plays have received their...
are also apparent in Jones’ work. “Set entirely outdoors in the Humbles' garden (Ayckbourn territory), we witness the Humbles' domestic struggle (definitely Ayckbourn here), Felix's confrontation with his past, and his own mental difficulties in maintaining his familial and professional responsibilities.” [4]
Plot synopsis
Felix Humble returns to his family home in the countryside of England after receiving word of the death of his father, James Humble. Once he returns home, he discovers that his mother, Flora Humble, has gotten rid of all of her husband’s belongings including the bees which he kept. The reunion of mother and son was not as pleasant as one would imagine, old animosity is sparked between the two as Flora blames Felix for embarrassing her at James’s funeral by running away when it was Felix’s turn for eulogy. On top of that Felix discovers that Flora intends to marry a man named George Pye, the complete opposite of the intellectual and passionate James.Throughout the summer the distance between Flora and Felix grows. Flora sends her friend Mercy to befriend Felix and relay information back. Felix can see right through his mother’s devious agenda and finds that the gardener Jim, who is ignored by everyone, is the only one he can confide in.
Felix reunites with an ex-girlfriend, Rosie Pye daughter of George Pye. She claims to have changed her life after breaking up with Felix and became a nurse and a single mother. Rosie tries to ease Felix’s tension by fornication only to be interrupted by Flora and George coming home. Rosie reveals to Felix that they have been having an affair for a long time even when James was alive. She also tells Felix before she leaves that he is the father of her daughter Felicity.
Felix now becomes very distraught and even suicidal. A confrontation occurs at a garden dinner party where Flora plans to officially announce her wedding with George. After a period of emotional outbursts which ends with Mercy leaving after being harassed by Flora, a moment of revelation occurs as Felix reminds Flora of the intelligence and devotion of James to his unfaithful wife. Flora cancels her wedding and sends George off. As Felix and Flora have a moment of forgiveness in the garden, Flora finally gives notice to the gardener Jim, which turns out to be the spirit of James Humble.
Plot analysis
Humble boy follows a linear arrangement and can be looked at in terms of the Gustav FreytagGustav Freytag
Gustav Freytag was a German novelist and playwright.-Life:Freytag was born in Kreuzburg in Silesia...
triangle. The “Freytag Pyramid” depicts key points that produce a “well-made” play as follows: 1. In the beginning there is a State of Equilibrium which acts as an introduction to the characters and plot 2. The Inciting Incident that disturbs balance in the world of the characters 3. A central struggle or MDQ is arisen that the main character (usually the protagonist) must confront 4. Rising action occurs as obstacles set back the main characters goal 5. The Climax or final obstacle points the play into a new direction 6. A Resolution is confronted and characters must adjust 7. A New State of Equilibrium is attained and differs from the beginning. [5]
In reference to Humble Boy, the Freytag
Freytag
People with the surname Freytag include:* Arny Freytag, American photographer* Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Freytag , German philologist* Gustav Freytag , German dramatist**Freytag's pyramid...
Pyramid may be analyzed as follows:
- State of Equilibrium – Felix returns home after receiving word of the death of his father.
- Inciting Incident – Felix finds out that his mother Flora is to be married to George.
- Point of Attack of the MDQ (Major Dramatic Question) – Can Felix fight off his deep dark emotions and suicidal thoughts to restore the “Humble” family?
- Rising Action – Felix discovers that he has a daughter his mother kept secret from him and that she has also been having an affair with George for years.
- ClimaxClimax (narrative)The Climax is the point in the story where the main character's point of view changes, or the most exciting/action filled part of the story. It also known has the main turning point in the story...
– Confrontation at the dinner party leads to emotional outbursts and the revealing of hidden truths. - Resolution – Felix is able to remind his mother of the devotion of her late husband James and she calls off the wedding.
- New State of Equilibrium – Jim the gardener turns out to be the spirit of James Humble and old love is rediscovered with Flora. Felix returns to Cambridge.
Character guide
Felix Humble – A mid-30s theoretical astrophysicist from Cambridge. He is our main character and most noticeable is his stutter caused by his nervousness.Flora Humble – Beautiful and self-centered, Flora is the mother of Felix and her need for absolute power attributes to problems in relationships with the people around her.
George Pye – Confident, well-built, modern, and big band music savvy. George is the complete opposite of James Humble, the deceased father of Felix. He plans to marry Flora.
Rosie Pye – Daughter of George and former girlfriend of Felix. She is a nurse and also has a 7 year old daughter that she believes to be Felix’s.
Jim – The gardener of the estate, he is an old man in his 60s. He is virtually ignored by everyone in the play until the end. He is the only source in which Felix can truly
confide in.
Mercy Lott – Friend (although seemingly a slave) of Flora, she is kind but doesn’t seem to be all there. She has a secret crush on George Pye.
Character analysis
The over-arching theme in Humble Boy is the relationship between mother and son, therefore Felix and Flora will be analyzed:Felix in many regards acts as the modern day Hamlet; he has a brilliant but troubled mind, will not let go of the death of his father, and falls into depression and even contemplates suicide. His work involves finding the “mother” of all theories to “unite” all aspects of physics which “runs parallel to his inability to comprehend the union of opposites that was his parents’ marriage.” [6]
Flora is the strong-willed and obvious leader of the Humble family. Jones runs a parallel of the hierarchy of bees in respect to Flora’s position as the household power. Flora acts as a queen bee that is surrounded by servants willing only to please her.
As David Rush explains, “Characters often have different jobs to do. This is their functional aspect.” [7] These functions and the characters to which they relate to in Humble Boy are as follows:
The Protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
/ Felix Humble – The individual whom the play is about and the character that drives the action.
The Antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
/ Flora Humble – The person that stands in the way of the protagonist achieving his goal.
The Confidant
Confidant
The confidant is a character in a story that the lead character confides in and trusts. Typically, these consist of the best friend, relative, doctor or boss.- Role :...
/ Jim – The character whom the protagonist confides in.
The Foil (literature)
Foil (literature)
In fiction, a foil is a character who contrasts with another character in order to highlight particular qualities of another character....
/ George – Characters who compare and contrast to others to illuminate the personality of others.
The Raisonner / Jim – The character who delivers the “idea” of the play, acts as the spokesperson for the author.
The Utilitarian / Rosie – A character whose sole purpose is to move the plot forward.
The Comic Relief
Comic Relief
Comic Relief is an operating British charity, founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry in response to famine in Ethiopia. The highlight of Comic Relief's appeal is Red Nose Day, a biennial telethon held in March, alternating with sister project Sport Relief...
/ Mercy – Characters who serve no real purpose in advancing the plot however bring a sense of comedy into the play.
Themes
Dysfunctional Relationships – The theme of socially impaired relationships is very apparent in Humble Boy and extends in one way or another in every characters relationship to another. The obvious distance between mother and son, the ex-girlfriend who keeps her daughter’s paternity secret for seven years, the slave-friend who crushes on her best friend’s fiancé, and the resentment of his mom’s new fiancé are just a few examples of dysfunctional relationships.Reversed Social Hierarchy - The stereotype of the social structure in which “men” are the leaders and hold the most power is reversed. Flora acts as the head of the Humble estate and everyone else are more or less her pawns. This idea runs parallel with the social construction of a bee colony in which the queen bee is the most powerful.
Humility – The surname which the main characters in the play are given, spark the on-going debate between classical and the Christian view of humility. The last name Humble, relates the Christian view that humility and self-sacrifice are primary virtues of a well lived life. As opposed to the classical Aristotle view that the humble man’s lack of appropriate self-respect makes him just as foolish as the vain man. [8]
Genre
Humble Boy follows loosely to the guidelines to a classical comedy. The most apparent aspect is a visit to the “green world,” which David RushDavid Rush
David Rush is an English former footballer.He played in the 1992 FA Cup Final with Sunderland, which they lost 2–0 against Liverpool....
explains as any place where a character runs off to and experiences a change. In our case Felix leaves his “real” world at Cambridge knowing in the back of his mind the distraught relationship between him and his mother and goes to the “green world” otherwise their home and that relationship is repaired. Also a moment of cognitio occurs where the characters are enlightened with a moment of insight. [9]
Peter Brook
Peter Brook
Peter Stephen Paul Brook CH, CBE is an English theatre and film director and innovator, who has been based in France since the early 1970s.-Life:...
and his thoughts on Deadly Theater truly encapsulate Humble Boy. He describes Deadly Theater as the theater that is repetitious, unoriginal, well acted which creates a “boring” piece of work. As the play Humble Boy so closely resembles that of William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Brook says, “Of course nowhere does the Deadly Theater install itself so securely, so comfortably and so slyly as in the works of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
. We see his plays done by good actors in what seems the proper way… yet secretly we find it excruciatingly boring.” [10]
Style
The style presented in Humble Boy follows most closely to that of an expressionist piece. A specific lens or point of view is given through Felix and his inner state. The setting often finds itself inside the mind of Felix and he is considered the victim in the play. The overall objective in the play is a quest towards a state of clarity.Spectacle
Set: a pretty country garden, which may include a house or glass conservatory from which character enter into the garden. A patio area with a path through the garden. At the back there is an area for gardening tools; a chair or stool. At the end of the garden is a large beehive. An apple tree with some overhanging branches with a few apples. [12]Music
Music is mainly used in the play as transitions between acts. Jim the gardener is often found humming to a tune. Many songs are also suggested and played throughout the play. In order here is as follows:- "Flight of the Bumble Bee"
- Glenn MillerGlenn MillerAlton Glenn Miller was an American jazz musician , arranger, composer, and bandleader in the swing era. He was one of the best-selling recording artists from 1939 to 1943, leading one of the best known "Big Bands"...
's "In the MoodIn the Mood"In the Mood" is a big band era #1 hit recorded by American bandleader Glenn Miller. Joe Garland and Andy Razaf arranged "In the Mood" in 1937-1939 using a previously existing main theme composed by Glenn Miller before the start of the 1930s...
" - Glenn Miller's "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else but Me)Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else but Me)"Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree " is a popular song that was made famous by Glenn Miller and by the Andrews Sisters during World War II. Its lyrics are the words of two young lovers who pledge their fidelity while one of them is away serving in the war.Originally titled "Anywhere the Bluebird...
" - Glenn Miller's "Moonlight SerenadeMoonlight SerenadeMoonlight Serenade is an album by the American singer-songwriter Carly Simon. It is her 22nd studio album , and her fourth album of pop standards....
"
About the author
Charlotte JonesCharlotte Jones
Charlotte Jones is a fictional character, a latent mutant in the Marvel Comics Universe. Her first appearance was in X-Factor vol. 1 #51.-Fictional character biography:...
studied English at Balliol College, Oxford University, before training to become and actress. She worked for six years in theater and television and supported herself by working as a waitress. Her urge to write plays didn’t come about by a lifelong ambition; rather she was inspired to do so because up until then her career was that of a frustrated actor desperate for work. [11] Her first play, Airswimming
Airswimming
Airswimming is the first play written by Charlotte Jones. Its 1997 premiere at the Battersea Arts Centre was directed by Anna Mackmin and featured Rosie Cavaliero and Scarlett Mackmin. It is based on two women being imprisoned in a mental asylum in the 1920s for having children outside of...
, debuted at Battersea Arts Centre
Battersea Arts Centre
The Battersea Arts Centre is a performance space near Clapham Junction in Battersea, in the London Borough of Wandsworth that specialises in music and theatre productions.-History:...
in 1998. She then proceeded to write In Flame
In Flame
In Flame is a 2000 play by Charlotte Jones. Its premiere at the Bush Theatre was directed by Anna Mackmin and featured Marcia Warren, Kerry Fox, Rosie Cavaliero, Ivan Kaye, Jason Hughes and Emma Dewhurst. It is set in 1908 and 2000 and centred around two men and three women....
and Martha, Josie and the Chinese Elvis before writing Humble Boy.
Production history
It premiered at the Royal National TheatreRoyal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
in 2001, directed by John Caird
John Caird (director)
John Newport Caird is a British stage director and writer of plays, musicals and operas. He is an Honorary Associate Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, a regular director with the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain and the Principal Guest Director of the Royal Dramatic Theatre,...
, with the leads played by Simon Russell Beale
Simon Russell Beale
Simon Russell Beale, CBE is an English actor. He has been described by The Independent as "the greatest stage actor of his generation."-Early years:...
and Diana Rigg
Diana Rigg
Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg, DBE is an English actress. She is probably best known for her portrayals of Emma Peel in The Avengers and Countess Teresa di Vicenzo in the 1969 James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service....
, and also featuring Cathryn Bradshaw
Cathryn Bradshaw
Cathryn Bradshaw is an English actress, perhaps best-known for her role in Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit.-Background:Bradshaw trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in Bristol and graduated in 1987.-Career:...
, Denis Quilley
Denis Quilley
Denis Clifford Quilley OBE was an English theatre, television and film actor who was long associated with the Royal National Theatre....
, Marcia Warren
Marcia Warren
Marcia Warren is an English stage, film and television actress. On stage, she appeared in Blithe Spirit as Madame Arcati, and The Sea at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket.-Partial filmography:...
and William Gaunt
William Gaunt
William Charles Anthony Gaunt is an English actor, sometimes credited as Bill Gaunt.-Early life:...
. This production won the 2001 Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best New Play and two 2001 Olivier Awards (for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
See Olivier Awards for more information about the awards and a full list of categories and winners.The Laurence Olivier Awards are a series of awards presented annually by The Society of London Theatre. They are presented in recognition of achievements in commercial British theatre, most notably...
, for Marcia Warren; and Best Set Designer
Olivier Award for Best Set Designer
See Olivier Awards for more information about the awards and a full list of categories and winners.The Laurence Olivier Awards are a series of awards presented annually by The Society of London Theatre. They are presented in recognition of achievements in commercial British theatre, most notably...
for Tim Hatley
Tim Hatley
Tim Hatley is a British set and costume designer for theater and film. He is the winner of the Tony Award, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design, and the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Set Design.Hatley was educated at Bearwood...
).
It has since also been produced at the Tarragon Theatre
Tarragon Theatre production history
The Tarragon Theatre was founded in 1970 by Bill and Jane Glassco near Casa Loma in Toronto and remains one of the foremost venues for producing new plays in Canada...
, the Vancouver Playhouse
Vancouver Playhouse production history
The Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company is a regional theatre company, producing plays since 1962. The following is a list of the productions that have been staged since its inception, starting with the most recently completed season.-2011-2012 :...
, the Theatre Calgary
Theatre Calgary production history
Theatre Calgary is theatre company in Calgary, Canada, established as a professional company in 1968. The following is a chronological list of the productions that have been staged since its inception as Musicians and Actors Club from 1964 to 1968, and Theatre Calgary from 1968...
, the Citadel Theatre
Citadel Theatre production history
The Citadel Theatre is the major venue for theatre arts in the city of Edmonton. The following is a chronological list of the productions that have been staged since its inception.-1965-1966:*Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? - by Edward Albee...
and the Manitoba Theatre Centre
Manitoba Theatre Centre production history
Manitoba Theatre Centre is Canada's oldest English-language regional theatre. It was founded in 1958 by John Hirsch and Tom Hendry as an amalgamation of the Winnipeg Little Theatre and Theatre 77. The following is a chronological list of the productions that have been staged since its...
Oxford Theatre Guild will be presenting their new production of the play at Oxford Playhouse from Tuesday 5th to Saturday 9th April 2011. It will be directed by Simon Tavener and features Phillip Cotterill (Felix), Cathy Oakes (Flora), Alex Reid (Rosie), Joanna Matthews (Mercy) and Andrew Whiffin (Jim).
Sources
[1] Jones, Charlotte. Humble Boy. Queen Square: Faber and Faber, 2001.[2] Grayling, A.C. "Humble Boy." Online Review London. 2002. The Times Literary Supplement. 2 Mar. 2009
[3] Theatre Journal, Vol. 54, No. 3 (Oct., 2002), pp. 483
[4] Theatre Journal, Vol. 54, No. 3 (Oct., 2002), pp. 484
[5] Rush, David. "A Student Guide to Play Analysis." Southern Illinois Printing Press, 2005. Carbondale, IL. p38-39.
[6] James, Deborah. Humble Boy. Vancouver: National Arts Centre, 2005. p. 7
[7] Rush, David. "A Student Guide to Play Analysis." Southern Illinois Printing Press, 2005. Carbondale, IL. P68-78
[8] James, Deborah. Humble Boy. Vancouver: National Arts Centre, 2005. p. 4
[9] Rush, David. "A Student Guide to Play Analysis." Southern Illinois Printing Press, 2005. Carbondale, IL. P113-138
[10] Brook, Peter. The Empty Space. New York: Touchstone, 1996. p. 9-10
[11] Jones, Charlotte. "In her own write." Interview with Chloe Fox. Telegraph. 4 Feb. 2002. 2 Mar. 2009
[12] Jones, Charlotte. Humble Boy. Queen Square: Faber and Faber, 2001. p. 1