Separate Tables
Encyclopedia
Separate Tables is the collective name of two one-act plays written by Sir Terence Rattigan
, both taking place in the Beauregard Private Hotel, Bournemouth
, a seaside town on the south coast of England. The first play, entitled "Table by the Window", focuses on the troubled relationship between a disgraced Labour politician and his ex-wife. The second play, "Table Number Seven", is set about eighteen months after the events of the previous play, and deals with the touching friendship between a repressed spinster and a retired English army officer, Major Pollock. The secondary characters - permanent residents, the hotel's manager, and members of the staff - appear in both plays.
in London in September 1954. It was originally intended that the main roles should be played by Laurence Olivier
and Vivien Leigh
, who had scored quite a success with Rattigan's The Sleeping Prince. They asked Rattigan to postpone the production to fit in with their schedule, but the play could not wait. It opened instead with Margaret Leighton and Eric Portman
in the leading roles. They were later to take the play to Broadway
.
The play opened to good reviews and Harold Hobson
called the second play in the double-bill, "one of Rattigan's masterpieces, in which he shows in superlative degree his pathos, his humour and his astounding mastery over the English language...".
, on October 25, 1956. It was directed by Peter Glenville
, with sets by Michael Weight and lighting by Paul Morrison. The cast included May Hallatt (Miss Meacham), William Podmore (Mr. Fowler) and Phyllis Neilson-Terry (Mrs. Railton-Bell). The principal roles in both plays were portrayed by the same actors. Margaret Leighton played the glamorous Mrs. Shankland in "Table by the Window" and the dowdy, bespectacled Sibyl in "Table Number Seven". The roles of the hot-blooded politician and the ex-officer Major Pollock were portrayed by Eric Portman
.
Terence Rattigan
Sir Terence Mervyn Rattigan CBE was one of England's most popular 20th-century dramatists. His plays are generally set in an upper-middle-class background...
, both taking place in the Beauregard Private Hotel, Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
, a seaside town on the south coast of England. The first play, entitled "Table by the Window", focuses on the troubled relationship between a disgraced Labour politician and his ex-wife. The second play, "Table Number Seven", is set about eighteen months after the events of the previous play, and deals with the touching friendship between a repressed spinster and a retired English army officer, Major Pollock. The secondary characters - permanent residents, the hotel's manager, and members of the staff - appear in both plays.
London premiere
Separate Tables had its premiere at the St James's TheatreSt James's Theatre
The St James's Theatre was a 1,200-seat theatre located in King Street, at Duke Street, St James's, London. The elaborate theatre was designed with a neo-classical exterior and a Louis XIV style interior by Samuel Beazley and built by the partnership of Peto & Grissell for the tenor and theatre...
in London in September 1954. It was originally intended that the main roles should be played by Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
and Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh, Lady Olivier was an English actress. She won the Best Actress Academy Award for her portrayal of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire , a role she also played on stage in London's West End, as well as for her portrayal of the southern belle Scarlett O'Hara, alongside Clark...
, who had scored quite a success with Rattigan's The Sleeping Prince. They asked Rattigan to postpone the production to fit in with their schedule, but the play could not wait. It opened instead with Margaret Leighton and Eric Portman
Eric Portman
Eric Portman was a distinguished English stage and film actor...
in the leading roles. They were later to take the play to Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
.
The play opened to good reviews and Harold Hobson
Harold Hobson
Sir Harold Hobson was an influential English drama critic and author.He was born in Thorpe Hesley near Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England and read History at Oxford University. He was an assistant literary editor for the Sunday Times from 1944 and later became its drama critic...
called the second play in the double-bill, "one of Rattigan's masterpieces, in which he shows in superlative degree his pathos, his humour and his astounding mastery over the English language...".
Broadway premiere
Separate Tables was first presented at The Music Box, New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, on October 25, 1956. It was directed by Peter Glenville
Peter Glenville
Peter Glenville , born Peter Patrick Brabazon Browne, was an English film and stage actor and director.-Biography:...
, with sets by Michael Weight and lighting by Paul Morrison. The cast included May Hallatt (Miss Meacham), William Podmore (Mr. Fowler) and Phyllis Neilson-Terry (Mrs. Railton-Bell). The principal roles in both plays were portrayed by the same actors. Margaret Leighton played the glamorous Mrs. Shankland in "Table by the Window" and the dowdy, bespectacled Sibyl in "Table Number Seven". The roles of the hot-blooded politician and the ex-officer Major Pollock were portrayed by Eric Portman
Eric Portman
Eric Portman was a distinguished English stage and film actor...
.