Point Valaine
Point Valaine is a play by Noël Coward. It was written as a vehicle for Alfred Lunt and his wife Lynn Fontanne, who starred together in the original Broadway production in 1934. The play was not seen in Britain until 1944 and was not staged in London until 1947.
The play is a story of sexual intrigue, jealousy and suicide in the West Indies. Its striking departure from Coward's familiar high society comedy did not appeal to audiences, and despite the box-office appeal of the Lunts it ran for only 55 performances on Broadway and did no better in Britain with other performers.
Background and first productions
Coward had been a close friend of the husband-and-wife stars, Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne since they met in 1921, and the three had appeared together in Coward's Design for Living, which broke box-office records on Broadway in 1932. Two years later, the Lunts wanted a new play from Coward, but were dismayed at what he wrote for them. He said he was honestly attempting to break new ground "by creating a group of characters and establishing an atmosphere as far removed as possible from anything I have done before".[1] The usual Coward witticisms were eschewed and the dialogue was littered with strong language. Fontanne was certain the public would not like the sordid plot and predicted the play would run no longer than six weeks. Coward dismissed her doubts, but they were justified. The first night audience received the play unenthusiastically. The Lunts were idolised, and the public did not take to seeing them play flawed and sordid characters. Coward's biographer Philip Hoare writes that Point Valaine was the only failure of the Lunts' joint career.[2]
After a try-out in Boston in late December 1934, the play opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in New York on 16 January 1935. Despite a highly favourable review in The New York Times by the influential critic Brooks Atkinson (see below), the play closed after 55 performances.[3]
The first British performances were given by the
The first London production was at the Embassy Theatre, opening on 3 September 1947 and running for 37 performances. Mary Ellis was again Linda, with Ben-Astar as Stefan and Allan Cuthbertson as Martin.[4]
Roles and original casts
Boston and New York 1934–35 |
London 1947 | |
---|---|---|
Mrs Tillett | Grayce Hampton | Marjorie Hellier |
Major Tillett | Fred Leslie | Charles Cameron |
Mrs Birling | Lilian Tonge | Doris Rogers |
Elise Birling | Phyllis Connard | Audrey Fildes |
Mortimer Quinn | Osgood Perkins | Anthony Ireland |
Stefan | Alfred Lunt | Ben-Astar |
Lola | Ruth Boyd | Pauline Henriques |
May | Alberta Perkins | Louise Toummavoh |
George Fox | Broderick Crawford | Basil Appleby |
Ted Burchell | Philip Tonge | Neville Mapp |
Linda Valaine | Lynn Fontanne | Mary Ellis |
Mrs Hall-Fenton | Gladys Henson | Isobel Olunead |
Gladys | Phyllis Harding | Pat Smylie |
Phyllls | Margaret Curtis | Prudence Hyman |
Sylvia | Valerie Cossart | Alexis Milne |
Hilda James | Everley Gregg | Ambrosine Phillpotts |
Martin Welford | Louis Hayward | Allan Cuthbertson |
Synopsis
The play is set in the Point Valaine hotel on a small island in the
Among new arrivals at the hotel is Martin Welford, a gallant young airman, recuperating from crashing and getting lost in the jungle. He falls in love with Linda, who tells him she is too old for him, but eventually falls into his arms. Stefan discovers the affair and makes his jealousy and his relationship with Linda very plain to Martin, who is appalled. Linda realises that Martin will never speak to her again, and angrily renounces Stefan. She tells him she has never loved him and will never forgive him: "Go away and die!". Unseen by Linda he jumps from the balcony into the sea.[5]
The next morning the disillusioned Martin is comforted by Quinn, who has guessed about the sexual triangle. He tells the young man that when he is older he will be able to look back with detachment and feel sorry for Linda. The assembled guests are interrupted at their breakfasts by the shrieking of the hotel's maid outside. Quinn goes to investigate, and returns to report that Stefan has been found drowned. Linda "in a harsh, cold voice" speaks Stefan's epitaph: "I must see about engaging a new head waiter".[5]
Critical reception
Brooks Atkinson remarked on the "sense of impending horror" Coward conjured up; "Mr Coward knows to drain ugliness and violence out of the tropical atmosphere." He found Stefan's suicide, "the climax of a vague, mounting fever in the detached life of Point Valaine and Mr Coward is ingenious enough to capture the fullness of the evil". Atkinson also praised the stars highly, and suggested that the impact of the play owed much to their performances.
When the play was staged in London in 1947,
When the play was revived at the
In Hoare's view, the play is "an unsatisfactory piece which fails to explore the questions it raises". He finds a debt to
Revivals
The play was staged at the
References and sources
References
- ^ Hoare, p. 263
- ^ a b Hoare, p. 264
- ^ Mander and Mitchenson, pp. 190 and 194–195
- ^ a b Mander and Mitchenson, p. 190
- ^ a b c Mander and Mitchenson, pp. 191–194
- ^ Review, The New York Times, 17 January 1935, quoted in Mander and Mitchenson, pp. 194–195
- ^ Hammond, Percy. "Point Valaine", Oakland Tribune, 27 January 1935, p. 69
- ^ Mantle, Burns. "Point Valaine", The Chicago Tribune, 27 January 1937, p. 67
- ^ "Point Valaine", The Times, 29 January 1935, p. 10
- ^ Hope-Wallace, Philip. "Point Valaine", The Manchester Guardian, 5 September 1947, p. 4
- ^ "Embassy Theatre", The Times, 4 September 1947, p. 7
- ^ a b De Jongh, Nicholas. "Coward's brush with danger", The Guardian, 7 June 1991, p. 36
- ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 195
- ^ Portman, Jamie. "Raw emotions: Coward wit absent in Point Valaine", The Record, 10 August 1992, p. D12
Sources
- Hoare, Philip (1995). Noël Coward, A Biography. London: Sinclair-Stevenson. ISBN 978-1-4081-0675-4.
- Mander, Raymond; Joe Mitchenson (1957). Theatrical Companion to Coward. London: Rockliff. OCLC 470106222.