The Laughing Woman
Written byGordon Daviot
Date premiered1934
Place premieredNew Theatre, London
Original languageEnglish

The Laughing Woman is a 1934 British stage play by Gordon Daviot, a nom de plume for Elisabeth MacKintosh (1896-1955) who also wrote under the name Josephine Tey. It was based on the relationship between Henri Gaudier and Sophie Brzeska.

The play debuted in London in 1934 at the New Theatre.[1][2] It had a short run on Broadway in 1936.[3][4]

Premise

According to a synopsis in The Spectator, the "play... presents a cross-section of the relations between Rene Latour and Ingrid Rydrnan. He is young, French, and a sculptor; she is older, Swedish, and a philosopher with a book to write. They come from Paris to London and live there as brother and sister in great poverty. Their incessant quarrels cannot blind — or deafen — them to the fact that they are necessary to each other. They cling together stormily. The outbreak of the War finds Rene on the threshold of fame. He returns incontinently to the France which rejected him, to die (as the Epilogue tells us) on active service and with the rank of sergeant."[5]

Australian radio adaptation

The play was adapted for Australian radio in 1939 by Max Afford, starring Peter Finch and Neva Carr Glynn.

Finch's performance was a milestone in his career.[6] A critic for Wireless Weekly stated:

Peter Finch is a great actor.... For the first time in my listening life, I was actually sorry when the play came to an end... As Rene Latour, Peter Finch is inspired. And Neva Carr-Glynn as Ingrid is not far behind... in the hands of the players it came to life — one of the most human, the most extraordinary, the most ruthless, the most delicate love stories that radio has been able to present.[7]

The play was performed again on Australian radio in 1941 with Neva Carr Glynn and Paul O'Loughlin in the leads. Wireless Weekly said "It contains some of the most effective backyard squabbles I have heard in radio drama" but felt the accents were "not so good in parts. Perhaps Neva Carr-Glyn, who played Ingrid opposite Peter Finch in the first version, was a little bored with doing it again. Perhaps Paul O'Loughlin, who played the artist Latour, was a little self-conscious."[8]

It was performed again in 1946, with Finch and Thelma Scott.[9] Reviewing the 1946 production, the Sun said "Many actors make a hash of foreign characterisations. Not so Peter Finch. His Rene Latour in 2GB's "Laughing Woman" was a gem, matched only by Thelma Scott's sensitive performance as Ingrid Rydman. Both artists breathed life into an otherwise average play."[10] Finch's performance earned him the Macquarie Award for Best Starring Male Actor of the year.[11][12]

There was another version in 1953.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "PLAYERS, PLAYS AND PICTURES". The Herald. No. 17, 769. Victoria, Australia. 28 April 1934. p. 33. Retrieved 4 January 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ↑ "London Gossip". The Age. No. 24, 679. Victoria, Australia. 19 May 1934. p. 8. Retrieved 4 January 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ↑ The Laughing Woman at IBDB
  4. ↑ The Laughing Woman at Playbill
  5. ↑ ""The Laughing Woman." By Gordon Daviot". The Spectator. 13 April 1934. p. 13.
  6. ↑ "National Broadcast Features". Huon And Derwent Times. Vol. 29, no. 2643. Tasmania, Australia. 1 June 1939. p. 5. Retrieved 4 January 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ↑ "Best and Worst of the Week "Laughing Lady" Wins Full Marks JONATHAN SAYS:", The wireless weekly: the hundred per cent Australian radio journal (Vol. 34 No. 8 (May 17, 1939)), nla.obj-724223252, retrieved 4 January 2024 – via Trove
  8. ↑ "Finch Memory", The wireless weekly: the hundred per cent Australian radio journal (Vol. 36 No. 27 (July 5, 1941)), nla.obj-721537939, retrieved 4 January 2024 – via Trove
  9. ↑ "Tonight's Plays". Truth. No. 2936. New South Wales, Australia. 28 April 1946. p. 50. Retrieved 4 January 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ↑ "radio roundup". The Sun. No. 11, 314. New South Wales, Australia. 29 April 1946. p. 2 (Late Final Extra). Retrieved 4 January 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. ↑ "Today's Information Guide". The Herald. No. 21, 802. Victoria, Australia. 7 April 1947. p. 9. Retrieved 4 January 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. ↑ "Radio Acting Awards". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 34, 099. New South Wales, Australia. 7 April 1947. p. 3. Retrieved 4 January 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  13. ↑ "The Week in Wireless – Pleasure of Listening to Wagner and Grieg". The Age. No. 30, 770. Victoria, Australia. 12 December 1953. p. 16. Retrieved 4 January 2024 – via National Library of Australia.


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