NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Charley's Aunt

Charley's Aunt is a farce in three acts written by Brandon Thomas that broke all historic records for plays of any kind, with an original London run of 1,466 performances. Image File history File links Charley_-_Brandon. ... Image File history File links Charley_-_Brandon. ... Penley in Charleys Aunt, 1892 W. S. Penley (November 18, 1851 â€“ November 11, 1912) was an English actor, singer and comedian best remembered as producer and star of the phenomenally successful 1892 Brandon Thomas farce, Charleys Aunt and as the Reverend Robert Spalding in many productions of The... Look up farce in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Brandon Thomas (December 24, 1850 - June 19, 1914), British actor and playwright who wrote the play Charleys Aunt (1892). ...

The play was first performed at the Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds on 29 February 1892. It was produced by former D'Oyly Carte Opera Company actor, W. S. Penley, a friend of Thomas's, who appeared in the principal role of Lord Fancourt Babberly. Thomas himself played Sir Francis Chesney.[1]. The piece was a success, and it then opened in London at the Royalty Theatre on 21 December 1892 and quickly transferred to the larger Globe Theatre on 30 January 1893 to complete its record-breaking run. The Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds was opened by its proprietor and architect William Wilkins (1778â€“1839) on the 11 October 1819, and was one of the most elegant, sophisticated and up-to-date playhouses of its age. ... February 29th, or bissextile day, is the 60th day of a leap year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 306 days remaining. ... 1892 (MDCCCXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The DOyly Carte Opera Company staged performances of Gilbert and Sullivans Savoy operas in the UK, Europe, America, South Africa and elsewhere from the nineteenth century to the twenty first. ... Penley in Charleys Aunt, 1892 W. S. Penley (November 18, 1851 â€“ November 11, 1912) was an English actor, singer and comedian best remembered as producer and star of the phenomenally successful 1892 Brandon Thomas farce, Charleys Aunt and as the Reverend Robert Spalding in many productions of The... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... The Royalty Theatre was a London theatre situated at 73 Dean Street, Soho. ... December 21 is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1892 (MDCCCXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The Globe was a Victorian theatre built in 1868 and demolished in 1902. ... January 30 is the 30th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1893 (MDCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

It opened on Broadway at the Standard Theatre on 2 October 1893, where it ran for another historic long run of four years. The play also toured internationally (with long runs in Paris and elsewhere)[2] and was revived extensively. Broadway theatre[1] is the most prestigious form of professional theatre in the U.S., as well as the most well known to the general public and most lucrative for the performers, technicians and others involved in putting on the shows. ... October 2 is the 275th day of the year (276th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1893 (MDCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

Other versions

Silent film versions of the play were released in 1915 and 1925, the second featuring Sydney Chaplin (brother of Charlie Chaplin). A "talkie" film version starring Charles Ruggles was released in 1930, and is one of the earliest "talkie" comedies. Arthur Askey took the leading role in a 1940 British film Charley's (Big-Hearted) Aunt that developed themes from the original play. Perhaps the best known film version was released in 1941, directed by Archie Mayo and starring Jack Benny in the principal role. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... A silent film is a film which has no accompanying soundtrack. ... Sydney Chaplin (1885-1965) was the elder half-brother of Charlie Chaplin and the half-uncle of the actor Sydney Chaplin (1926- ), who was born as Sydney Earle Chaplin. ... Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin, Jr. ... A sound film (or talkie) is a motion picture with synchronized sound, as opposed to a silent movie. ... Charles Sherman Ruggles (February 8, 1886 - December 23, 1970) was a comic American actor. ... Year 1930 (MCMXXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Comedy has a classical meaning (comical theatre) and a popular one (the use of humour with an intent to provoke[[ laughter in general). ... Arthur Askey (June 6, 1900 - November 16, 1982) was a prominent British comedian. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ... Archie Mayo (b. ... Jack Benny (February 14, 1894 in Chicago, Illinois â€“ December 26, 1974 in Beverly Hills, California), born Benjamin Kubelsky, was an American comedian, vaudeville performer, and radio, television, and film actor. ...

A Broadway musical version, Where's Charley? written by Frank Loesser and starring Ray Bolger, ran between 1948 and 1950 at the St. James Theatre, was made into a 1952 film (with Bolger repeating his stage role), and began a successful run in London in 1958. The Fantasticks is the longest-running musical in history Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining music, songs, spoken dialogue and dance. ... Wheres Charley is a theatre musical with music & lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by George Abbott. ... Image:FrankLoesser1. ... Ray Bolger (January 10, 1904 â€“ January 15, 1987) was an American entertainer of stage and screen, best known for his portrayal of the Scarecrow (and the farmworker Huck) in the 1939 film classic, The Wizard of Oz. ... The St. ...

A Soviet version was made for television in 1975, entitled Hello, I'm Your Auntie!. It was also a musical, but had nothing to do with the Broadway version. The film's title is a Russian figure of speech, exclaimed when somebody receives some shocking news that he or she can hardly credit (akin to the English phrase, "Well I'll be a monkey's uncle!"). The film was an immense hit; many lines of dialogue subsequently became catch phrases themselves. Soviet redirects here. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... A catch phrase is a phrase or expression that is popularized, usually through repeated use, by a real person or fictional character. ...

The Danish version was a 1959 theatrical movie release starring notable comedy actor Dirch Passer in the principal role. Other notable Danish actors in the production were Ove Sprogøe, Ghita Nørby and Susse Wold. In the film, Passer sings the song "Det er svært at være en kvinde nu til dags" (English: "It is hard to be a woman nowadays"). Passer premiered his role in Charley's Tante in 1958 at the ABC Theatre where it was a gigantic hit, and played for 1½ years. Dirch Hartvig Passer (May 18, 1926 - September 3, 1980) was a Danish actor. ... Ove Wendelboe SprogÃ¸e Petersen (December 21, 1919 - September 14, 2004) was a Danish actor. ... Ghita NÃ¸rby (born January 11, 1935), aka Ghita Norby, is an immensely popular Danish actress with 117 credits to her name from 1956-2005, making her one of the most active Danish actresses ever. ... Susse Wold (November 17, 1938 - ) is a stage and screen actress whose career has spanned five decades. ...

The play's story also proved to be popular in Germany, with at least 4 different versions being released in 1934, 1956 (starring the immensely popular Heinz Ruehmann), 1963 (this one from Austria and starring Peter Alexander) and a television version in 1976. Heinz RÃ¼hmann (March 7, 1902 in Essen, Germany - October 3, 1994 in Aufkirchen, Bavaria) was one of the best known German actors and singers of the 20th century. ...

Synopsis

Charley Wyckham and Jack Chesney are undergraduates at Oxford University. They need a chaperone so they can entertain Amy Spettigue and Betty Verdun, respectively the niece and ward of Stephen Spettigue, an Oxford solicitor. Charley receives word from his guardian that his Aunt whom he has never met or spoken to in his life is coming to visit him and that she is coming by train any time now. The boys grab this opportunity and send a telegram to Amy & Betty saying that they are invited for lunch to meet Charley's Aunt, Donna Lucia d’Alvadorez, who is a rich and widowed aunt from Brazil ("where the nuts come from"). All is going well until Charley's Aunt sends a telegram to say that she has been detained on business, and not to expect her for a few days. The boys start to panic and persuade their friend, Lord Fancourt Babberly ("Babbs"), to masquerade as Charley's aunt. This leads to amusement as the audience sees him transformed into the "aunt". The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford in England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... A chaperon (or chaperone) is an adult who accompanies or supervises one or more young, unmarried men or women during social occasions usually with the specific intent of preventing inappropriate social or sexual interactions. ... This article is about the domestic group. ... In law, a ward is someone placed under the protection of a legal guardian. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A solicitor is a type of lawyer in many common law jurisdictions, such as the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Republic of Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, but not the United States (in the United States the word has a quite different meaningâ€”see below). ... Binomial name Bertholletia excelsa Humb. ...

Jack arranges luncheon with their lady friends, as if it were really Charley's Aunt whom they were introducing to their girls; as Charley and Jack intend to declare their love to their sweethearts at some convenient point during the lunch appointment, they want Lord Fancourt right out of the way, so they invite Jack's unsuspecting father to lunch as well. The problem is that Lord Fancourt isn't interested in Jack's father and he flirts with the girls, which leads to outrageous comedy as the boys struggle to contain themselves from beating the "confounded fool" to a pulp themselves in front of the girls. Lunch is a meal that is taken at noon or in the early afternoon. ...

Just when everything is going well, the real Charley's Aunt, with her adopted 'niece' Miss Ela Delahay, arrives. The story takes a twist as Ela is an orphan and her father died a little while ago, but before he did, he played cards. Ela's father, who was never any good at cards, amazingly won enough money to "make her independent for life". The name of the man from whom he won the money was none other than Lord Fancourt Babberly!

Ela recollects the short romance that the two of them had to her embarrassment. Then Donna Lucia recollects a memory of her own, about a romance she had 20 years ago, at a ball, with a man named Francis Chesney, Jack's father. Whilst Francis, or Frank as he is later referred to, is hung up on the fake Donna Lucia, he realises that the real Donna Lucia, or Lucy as she was pre-marriage, is the woman he met overseas 20 years before at a dance a day before he was shipped out with his regiment.

Yet, when Frank tells the real Donna Lucia, not knowing that she is Donna Lucia, that she is 'already here and she should come and meet her' Donna Lucia does not give her real name but gives the name of Mrs. Beverley Smythe.

When Stephen Spettigue enters he is introduced to the fake Donnia Lucia, the "millionaire". He instantly falls for her. Lord Fancourt's job is to get letters of consent from Spettigue for the boys' marriages, but in the process Spettigue ends up engaged to "Donna Lucia". In the end it all comes out as Spettigue tells everyone he is marrying "Donna Lucia" and the boys are getting married.

However, Charley says he can't lie anymore, and tells all to Spettigue. Jack tries to help, but Spettigue is unstoppable and goes into an embarrassed rage and demands the letter back from the uncovered Fancourt, this is where the real Donna Lucia reveals herself. She takes the letter and clearly states "this letter is addressed to and has been delivered to Donna Lucia d’Alvadorez", Spettigue storms off after a momentary shock, saying he'll dispute it.

Then Amy, being his niece, is upset at everyone for making a fool of him but Donna Lucia reassures her that everything will be fine, and gives the girls the letters. Lord Fancourt also ends up talking to Ela and in the end, Sir Francis & Donna Lucia are engaged, the boys are engaged with their girls and Ela ends up with Lord Fancourt, with

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External links

Categories: Brandon Thomas plays | 1892 plays | 1915 films | 1925 films | 1930 films | Black and white films | Silent films The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ...

Contents

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Synopsis

Roles

References

External links

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