A SAMUEL FRENCH, LTD. TITLE
84, Charing Cross Road
Full-Length Play, Drama / 4w, 3m
Helene Hanff, James Roose-Evans
Adapted by James Roose Evans from the book by Helene Hanff
A dramatization of business letters between a young struggling writer in New York and an antiquarian book store in London. In a sense, these are also love letters – to the love of good literature.
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Cast Size
4w, 3m -
Subgenre
Adaptation (Literature) -
Target Audience
Adult
Details
Summary
This wonderful show is a dramatization of business letters between a young struggling writer in New York and an antiquarian book store in London. In a sense, these are also love letters. They are about the love of good literature. The play takes place over a twenty year period, beginning in 1949 when Helene Hanff (played on Broadway by Ellen Burstyn) first writes Marks & Co. and ends in 1969 with the death of Frank Doel, the delightfully dusty supplier of so many old volumes to Helen who has shown her gratitude through the years by sending "care packages" to the staff of Marks & Co.
History
For twenty years, from 1949, when she was thirty-two, until 1969, a struggling New York writer named Helene Hanff and the staff at the London antiquarian bookshop Marks & Co carried
on a remarkable correspondence. It began with an innocent enquiry about fine book editions, but continued for two decades.
Their letters, encompassing a period that went from Churchill’s war to the Beatles’s invasion, became a chronicle of an era as well as a record of a deep friendship. 84, Charing Cross Road is James Roose-Evans’s unique adaptation for the stage of this cross-Atlantic correspondence.
This revival production opened at Salisbury Playhouse in the UK on 5 February 2015 and subsequently at Cambridge Arts Theatre on 2 September 2016. Directed by the playwright, the production featured Lysette Anthony, Jemma Churchill, Janie Dee, Clive Francis, Alice Haig, Ted Merwood and Samuel Townsend.
on a remarkable correspondence. It began with an innocent enquiry about fine book editions, but continued for two decades.
Their letters, encompassing a period that went from Churchill’s war to the Beatles’s invasion, became a chronicle of an era as well as a record of a deep friendship. 84, Charing Cross Road is James Roose-Evans’s unique adaptation for the stage of this cross-Atlantic correspondence.
This revival production opened at Salisbury Playhouse in the UK on 5 February 2015 and subsequently at Cambridge Arts Theatre on 2 September 2016. Directed by the playwright, the production featured Lysette Anthony, Jemma Churchill, Janie Dee, Clive Francis, Alice Haig, Ted Merwood and Samuel Townsend.
Cast Attributes
Keywords
- Time Period 1960s
- Cautions
- No Special Cautions
Media
“Warm, moving, civilized.” - WABC TV
“Warm, moving, civilized. A wonderful evening on Broadway.” - WABC TV
“An evening of enchantment and charm the like of which is rarely encountered in the theatre.” - What's On in London
Licensing & Materials
- Minimum Fee: £70 per performance plus VAT when applicable.
Please submit a license request to determine availability.
Authors
Helene Hanff