ORSON WELLES Rare "BARRETTS OF WIMPOLE STREET" Boston Opera House 1934 Playbill

Description

This is a rare June 7th, 1934 program (playbill) from the three-night tour engagement of the KATHARINE CORNELL production of the RUDOLF BESIER play "THE BARRETTS OF WIMPOLE STREET" at the Boston Opera House in Boston, Massachusetts. This legendary tour marked the American stage debut of eighteen year-old ORSON WELLES ..... The tour began November 29th, 1933 at the Erlanger Theatre in Buffalo with a production of William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" starring KATHARINE CORNELL as "Juliet", BASIL RATHBONE as "Romeo" and ORSON WELLES, making his American stage debut as "Mercutio". It was the first time either Cornell or director Guthrie McClintic had participated in any Shakespeare production and it would be incorporated into a seven-month country-wide tour that would rotate three plays, "Romeo and Juliet", "The Barretts of Wimpole Street", and George Bernard Shaw's "Candida". Planned during the height of the Great Depression, many theater experts and actors advised against such an ambitious tour. In fact, this was the first time anyone had tried to take a legitimate Broadway show on an all-country tour, let alone three plays. It took them to cities such as Milwaukee, Seattle, Portland (Oregon), San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, Cheyenne, San Antonio, New Orleans, Houston, Savannah, and back up the east coast to New England. Because movies had so completely taken over from live theater, there were major areas of the country closed off to the tour. Many of the smaller cities hadn't seen live theater since the First World War, if ever. Nonetheless, box office records were set in most cities and towns. "Variety" reported that the tour gave 225 performances and played to 500,000 people. (Reprinted in part from Wikipedia.) ..... "THE BARRETTS OF WIMPOLE STREET" starred KATHARINE CORNELL and featured BASIL RATHBONE, ORSON WELLES, DAVID GLASSFORD, BRENDA FORBES, HELEN WALPOLE, PAMELA SIMPSON, IRVING MORROW, CHARLES BROKAW, LATHROP MITCHELL, REYNOLDS EVANS, GEORGE MACREADY, CHARLES WALDRON, MARGOT STEVENSON, JOHN HOYSRADT, A. P. KAYE, FRANCIS MORAN and FLUSH ..... CREDITS: Book by RUDOLF BESIER; Sets and Costumes designed by JO MIELZINER; Directed by GUTHRIE McCLINTIC; Produced by KATHARINE CORNELL ..... DETAILS: The four page playbill measures 5 1/2" X 9 1/4" inches and includes full production credits, cast list and synopsis of scenes, but no cast photos or bios ..... CONDITION: With the exception of three horizontal folds and light soiling, this rare playbill is in excellent condition and will make a wonderful addition to the collection of any theatre aficionado or historian. This item will be carefully packaged in a protective, carded sleeve and backed by stiff cardboard.
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