London Wall

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

London Wall is a wryly comic look at the life of women office workers in the 1930s. In a solicitors office in the City, Brewer, the office manager, sees pretty new 19-year-old typist Pat as fair game. As some of the more experienced secretaries try to warn her, and others leave her to her fate, her steady boyfriend an idealistic young writer desperately tries to win her back. Meanwhile, cynical Miss Janus' romantic life seems to be over as she is jilted by her lover at the desperate age of 35... First performed in the West End in 1931 starring a young John Mills, filmed in 1932, televised in 1963, but unseen since then, London Wall is a surprisingly modern look at men's continuing inability to see women as professional equals and colleagues.

Reviews

"It's a fascinating and sometimes deeply touching play... a piece that proves both dramatically engaging and a fascinating theatrical time-capsule' - Telegraph 'The brilliant theatrical make-over - has become an international hit' - Independent 'yet another forgotten gem: [a] splendid proto-feminist office drama' - Time Out 'a satisfying rediscovery, eloquent about the relationship between work, class and romance.' - Evening Standard"

Author Bio

Playwright John van Druten (1901-1957) was one of the most successful West End and Broadway playwrights of the 1930s and 1940s. He was known for his witty and urbane observations of contemporary life and society. His first play Young Woodley was originally banned in London by the Lord Chamberlain, but went on to have successful runs in the West End and on Broadway. It was revived at the Finborough Theatre in 2006. He later emigrated to America where his plays included The Voice of the Turtle (1943) which ran for three seasons in New York and was filmed with Ronald Reagan. He remains best known for his 1951 play I Am a Camera, based on Christopher Isherwoods short stories, which formed the basis of the musical Cabaret.