The Scandalous Affair Of Mr Kettle And Mrs Moon

On his way to work at the bank one morning, the manager Mr Kettle freaks out. He goes back home changes into his casual clothes and sets about enjoying himself. No one apart from Mrs Kettle can understand him and why he is behaving in this way. Mrs Kettle joins him in his rebellion. The bank officials employ a doctor to hypnotise Mr Kettle and get him back to his former self.-3 women, 6 men

Includes the plays Laburnum Grove, When We Are Married and Mr Kettle and Mrs Moon With an introduction by Tom Priestley and a foreword by Roy Hattersley. These three domestic comedies display J B Priestley's talent for the ordinary situation turned sharply on its head. In Laburnum Grove George Radfern's friends and relations want a share of his wealth - until they find out where it's come from. When We Are Married features three high-minded couples who gather to celebrate their silver wedding anniversaries, only to discover they were never properly married at all. And in Mr Kettle and Mrs Moon an unassuming bank manager turns rebel when a voice tells him to pack in his position and stay at home.In these mischievous depictions of respectability gone awry, the proud and the prejudiced battle against emerging truths and potential scandal. J B Priestley proves himself a skilled craftsman and presents his characters with rich humour, warmth and humanity.

Drawing on private and published sources, Roger Fagge takes an in-depth look at J.B. Priestley's work, seeking to reclaim him as an important English thinker. Priestley grew up in Bradford, and served on the front line in the First World War, before attending Cambridge and embarking on a career as a writer. A committed radical, he wrote widely for the press, as well as producing autobiographies, social criticism and plays. This work revealed a growing interest in the meaning of Englishness and the start of a long-running relationship with America. Priestley achieved even greater influence during the early years of World War II via his popular BBC radio 'postscripts'. His later career, however, saw his faith in the people give way to a disillusionment with the spread of the Americanised mass society, although his critical response to the latter maintained a perceptive engagement with world. The Vision of J.B. Priestley charts the continuities, strengths and weaknesses in the author's long career, and his vision of an outward looking radical Englishness.

Built to resemble an old New England barn, the Boothbay Playhouse operated from 1937 to 1974, under two separate managements, as a professional summer theatre. In the old-resident-company tradition, a different play was presented each week from June to September- and at prices that seem unbelievable today. But even then the challenge of filling seats was a perennial uphill battle that led to ongoing financial crunches for both managements until surmounting losses forced its closure. This is the story of that landmark theatre's trials, triumphs and tribulations, told by someone who was there for five of those 37 years. Illustrated with 60 photos, the volume also features casts and credits for all Playhouse productions

With over 500 entries on the most important plays and playwrights performed today, The Theatre Guide provides an authoritative A - Z of the contemporary theatre scene. From Aristophanes to Mark Ravenhill, The Alchemist to The Talking Cure, the Guide is both biographically detailed and critically current, while an extensive cross-referencing system allows for wider perspectives and new discoveries. Stimulating, observant and informative, The Theatre Guide is an essential companion and reference tool for anyone with an active interest in drama.

This lively study challenges the myths about apathy and smugness surrounding British literature of the period. It rereads the decade and its literature as crucial in twentieth-century British history for its emergent and increasingly complicated politics