Berkeley Square is a play in three acts by John L. Balderston (in collaboration with J.C. Squire) which tells the story of a young American who is transported back to London in the time of the American Revolution and meets his ancestors. The plot is loosely based on Henry James' posthumous 1917 novel The Sense of the Past.

The play premiered at the St Martin's Theatre in London's West End in 1926, where it ran for 179 performances. Its production on Broadway in 1929 was an enormous success with Leslie Howard (who also co-produced and co-directed the play with Gilbert Miller) in the role of time traveler Peter Standish and ran for 229 performances, a substantial run for its time.

Berkeley Square (play)

The play was later adapted into a 1933 film version with Howard repeating his stage role of Peter Standish, winning him an Academy Award nomination. The play was also produced for a 1959 BBC television production and the 1951 film The House in the Square (released in the United States as I'll Never Forget You).

Berkeley Square (play)

Original London cast

Tom Pettigrew - Brian Gilmour

Mr. Throstle - Ivor Barnard

The Ambassador - J. Fisher White

Peter Standish - Lawrence Anderson

Maid - Jane Millican/Edith Martyn

Lady Anne Pettigrew - Beatrice Wilson/Georgina Wynter

Miss Pettigrew - Valerie Taylor

Helen Pettigrew - Jean Forbes-Robertson

Mrs. Barwick - Frances Ruttledge

Marjorie Frant - Grizelda Hervey/Juliet Mansell/Jane Millican

Original Broadway cast

Mrs. Barwick - Lucy Beaumont

Miss Barrymore - June English

Marjorie Frant - Ann Freshman

Helen Pettigrew - Margalo Gillmore

Tom Pettigrew - Brian Gilmour

H. R. H. The Duke of Cumberland - Robert Greig

Maid - Irene Howard

Peter Standish - Leslie Howard

The Lady Anne Pettigrew - Alice John

Mr. Throstle - Tarver Penna

The Duchess of Devonshire - Louise Prussing

Major Clinton - Charles Romano

Kate Pettigrew - Valerie Taylor

Lord Stanley - Henry Warwick

The Ambassador - Fritz Williams

References

External links

Literature about time travel

American plays adapted into films

1929 plays

Broadway plays

West End plays

Plays set in London

Plays set in the 18th century

Plays based on novels

Berkeley Square (play)