Jupiter Laughs Explained

Jupiter Laughs
Premiere:[1]
Place:King's Theatre, Glasgow
Jupiter Laughs
Author:A. J. Cronin
Country:United Kingdom
Language:English
Genre:Play
Publisher:Gollancz (UK)
Little, Brown (US)
Release Date:1940
Exclude Cover:yes
Media Type:Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages:190
Oclc:1498417

Jupiter Laughs is A. J. Cronin's 1940 play in three acts about a doctor who falls in love with a colleague—a woman doctor who plans to become a medical missionary. The play was first staged in Glasgow at the King's Theatre and starred Henry Longhurst, Catherine Lacey and James Mason.[1] In September 1940, it opened on Broadway at the Biltmore Theatre and starred Alexander Knox and Jessica Tandy.[2] Film adaptations include Shining Victory, with James Stephenson and Geraldine Fitzgerald, and Ich suche Dich ("I Seek You") with O.W. Fischer and Anouk Aimée.[3]

Reception

Brooks Atkinson panned the play in his September 10, 1940, review in The New York Times, criticizing the work itself and its realization. "Dr. Cronin…is all thumbs in the theater… the story is maudlin and the characters cut out of colored cardboard. If the drama has any interior meaning, it does not penetrate the mechanical performance that Reginald Denham has directed."[4]

Notes and References

  1. News: 5 March 1940 . Dr Cronin's First Play - "Jupiter Laughs" at the King's: James Mason's Fine Performance . . 8 . 1 September 2016.
  2. Web site: Jupiter Laughs: Biltmore Theatre . IBDB . 1 September 2016.
  3. Book: Goble, Alan . The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film . 1999 . Walter de Gruyter . reprint . 99 . 9783110951943 . 1 September 2016.
  4. News: THE PLAY IN REVIEW; 'Jupiter Laughs' Is First Drama Written by Dr. A.J. Cronin--Professor Dante's 'Sim Sala Bim'--The Lunts Return to Broadway . The New York Times . 2022-09-29 . en.