Top Secret (play) explained

Top Secret
Date Of Premiere:29 August 1949
Original Language:English
Place:Theatre Royal, Newcastle
Genre:Comedy

Top Secret is a comedy play by Alan Melville which was first performed in 1949. It is a farce revolving around an ambassador.[1]

It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Newcastle before transferring to the Winter Garden Theatre in London's West End where it ran for 21 performances between 19 October and 5 November 1949. The original West End cast included Tom Gill, Hugh Wakefield, Frederick Valk and Beryl Measor. It was not well-received, and was reportedly booed by audiences on its opening night. A review in The Stage considered it was too long and needed speeding up.[2] Its short run was in contrast to Melville's other play of 1949, Castle in the Air which was a hit running for nearly 300 performances.

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Wearing p.471
  2. Wearing p.471