Waters of the Moon explained

Waters of the Moon is a 1951 stage play by N. C. Hunter which originally ran for two years at the Theatre Royal Haymarket from 1951 to 1953.^[1] It was adapted into a 1961 TV play broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. This version was directed by Christopher Muir.^{[2] [3]} In 1977 it was revived at the Theatre Royal Haymarket with Ingrid Bergman as Helen Lancaster and Wendy Hiller, who had appeared in the original 1951 production, now playing the role of Mrs. Whyte.

It was also televised by ITV (H.M. Tennent for ATV) on 14 November 1956, in the Play of the Week strand^[4] and by the BBC on 27 December 1959,^[5] 24 December 1968^[6] and 30 December 1983.^[7]

Cast (original West End stage - 1951)

• Edith Evans as Helen Lancaster
• Sybil Thorndike as Mrs. Whyte
• Wendy Hiller as Evelyn Daly
• Directed by Frith Banbury^[8]

Cast (BBC Radio version - 1955)

• Sonia Dresdel as Helen Lancaster
• Directed by Val Gielgud^[9]

1961 Australian Television Version

Based On:	play by N. C. Hunter
Director:	Christopher Muir
Country:	Australia
Language:	English
Runtime:	60 mins
Company:	ABC
Network:	ABC
Released:	(Melbourne, live)^[10] ^[11]
Released2:	(Sydney)^[12]
Released3:	(Brisbane)^[13]

The play was adapted for Australian TV by the ABC. It was directed by Christopher Muir.^{[2] [3]}

Premise

A woman, Helen Lancaster, is caught in a house during a snowstorm and forced to spend time there with her husband and daughter.

Helen flirts with an Austrian, Julias.^[14]

Cast

• Patricia Kennedy as Helen Lancaster
• Barbara Brandon as Mrs Whyte
• Kurt Ludeski as Julias Wintelhalter
• Leslie Pope as Evelyn Daly
• Robin Hardiman as John Daly
• Cyril Gardiner as Colonel Selby
• Agnes Dobson as Mrs Daly
• Myrtle Woods as Mrs Ashworth
• Jane Norris as Conetta Landi
• Michael Duffield as Robert Lancaster
• Ric Hutton
• Leonard Teale
• Anne Haddy
• Jack Ford
• James Workman

Production

It was Patricia Kennedy's first TV play since Black Limelight.^[13]

Cast (BBC Radio version - 1965)

• Coral Browne as Helen Lancaster
• Virginia Maskell as Evelyn Daly^[15]

Cast (BBC1 version - 1968)

• Margaret Leighton as Helen Lancaster
• Vivien Merchant as Evelyn Daly
• Athene Seyler as Mrs. Whyte
• Kathleen Harrison as Mrs. Ashworth
• Michael Gwynn as Julius Winterhalter
• Roland Culver as Colonel Selby
• Produced by Cedric Messina
• Directed by Herbert Wise^[6]

Cast (BBC1 version - 1983)

• Penelope Keith as Helen Lancaster
• Virginia McKenna as Mrs. Whyte
• Ronald Pickup as Julius Winterhalter
• Joan Sims as Mrs. Ashworth
• Richard Vernon as Colonel Selby
• Dilys Laye as Mrs. Daly
• Geoffrey Palmer as Robert Lancaster
• Lesley Dunlop as Evelyn Daly
• Phoebe Nicholls as Tonetta Landi
• Produced by Cedric Messina
• Directed by Piers Haggard^[7]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Production of Waters of the Moon | Theatricalia. theatricalia.com.
2. News: Pat Kennedy Heads Cast. Sydney Morning Herald. 26 June 1961. 11.
3. Stephen. Vagg. 60 Australian TV Plays of the 1950s & '60s. Filmink. February 18, 2019.
4. The Kaleidoscope British Independent Television Drama Research Guide, 1955-2010, page 2653
5. Web site: Sunday-Night Theatre presents: Waters of the Moon. 27 December 1959. 1885. 13. BBC Genome.
6. Web site: Play of the Month presenting: Waters of the Moon. 24 December 1968. 2354. 25. BBC Genome.
7. Web site: Waters of the Moon. 30 December 1983. 3136. 98. BBC Genome.
8. Book: Wearing, J. P.. The London Stage 1950-1959: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel. 16 September 2014. Rowman & Littlefield. 9780810893085. Google Books.
9. Web site: Saturday-Night Theatre presents Sonia Dresdel in 'WATERS OF THE MOON'. 4 June 1955. 1646. 48. BBC Genome.
10. News: The Age. Advertisement. 44.
11. News: The Age. Comedy Recalls Successes of UK Actresses. 13 April 1961. 27.
12. News: Sydney Morning Herald. TV Guide. 26 June 1961. 12.
13. TV Times. The boarding house crisis. 16. 17 August 1961.
14. News: TV Guide. The Age. 13 April 1961. 35.
15. Web site: Saturday-Night Theatre. 27 March 1965. 2159. 12. BBC Genome.