The Royal Family (play)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A play by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber, The Royal Family lampooned the famous Barrymore family acting clan. A hit, the show ran for 345 performances, the prolific and successful Kaufman's longest running (and hence most successful) show to that time. The most severely ridiculed Barrymores were John and Ethel. The character Tony Cavendish, a heavy-drinking womanizer, represents John Barrymore. Julie Cavendish is the prima donna Broadway star Ethel Barrymore. Ethel Barrymore was offended and her critical comments were quoted by the press, however John Barrymore saw the production in Los Angeles and was amused, and congratulated Fredric March on his performance as Tony Cavendish.
The Royal Family was made into a motion picture feature, The Royal Family of Broadway, released in 1930 by Paramount Pictures.
In England, Noel Coward directed the West End version of the play in 1934, a cast which included Laurence Olivier as Tony.
Before moving to Broadway, the play had successful out-of-town try-outs in Newark and Atlantic City. The Royal Family opened one day after the revolutionary musical Show Boat, based on Ferber's novel of the same title.
Edna Ferber herself acted in The Royal Family at the Maplewood Theater in 1940, in a production staged by Cheryl Crawford (see LIFE Magazine, Sept 23, 1940)
A revival of the comedy was one of the highlights of the 1975-76 season on Broadway. Directed by Ellis Rabb, it starred Rosemary Harris as Julie Cavendish, George Grizzard as Tony, and Eva Le Gallienne as the theatrical matriarch, Fanny. It won Rabb the 1976 Tony award for best director. The production was later telecast on PBS, with Rabb replacing Grizzard as Tony, and this version is now on DVD.
