Curtain Up

Plot

In an English provincial town, 'Drossmouth', a second-rate repertory company assemble at the Theatre Royal on Monday morning to rehearse the following week's play, a melodrama titled Tarnished Gold.

Harry, their irascible Producer, is highly critical of the play, which has been foisted on him by the Directors of the Company and is unenthusiastic about its prospects. The cast include Jerry, a young and sometimes keen actor, Maud, an widowed actress who was once famous on the West End stage, Sandra, who is waiting for (and receives) a call from a London producer, her philandering and semi-alcoholic husband, and Avis, a timid young girl who is quickly realising that acting is not for her.

The cast are equally unenthusiastic of the play. Little progress is made. 'Jacko', the Stage Director, is at his wits end and threatens to resign, his regular habit when things go wrong. Just as matters seemingly cannot get worse, the author of the play, Catherine Beckwith, appears and insists on 'sitting at the feet' of the Director.

She and Harry are quickly at each other throats. Harry tears up most of Act 1, and storms angrily off stage, falling into the pit and injuring himself. Despite the forebodings of the cast, Miss Beckwith insists on taking over the rehearsal according to her own ideas. She recasts the play as a period piece and introduces new stage techniques.

A week later, to everyone's surprise, the curtain comes down on a triumphant first night.

Cast

Critical reception