Originally published 1 October 1971 Adaptations All the Way Up (1970) | Playwright David Turner | |
Semi-Detached is a play written by David Turner. It was premiered at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry in June 1962 with Leonard Rossiter in the lead role and directed by Tony Richardson. The BBC recorded in 1964 a radio adaptation starring Rossiter, rebroadcast in 2016 in its series "Repertory in Britain." The Belgrade Theatre production transferred to London, still directed by Richardson, but with Laurence Olivier (replacing Rossiter), Eileen Atkins, John Thaw, James Bolam (replacing Ian McKellen) and Mona Washbourne. The play reached Broadway in New York for a season in 1963 and a film version All the Way Up (1970), directed by James MacTaggart, starred Richard Briers. The play was revived at the Chichester Festival in 1999.
Plot
Set in the Midlands, Fred Midway is working his way up the social ladder. His desire to be accepted in circles to which he and his family do not really belong occupies much of his energy. Needless to say, at first Fred's carefully laid plans to boost his standing in the local community backfire, before coming right in the end.