Caste (play)
The play was the third of several successes by Robertson produced in London's West End by Squire Bancroft and his wife Marie Wilton.
[1][2] The play was first seen on 6 April 1867 at the Prince of Wales' Theatre, produced by Squire Bancroft and his wife, the actress Marie Wilton, to whom it was dedicated.
These plays are written, and were directed, in a naturalistic style that was novel for the time, in which the characters behave like real people, with settings and stage properties that add realism to the drama.
Caste, in the same vein, was particularly enduring; during the next few years it was revived three times at the same theatre, totalling 650 performances under the Bancroft management.
[3] A reviewer of the opening night of the play wrote: Society and Ours prepared the way for a complete reformation of the modern drama, and until the curtain fell on Saturday night it remained a question whether Mr. Robertson would be able to hold the great reputation which those pieces conferred upon him.
With the aid of only two simple scenes, a boudoir in Mayfair and a humble lodging in Lambeth, Mr. Robertson has succeeded in concentrating an accumulation of incident and satire more interesting and more poignant than might be found in all the sensational dramas of the last half century.
In 1867, Captain George D'Alroy, whose mother is the Marquise de St. Maur, is in love with the beautiful ballet dancer Esther Eccles, who comes from a poor family.
Esther gets a letter to say she has got an engagement for work in Manchester, and George, not wanting her to leave, asks her to marry him.
The Marquise learns of the marriage and meets Esther, Polly, Sam and Mr Eccles, all of whom she regards with contempt; they react indignantly.
She moves home to Stangate to live with her fiery-tempered sister Polly, because the money left to her was lost by her father on gambling.
Sir John Hare made his first appearance in motion pictures, reprising his acclaimed stage portrayal[6] of Eccles.
Other cast included Esme Hubbard (Polly Eccles), Campbell Gullan (Sam Gerridge), Peggy Hyland (Esther), Dawson Millward (Captain Hawtree), Roland Pertwee (George d'Alroy) and Mary Rorke (The Marquise)[7][8][9] It is believed to be a lost film.
[10] A film was made of the play in 1930; it featured Sebastian Shaw as George d'Alroy and Hermione Baddeley as Polly Eccles, and was directed by Campbell Gullan.
[11][12] A TV play of Caste was made in 1954 by the BBC; it featured Robin Bailey as George d'Alroy and Jill Bennett as Polly Eccles.
