Heartbreak House: A Fantasia in the Russian Manner on English Themes is a play written by Bernard Shaw during the First World War, published in 1919 and first performed in November 1920 at the Garrick Theatre, New York, followed by a West End production the following year.
Her fiancé is a ruthless scoundrel, her father is a bumbling prig, and it turns out that the man she is in love with is Hector, Hesione's husband, who spends his time telling romantic lies to women.
[16] A revival in March 1937 at the Westminster Theatre featured Cecil Trouncer as Shotover, Agnes Lauchlan as Ariadne, Richard Goolden as Mazzini Dunn, and Alan Napier as Hector.
[17] In a 1943 revival at the Cambridge Theatre, London, starring Robert Donat as Shotover, Evans switched roles from her two previous productions to play Hesione; her old part as Ariadne was taken by Isabel Jeans.
[19] A 1961 revival, directed by Frank Hauser for the Oxford Playhouse, transferred to the West End at Wyndham's Theatre, starring Roger Livesey as Shotover, with Dulcie Gray as Ariadne, Michael Denison as Hector, Judy Campbell as Hesione, George Benson as Mangan.
[20] A Chichester Festival production transferred to the Lyric Theatre, London in 1967, with John Clements as Shotover, Irene Worth as Hesione, Diana Churchill as Ariadne, Bill Fraser as Mangan and Michael Aldridge as Hector.
[21] John Schlesinger's 1975 production for the National Theatre featured Colin Blakely as Shotover, Eileen Atkins as Hesione, Anna Massey as Ariadne, Graham Crowden as Hector.
[22] Rex Harrison starred as Shotover in a 1983 revival at the Haymarket Theatre in a production directed by John Dexter, with Diana Rigg as Hesione and Rosemary Harris as Ariadne.
[23] At the Haymarket in 1992 a production directed by Trevor Nunn starred Paul Scofield as Shotover, with Vanessa Redgrave as Hesione, Felicity Kendal as Ariadne, and Daniel Massey as Hector.
[24] A revival at the Almeida Theatre, London in 1997, directed by David Hare, starred Richard Griffiths as Shotover, Patricia Hodge as Ariadne, Penelope Wilton as Hesione, Peter McEnery as Hector and Malcolm Sinclair as Mazzini Dunn.
[25] As part of its 50th anniversary season the Chichester Festival staged a production starring Derek Jacobi as Shotover, Sara Stewart as Ariadne, Emma Fielding as Hesione and Ronald Pickup as Mazzini Dunn.
[27] For a 1959 production at the Billy Rose Theatre, Maurice Evans played Shotover, with Pamela Brown as Ariadne, Diana Wynyard as Hesione, Dennis Price as Hector and Alan Webb as Mazzini Dunn.
[28] After his West End appearance as Shotover, Rex Harrison reprised the role with a cast featuring Amy Irving, Rosemary Harris, Dana Ivey and Tom Aldredge.
[30] The play has been performed several times at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada, including a production in 1968 directed by Val Gielgud with Jessica Tandy, Paxton Whitehead, Tony Van Bridge and Frances Hyland (this production was recorded and released by Caedmon Records [Caedmon TRS-335]); then in summer 2011 directed by Christopher Newton with Michael Ball as Captain Shotover, Blair Williams as Hector, Patrick McManus as Mazzini, Laurie Paton as Ariadne, Benedict Campbell as Mangan and Robin Evans Willis as Ellie.
[31] The first BBC television broadcast of Heartbreak House was in 1958, with Mark Dignam as Shotover, Diana Churchill as Ariadne, Judy Campbell as Hesione and Tony Britton as Hector.