Flowering Cherry

The Flowering Cherry is a 1958 play written by Robert Bolt.

This article is about a play. For the tree, see flowering cherry.

The play was performed on Broadway in 1959.[1]

Plot

In an English household, the father dreams of giving up his job selling insurance to run an apple orchard, the mother dreams of him giving up his dreams, and the two children have problems of their own .

Adaptations

The play was adapted for British television in 1963.[2]

1963 Australian TV adaptation
Flowering Cherry
Based onplay by Robert Bolt
Written byNoel Robinson
Directed byColin Dean
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducerColin Dean
Running time75 mins[3]
Production companyABC
Release
Original networkABC
Original release13 February 1963 (Melbourne, Sydney)
16 April 1963 (Brisbane)[4]

It was filmed for Australian TV in 1963, directed by Colin Dean and starring Grant Taylor, Peter Adams, Don Pascoe, Elizabeth Ferris, Margo Lee, Frank Taylor and Rosalind Seagrave.

It was the first drama to be simultaneously presented in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne via coaxial cable.[5][6][7]

Plot

A man abandons his life as a clerk to start an orchard. His dreams of fulfilment are linked to his memories of growing up in Somerset.

His wife decides to leave him.

Cast
  • Grant Taylor as Mr Cherry
  • Margo Lee as Isobel Cherry, his wife
  • Rosalind Seagrave as Taylor's daughter Judy
  • Peter Adams as Taylor's son Tom
  • Frank Taylor
  • Elizabeth Ferris
  • Don Pascoe

Production

The production was filmed in Sydney.[8]

At the time Grant Taylor was appearing on stage with Googie Withers in Woman in a Dressing Gown.[9]

Elizabeth Ferris who made her acting debut was a diving champion whose name was linked romantically to Murray Rose.[10][4]

Reception

The TV critic for the Sydney Morning Herald thought "Grant Taylor was well in command" of his role but that Colin Dean's production "was rather too crowded."[11]

Val Marshall of the Sunday edition of the same paper called it "a first rate production" in which Taylor and Lee were "brilliant".[10]

The Bulletin wrote that "Given a stronger plot, livelier dialogue, less stagey sets, more imaginative cameras, some television actors, and better make-up, it could have been a good play. Lacking them, it was still tolerable, because the viewer could feel that at least everyone was trying, and that is not a bad beginning for ABC drama production in 1963."[12]

See also

References
  1. "BroadwayWorld.com – The Flowering Cherry".
  2. "imdb.com - Flowering Cherry (1963)".
  3. "TV Guide". The Age. 7 February 1963. p. 33.
  4. "Dad's Dream". TV Ties. 11 April 1963.
  5. "PLAY STAR". The Canberra Times. 13 February 1963. p. 25. Retrieved 9 March 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. "Live Drama On Wednesday". The Canberra Times. 11 February 1963. p. 20. Retrieved 9 March 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. "Drama, Recital via Coaxl cable". The Age. 7 February 1963. p. 12.
  8. "First Use for "Live" Drama". The Age. 7 February 1963. p. 23.
  9. ""Flowering Cherry" is "Live"". Sydney Morning Herald. 4 February 1963. p. 10.
  10. Marshall, Valda (17 February 1963). "TV Merry Go Round". Sydney Morning Herald. p. 66.
  11. "Drama Review Bolt Play On Channel 2". Sydney Morning Herald. 14 February 1963. p. 7.
  12. "A Favourable Review". The Bulletin. March 2, 1963. p. 35.


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