A 1930s comedy for Christmas, Jeannie by rediscovered female playwright Aimée Stuart will open at the Finborough Theatre for a four-week limited season on Tuesday, 27 November 2018.
It is 1936 in a “wee one-eyed” town in Scotland. Jeannie is a drudge for her mean controlling father, but dreams of a different life. When she receives a large inheritance, she seizes the opportunity to finally escape to the glamour and sophistication of European travel.
During her stay in Vienna, she encounters Stanley, a washing machine inventor from Yorkshire, and then a real Viennese Count. But Jeannie is no pushover. She knows her own mind, she is a stickler for the truth, and she hates scroungers…
A 1930s version of the Cinderella story, Jeannie is a charming light romantic comedy, ideal for the Christmas season, and unseen in London since 1940.
Jeannie’s author Aimée Stuart was one of the West End’s most successful female playwrights between the wars – and a fascinating character in her own right – staunchly feminist, and never afraid to tackle controversial subjects which led to some of her plays being banned by the Lord Chamberlain. The original production of Jeannie was an instant hit, transferring both to the West End and Broadway and turning Barbara Mullen who played the title role into a star overnight. It was also filmed with Michael Redgrave and Kay Hammond.
The cast comprises Evelyn Adams, Max Alexander-Taylor, Kim Durham, Mairi Hawthorn, Carol Holt, Matthew Mellalieu and Patrick Pearson.
