Love for Love

Summary

1947 live studio production of William Congreve’s Restoration comedy Love for Love.

Theatre play

Love for Love by William Congreve [more information]

Play synopsis

'Valentine has fallen under the displeasure of his father by his extravagance, and is besieged by creditors. His father, Sir Sampson Legend, offers him £4000 (only enough to pay his debts) if he will sign a bond engaging to make over his right to his inheritance to his younger brother Ben. Valentine, to escape from his embarrassment, signs the bond. He is in love with Angelica, who possesses a fortune of her own, but so far she has not yielded to his suit. Sir Sampson has arranged a match between Ben, who is at sea, and Miss Prue, an awkward country girl, the daughter of Foresight, a superstitious old fool who claims to be an astrologer. Valentine, realizing the ruin entailed by the signature of the bond, tries to move his father by submission, and fails; then pretends to be mad and unable to sign the final deed of conveyance to his brother. Finally Angelica intervenes. She induces Sir Sampson to propose marriage to her, pretends to accept, and gets possession of Valentine’s bond. When Valentine, in despair at finding that Angelica is about to marry his father, declares himself ready to sign the conveyance, she reveals the plot, tears up the bond, and declares her love for Valentine.

Production history

First performed on 30 April 1695 at Betterton’s Co., Lincoln’s Inn Fields.

Date of transmission

Sunday 10 August 1947

Time

8.30-10.00pm

Channel

BBC Television

Production company

BBC

Credits

Producer

Royston Morley

Playwright

William Congreve

Sets / Settings

Barry Learoyd

Cast

Lilian Arland	Jenny
George Benson	Ben
Elwyn Brook-Jones	Tattle
Erik Chitty (1907-1977)	Buckram
Molly Hamley-Clifford	Nurse
Joyce Heron	Angelica
Seymour Hicks	Mr Betterton
Vida Hope	Miss Prue
Richard Hurndall	Valentine
Christine Lindsay	Mrs Foresight
Pamela Matthews	Mrs Frail
Victor Platt	Servant
Kynaston Reeves	Sir Sampson Legend
Ernest Thesiger	Foresight
Irene Vanbrugh	Mrs Bracegirdle
Guy Verney	Jeremy
Mackenzie Ward	Scandal

Additional details

Origination

Live from studio

Vision original

Monochrome

Later transmissions

Presented again at 3.00pm on Tuesday 12 August 1947.

Extant status

No archival copy is known to exist.

Play tags

17th-century setting; comedy; Restoration drama

Print sources

Title

Radio Times, 8 August 1947 (Magazine)

Linking notes

listing, p. 31; illustrated article, p. 29