The Tragedy of Pompey the Great

Summary

1950 BBC live studio production of John Masefield’s drama about the Roman general Pompey, titled The Tragedy of Pompey the Great.

Theatre play

The Tragedy of Pompey the Great by John Masefield [more information]

Play synopsis

A play about the career of the Roman general and politican. The action takes place between 50 BC and 48 BC, and the the three main scenes are set in Pompey’s house near Rome, the staff officers’ tent at Dyrrachium and on the deck of a merchantman off the Egyptian coast.

Production history

First performed by the Stage Society in 1910; published in 1914.

Date of transmission

Sunday 24 September 1950

Time

8.20-9.50pm

Channel

BBC Television

Production company

BBC

Credits

Producer

Douglas Allen

Playwright

John Masefield

Sets / Settings

Stephen Bundy

Cast

Stanley Baker	Acilius
Frank Birch	Ship-Captain
Reginald Birke
Barry Blake
Alban Blakelock	Lucius Lucceius / Septimius
Robert Brown	Cotta
Richard Caldicot	Lentulus
James Carney	Pompey
Geoffrey Curtis
Isabel Dean	Antistia
Roy Dean	Gaulish Lancer / Achillas Egyptian
John Francis
Alan Gore-Lewis
Kim Grant
David Greene	Domitius Ahenobarbus
Rachel Gurney	Cornelia
Harry Hearne
Jack Livesey	Metellus Scipio
Shelley Lynn	Julia
Roy Nightingale
Kenneth Osborne
George Skillan	Theophanes
Edward [Eddie] Sutch	Ship-boy
Leonard White	Cato / Mate
John Witty	Philip

Additional details

Origination

Live from studio

Vision original

Monochrome

Later transmissions

Presented again on Thursday 28 September at 8.30pm.

Extant status

No archival copy is known to exist.

Play tags

ancient Rome and colonies

Print sources

Title

Radio Times, 22 September 1950 (Magazine)

Linking notes

listing, p. 42; article by Lionel Hale, ‘Pompey, The Noble Roman’, p. 40