The Sacred Flame

Summary: 1955 BBC production of The Sacred Flame by W. Somerset Maugham.
Theatre play: The Sacred Flame by W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) [more information]
Play synopsis: Maurice Tabret returned home from the First World War, married his sweetheart Stella, and was then crippled in a plane crash. At the start of the play he lives with Stella and his mother, and is looked after devotedly by Nurse Wayland. Then one morning he is found dead in bed and Nurse Wayland says she believes he has been murdered. The play explores whether this was the case, and if so who the muderer might have been.
Production history: First produced in New York in November 1928 and then in London in February 1929.
Date of transmission: Sunday 10 July 1955
Time: 8.30-10.00pm
Channel: BBC Television
Production company: BBC

Producer

Hal Burton

Playwright

W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965)

Designer

Hal Burton

Cast

Title: Copper on the Hearth (Magazine review)
Author/creator: Philip Hope-Wallace (Author)
Reference: The Listener, 14 July 1955, p. 77
Notes: Brief discussion of The Romantic Young Lady with photograph.
Of The Sacred Flame: ‘Marie Ney, who as the all-wise giver of life who believes she also has the right to extinguish that life, offered us, especially in the last scene of self-justification, a beautifully poised and unforced piece of acting.'

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