The Cocktail Party

Summary: BBC production of T. S. Eliot’s The Cocktail Party.
Theatre play: The Cocktail Party by T. S. Eliot (1888-1965) [more information]
Play synopsis: The play ‘focuses on a troubled married couple who, through the intervention of a mysterious stranger, settle their problems and move on with their lives. The play starts out seeming to be a light satire of the traditional British drawing room comedy. As it progresses, however, the work becomes a darker philosophical treatment of human relations. As in many of Eliot’s works, the play uses absurdist elements to expose the isolation of the human condition. In another recurring theme of Eliot’s plays, the Christian martyrdom of the mistress character is seen as a sacrifice that permits the predominantly secular life of the community to continue.' Elements of the play draw on Euripides’ Alcestis. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cocktail_Party.)
Production history: 'The Cocktail Party was first performed at the Edinburgh Festival in 1949. In 1950 the play had successful runs in London and New York theaters’ (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cocktail_Party.)
Date of transmission: Tuesday 29 January 1952
Time: 8.00-10.00pm
Channel: BBC Television
Production company: BBC

Director

Michael Barry

Producer

Desmond Davis

Playwright

T. S. Eliot (1888-1965)

Adapted for Television by

Desmond Davis

Set Designer

Barry Learoyd

Introduced by

Harold Hobson

Cast

Title: BBC Television: The Cocktail Party (Newspaper review)
Reference: The Times, 5 April 1957, p. 3
Linking notes: this 1957 review mentions the first television performance of the play, now dated to 29 January 1952

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