Plague Over England - Duchess Theatre

Plague Over England

This play has concluded its current run


This show has finished its current run


Plague over England

Plague Over England is based around the controversial 1953 conviction of Sir John Gielgud - for persistently importuning men for immoral purposes in a Chelsea mews. He received a standing ovation at his next stage appearance.

Gielgud is a member of the short list of entertainers with the distinction of having won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony award.

Arthur John Gielgud was born in South Kensington in London to a Protestant mother, Kate Terry, and a Catholic father, Frank Gielgud, and was raised a Protestant.

More than just a dramatization of a scandalous event in one actor's life, this new play shows how Gielgud's arrest played a small but distinct part in the battle to make homosexuality legal.

Plague Over England captures the spirit of Britain in the early 1950s when judges, politicians and the national press were describing homosexuality as a cancer, an epidemic and a threat to national life. It is an extraordinary insight into the dramatic changes in social attitudes to gay life in the last fifty years.

Biographer Sheridan Morley wrote that while Gielgud never denied being homosexual, he always tried to be discreet about it and felt humiliated by the ordeal. Some have even speculated that it helped to bring to public attention a crusade to decriminalise homosexuality in England and Wales.
Plague Over England

This show has finished its current run

Show Information

Booking From:
February 11th 2009
To: May 16th 2009

Matinees:
Wednesday and Saturday 3:00pm

Evenings:
Monday to Saturday 7.45pm

Running Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Duchess Theatre Information

Duchess Theatre Seating Plan

Duchess Theatre
Catherine Street, London, WC2B 5LA

Nearest Underground: Covent Garden (Piccadilly line)

Bus Routes: 6, 9, 11, 13, 15, 77A, 91, 176

Nearest Rail: Charing Cross
Duchess Theatre Directions: Take the Piccadilly Line to Covent Garden and exit into the piazza. The theatre is approximately 10 minutes walk.

Disabled toilets
Air-conditioned
Wheelchair access
Infra Red