Black Chiffon
Black Chiffon is a play in two acts written by Lesley Storm. Starring Flora Robson, the play premiered at the Westminster Theatre in London's West End on 3 May 1949, running for over 400 performances. The play debuted on Broadway on 27 September 1950 and ran until 13 January 1951, totalling 109 performances. That production starred Janet Barrow (Nannie), Richard Gale (Roy Christie), Patricia Hicks (Louise), Raymond Huntley (Robert Christie), Anthony Ireland (Dr. Bennett Hawkins), Patricia Marmont (Thea), and Flora Robson (Alicia Christie), and was produced by John Wildberg. Three television adaptations have been made. The American adaptation was broadcast on 20 April 1954 as part of ABC's The Motorola Television Hour; the stars were Judith Anderson, Leora Dana, and Martyn Green. The British adaptation was broadcast on 4 July 1959 as part of the BBC's 'Saturday Playhouse' series; the stars were Jane Baxter, Ralph Michael and Geoffrey Keen. Additionally, an Australian adaptation aired 25 February 1959 in Melbourne on ABC station ABV-2,[1] a kinescope of the program was shown in Sydney on ABN-2 on 11 March 1959.
Synopsis
On the eve of her beloved son's society wedding, the highly respected Alicia Christie makes one defiant criminal gesture - a cry for help - when she steals a black chiffon nightdress from a reputable department store. This play is a psychological study of a woman driven finally to the edge due to the cumulative stresses and strains placed upon her by her demanding and divided family. The results are absorbing and deeply moving to witness.