The Duke in Darkness

The Duke in Darkness
First edition, 1943
Written by	Patrick Hamilton
Date premiered	September 7, 1942 (1942-09-07)
Place premiered	Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, Scotland
Original language	English
Genre	Psychological drama
Setting	Around 1580 in the imaginary French province of Lamorre

The Duke in Darkness is a 1942 play by Patrick Hamilton. A psychological drama set during the French Wars of Religion, it was first staged September 7, 1942, at the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh. It ran for 72 performances (October 8 – December 5, 1942) at the St. James Theatre, London, and had a brief run on Broadway in 1944.

Plot

In 1580, during the French Civil Wars, the Duke of Latteraine has been imprisoned in the Chateau Lamorre for 15 years, together with his servant, Gribaud. The Duke has feigned blindness in the hope that it will aid his eventual escape. As the two men play a tense game of chess, it becomes evident that confinement has caused Gribaud to lose his reason. They are visited by an erstwhile friend named Voulain, now in the service of the enemy, who tries to persuade the Duke that he is still loyal to him. Voulain sets out a daring plan of escape. The Duke must decide whether he can be trusted—and determine what to do with a loyal, mad companion who could be the plan's undoing.

Production

The Duke in Darkness had its premiere September 7, 1942, at the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh. The original London production was presented October 8 – December 5, 1942, at the St. James Theatre. Running 72 performances, the three-act drama was directed by Michael Redgrave.

• Michael Redgrave as Gribaud
• Leslie Banks as the Duke of Latteraine
• Hugh Burden as Voulain
• D. J. Williams as Chauvet
• Fred Groves as Marteau
• Walter Fitzgerald as the Duke of Lamorre
• Richmond Nairne as the Count d'Aublaye

Broadway production

The Duke in Darkness was presented at the Playhouse Theatre in New York City January 24 – February 12, 1944. The cast included Edgar Stehli (Gribaud), Philip Merivale (Duke of Latteraine) and Raymond Burr (Voulain).

Adaptations

The Duke in Darkness was adapted for a live 90-minute BBC television presentation on March 11, 1948. No recording of the broadcast is known to exist. It was filmed for Australian TV in 1957.

Orlando Wells revised and adapted Hamilton's play for a stage revival April 16 – May 13, 2013, at the Tabard Theatre, London.

See also

• List of live television plays broadcast on Australian Broadcasting Corporation (1950s)

External links

• The Duke in Darkness at the Internet Broadway Database
• The Duke in Darkness (1948 TV adaptation) at IMDb
• The Duke in Darkness (1957 TV adaptation) at IMDb