In 1930s Britain, an Office Lothario and the Women Who Endure Him
Laura Collins-HughesFebruary 25, 2014: In the early 1930s, when the Great Depression had the planet in its grip, the playwright John van Druten could be counted on to provide Broadway audiences with a particular brand of escape: sophisticated modern comedies set amid London’s privileged classes. The many smart women in van Druten plays like There’s Always Juliet, After All and The Distaff Side wrestled with questions of autonomy and purpose. But if they joined the work force, it wasn’t for the cash. Of that, they had plenty. Money is hardly a given, however, for the typists at the center of van Druten’s lively 1931 office comedy, London Wall, a provocative, socially conscious bit of fun that never made it to Broadway.
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