A great novel of the theatre – a book from 1931 (1)

This wonderful frontispiece by Rex Whistler sets the tone for a marvellous novel by the important inter-war feminist writer Clemence Dane. Clemence Dane was the pseudonym of Winifred Ashton CBE (1888-1965). Ashton had a successful and varied career in writing beginning with the novel ‘Regiment of Women’ (1914) and ending with a great favourite of mine – a non-fiction work ‘London has a Garden’ in 1964. Highlights in between include the highly successful play of 1921 ‘A Bill of Divorcement’ which went on to be filmed three times and the play of 1949 ‘Marriage Lines.’ Ashton collaborated with writer Helen Simpson on several successful crime novels beginning with ‘Enter Sir John’ in 1928. She had a successful period as a screenwriter and was the recipient of an Academy Award.

But back to the Broomes. Broome stages was the work of a year and is a big novel in all senses of the word. It was the work of a year as Dane makes clear…

‘Broome Stages’ is a long but highly readable novel from 1931 which follows the fortunes of a great theatrical family over a period of two centuries. What makes it stand out to me is how it captures the emotionally charged, obsessional world who make their professional lives in the world of the theatre.

The novel begins with the birth of the first of the dynasty Richard Broome born in 1715.

The acting story begins with the young boy Dick Broome encounters a crowd unexpectedly round a local tithe barn. He climbs a tree, climbs onto the roof and then literally falls into Fairyland when he falls and ends up in the midst of the strolling players.

We follow Broome’s descendants then through the establishment of a great theatrical dynasty reaching its heights in the nineteenth century with a clutch of London theatres, successful careers in the United States and concludes with the theatrical family facing up to the future challenges posed by the cinema.

The book captures the world of the theatre vividly but its great strength is capturing the emotional world of the actor, the nature and shades of the obsession to perform.

A key moment in the novel captures the great Victorian actor William Broome suddenly at the moment when his customary trance-like performance is interrupted by a surge in the audience and suddenly and shockingly finds himself surrounded by the audience. His estranged wife tries to recover him and his performance.

I’ll leave the last words to the reviewer in the News Chronicle on July 20th 1931, the novel’s publication day…

‘According to the end-paper the book took exactly one year to write. Ridiculous! It is the work of a life-time. It’s actual period of production simply means that Miss Clemence Dane locked her door on the world, went into retreat for 12 months, rolled up her sleeves, and delivered her mind of its load…Let me say straightway, in positive, unmistakeable words, that this work is mellow, mature and magnificently successful. Compared with it any half-dozen ordinarily reputable novels dwindle to the stature of mere runts.’