Lonsdale, Frederick
The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre
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1996
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© The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre 1996, originally published by Oxford University Press 1996. (Hide copyright information)
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Lonsdale, Frederick [ Frederick Leonard] (1881–1954), English dramatist, who was responsible for the librettos of several
musical comedies, among them
The Maid of the Mountains (1917),
Monsieur Beaucaire (1919), and
Madame Pompadour (1923). He is best remembered, however, as the author of a number of comedies of contemporary manners somewhat in the style of Somerset
Maugham, though with less subtlety. The best known are
Aren't We All? (London and NY, 1923),
Spring Cleaning (NY, 1923; London, 1925),
The Last of Mrs Cheyney (London and NY, 1925),
On Approval (NY, 1926; London, 1927),
The High Road (1927; NY, 1928), and
Canaries Sometimes Sing (1929; NY, 1930). All gave scope for good, brittle, sophisticated acting, and stars of the calibre of Gladys
Cooper and Yvonne
Arnaud appeared successfully in them. Their amusing situations, easy and effective dialogue, and rich, worldly, and well-bred characters made them immensely popular in their day. Lonsdale's later plays, which include
Another Love Story (NY, 1943; London, 1944),
The Way Things Go (1950), and
Let Them Eat Cake (produced posthumously in 1959), were not so popular.
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