Miles Malleson had roles in Hitchcock’s Stage Fright and Anthony Asquith’s The Importance of Being Earnest, but he was also a playwright. The Mint Theater specializes in obscure but excellent plays. It put on a production of Yours Unfaithfully on in 2016 and videotaped it in high definition. Now, you can view it for FREE (like I did) at minttheater.org until May 16, 2021.
Yours Unfaithfully (1933) tells the story of an open marriage, one in which Anne (Elisabeth Gray) encourages Stephen (Max von Essen), her unhappy husband, to have an affair with the exceedingly attractive widow, Diana ( Mikaela Izquierdo). As you might suspect, the theory of a three-way relationship rubs up against the practicalities…and costs.
I thought Elisabeth Gray as the wife performed superbly (and I’m not just saying that because she is a redhead). The entire cast is solid and the direction of Jonathan Bank, the company’s producing artistic director, is smooth and sophisticated. Miles Malleson had two open marriages so all of the action on the stage projects credibility. If you’re looking for a serious comedy, Yours Unfaithfully will make you langh…and think. GRADE: A
Interesting that he used his own life to inform his play. Of course I recognize his name, but until looking at the Wikipedia entry I couldn’t have said what he looked like. Malleson was a cousin of Lucy Malleson, best known by her pseudonym of Anthony Gilbert, so writing ran in that family. I’ve never seen one of his plays. We have seen at least one or two Mint Theater Company productions, and they send me (well, sent me) flyers whenever a new production is coming out.
Jeff, the Mint Theater is also offering another Malleson play, CONFLICT. I plan to watch that one soon, too.
Love these plays online. Thanks!
Patti, I’m going to send the Mint Theater a check in hopes they keep offering their plays online.
I remember him fondly as a solid presence in movies from THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EAERNEST to BRIDES OF DRACULA, and a memorable money-grubber in SCROOGE and QUEEN OF HEARTS, but it would never occur to me that Miles Malleson would have the wherewithal to support an open marriage.
Dan, Malleson managed to experience TWO open marriages. He must have been quite a guy!