The Anniversary

There are two plays by this name that have been performed in South Africa:

1. The Anniversary (by Bill MacIlwraith)

2. The Anniversary (by Anton Chekhov)

The Anniversary by Bill MacIlwraith (1966)

A black comedy set during the annual celebration held to remember Mum and Dad’s wedding day. First staged in 1966, made into a film starring Bette Davis in 1968. First staged in South Africa in 1966 by Frank Shelley at the Alexander Theatre and starring Erica Rogers and Ian Hamilton.

Directed by Elliot Playfair in co-operation with CAPAB in Uitenhage in 1971.

Sources

Grütter, Wilhelm, CAPAB 25 Years, 1987. Unpublished research. p 417.

The Anniversary by Anton Chekhov (1892)

An English translation of Zhubilei by Anton Chekhov. A hilarious study of the celebrations attendant upon the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of a bank, considerably interrupted by the love-affairs of the bank manager.

South African performances

Produced in English by the National Theatre Organisation in 1953. Directed by Leonard Schach with Edna Jacobson, Robert Lang, Roma Reilly, Molly Seftel and Frank Wise. Décor by Kobus Esterhuysen.

Sources

Nicoll: World Drama, p 683.

PACOFS, 1975, directed by William Egan, starring Annelize van der Ryst, Tarina Kleyn, Pieter Strydom. (Which of the above?)

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