ALONE IN LONDON

Alone in London was Robert Buchanan’s greatest popular success as a playwright and yet he disowned it. Judging by the plot synopsis given in the reviews it was certainly no worse than any of his other melodramas, and I always presumed it was its success which made him sell the rights, not wishing to be remembered merely as the co-author of Alone in London. However, reading about the troubled opening of the play at the Olympic Theatre in London, and the ensuing court case, one wonders whether he just wanted to be rid of it and had no idea of how successful it would become in other hands. Of course, one can speculate as to how things may have turned out if Buchanan had not sold the rights, presumably he would have avoided bankruptcy in 1894 and perhaps that would have extended his life for a few more years. And, of course, one also wonders what effect it all had on Harriett Jay, the co-author of the play. One does detect a hint of bitterness in that passage from her biography of Buchanan: “taking my consent for granted, he sold the piece for an absurdly small sum to Messrs. Miller and Elliston, and so parted with the goose which laid the golden eggs.”

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Contents:

1. Alone in London in America

     i. Buchanan’s account of the American origins of the play from the Olympic programme.

    ii. Extracts from reviews of the American productions.

   iii. Articles and reviews from The New York Times about Alone in London.

   iv. Articles and reviews from The New York Times about Fascination.

2. Alone in London in London

     i. Programme for the performance of Alone in London on Saturday, 7th November, 1885.

    ii. Article from the Pall Mall Gazette about the opening night at the Olympic Theatre.

   iii. Extracts of reviews from the Programme.

   iv. Reviews from The Times and The Penny Illustrated Paper.

    v. “First Night Audiences and Blackmailers.” A Letter to The Times from the authors.

   vi. Roselle v. Conover. An account of a court case involving Alone in London.

3. Alone in London after the Olympic

     i. Additional reviews of provincial tours and revivals.

    ii. Alone in London - the film.

4. Alone in London - the Programme

    (Other pages from The Olympic Programme and Looker-On - 7th November, 1885.)

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Back to Bibliography, Plays, Theatre Reviews, Harriett Jay Reviews or Buchanan’s Theatrical Ventures in America.