Dear Octopus

First edition

Dear Octopus is a comedy by the playwright and novelist Dodie Smith. It opened at the Queen's Theatre, London on 14 September 1938. On the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, the run was halted after 373 performances;[1] after a spell in the provinces in early 1940, the play was brought back to London, and played two further runs there until 31 August 1940.[2]

The play depicts the relationships between three generations of a large family. The "dear octopus" of the title refers to the family itself, whose tentacles its members can never escape.[3]

  1. ^ Gaye, p. 1530
  2. ^ "Bournemouth", The Times, 5 January 1940 p. 2; "The Theatres", The Times 6 May 1940, p. 4; and "The Theatres", The Times 31 August 1940, p. 6
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference ivor was invoked but never defined (see the help page).