Sabrina Fair | |
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![]() First edition 1954 | |
Written by | Samuel A. Taylor |
Characters | Linus Larrabee Jr. Sabrina Fairchild David Larrabee Maude Larrabee, Julia Ward McKinlock, Linus Larrabee Sr., Margaret, Gretchen, Mr. Fairchild, A Young Woman, A Young Man, Another Young Woman, Another Young Man, Paul D'Argenson |
Date premiered | November 11, 1953 |
Place premiered | National Theatre New York City, New York |
Original language | English |
Genre | Romantic Comedy |
Setting | The North Shore of Long Island about an hour from New York. |
Sabrina Fair (subtitled "A Woman of the World") is a romantic comedy written by Samuel A. Taylor and produced by the Playwrights' Company. It ran on Broadway for a total of 318 performances, opening at the National Theatre on November 11, 1953. Directed by H. C. Potter, with sets and lights designed by Donald Oenslager, it starred Margaret Sullavan and Joseph Cotten, with Cathleen Nesbitt, John Cromwell, and Russell Collins in major supporting roles.
The critic for The New York Times, Brooks Atkinson, praised both the script and the production for its droll wit, writing that "One of the most attractive qualities of Sabrina Fair is the opportunity it provides for enjoying the foibles and crises of some fairly scrupulous human beings."[1] For Atkinson, the play's clever dialogue placed it beyond a Cinderella romance and into the more exalted realm of high comedy, in the tradition of S. N. Behrman, Philip Barry, and W. Somerset Maugham.[1]
The play has been adapted into two films, a 1954 version starring Audrey Hepburn and a 1995 remake with Julia Ormond.