The Lark (play)

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The Lark (French: L'Alouette) is a 1952 play about Joan of Arc by the French playwright Jean Anouilh. . It was first presented at the Théâtre Montparnasse, Paris in October 1953. Translated into English by Christopher Fry in 1955, it was then adapted by Lillian Hellman for the Broadway production in the same year.

The play premiered in Boston at the Plymouth Theater on October 28, 1955 and opened on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre on November 17, 1955, where it ran for 229 performances, closing on June 2, 1956.^[1] Starring Julie Harris as Joan and Boris Karloff as Pierre Cauchon, the cast included; Christopher Plummer as Warwick and Paul Roebling as the Dauphin. It was directed by Joseph Anthony and produced by Kermit Bloomgarden. Leonard Bernstein composed incidental music. The opening night cast remained throughout the entire run, with the sole exception of Christopher Plummer whose character Warwick was taken up by Leo Ciceri.

The two stars of the play reprised their roles in a 1957 television production of the play, as part of the anthology series Hallmark Hall of Fame. In November 1956, the BBC screened their version, with Hazel Penwarden as Joan, and a supporting cast including Michael Caine.^[2] A different television adaptation aired in 1958 in Australia.^[3]

The first English adaptation of the play was by Christopher Fry. Produced by Tennent Productions Ltd,^[4] at Opera House, Manchester (28 March – 2 April 1955), Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool (4 – 9 April 1955), King's Theatre, Edinburgh (11 – 16 April 1955), King's Theatre, Glasgow (18 – 23 April 1955), Theatre Royal, Newcastle upon Tyne (25 – 30 April 1955), Theatre Royal, Brighton (2 – 7 May 1955), and Lyric Theatre (Hammersmith), London (11 May – 13 August 1955). The cast included: Dorothy Tutin as Joan, Laurence Naismith as Cauchon, Richard Johnson as Warwick, and Donald Pleasence as the Dauphin. It was directed by Peter Brook.^[5]