Twin Beds (1914 play)

Twin Beds
Scene from Act 2
Written bySalisbury Field and Margaret Mayo
Date premieredFulton Theatre, Broadway August 14, 1914 (1914-08-14)
Original languageEnglish
GenreComedy

Twin Beds is a 1914 comedic play by Salisbury Field and Margaret Mayo, based on Field's 1913 novel of the same name, which played on Broadway and was also the basis for multiple film adaptations. The play debuted on August 14, 1914, at the Fulton Theatre, and ran on Broadway for 411 performances.[citation needed]

The play was not immediately a success upon release despite getting positive reviews,[1][2][3][4][5][6] perhaps due to the start of World War I. Producer William Harris Jr. then engaged in a wild marketing scheme where trucks with big ads for the show, pulled by horses, would "break down" at busy intersections. Soon the show was playing to packed houses.[7]

Prior to opening, there was a brief controversy over alleged similarities between the play and the play Apartment 12 K which had been rushed to opening to beat it. Though the plays have a similar opening gambit, they were not the same, and Apartment 12 K only had a short unsuccessful run.[8] Four warmup performances of Twin Beds the week before opening on Broadway were done at the Savoy Theatre in Asbury Park, New Jersey.[9]

By June 1915, the play shifted from the Fulton Theatre to the Harris Theatre, where it completed its 411-performance run.[10][11] Irene Haisman replaced Madge Kennedy and Reginald Denny replaced John Westley for the Harris run.[12] Multiple companies embarked on road tours around August 1915.[13]

The Oxford Companion to American Theatre describes the play as "one of the era's most popular comedies."[14]

Madge Kennedy (left) and Ray Cox in Act Two
  1. ^ The New Plays, Theatre Magazine, p. 154 (October 1914)
  2. ^ Darnton, Charles (15 August 1914). The New Plays: "Twin Beds" Will Make You Laugh Till You're Tired, New York World
  3. ^ (15 August 1914). 'Twin Beds' Wins With Its Novelty: Flutter of Pajamas and Peignoirs, and All Innocent Fun at the Fulton, The New York Times
  4. ^ Davies, Actor (15 August 1914). "Twin Beds" Opens Fulton Theatre - A Bright Little Farce, with Clever Characterizations - Miss Ray Cox Wins the Comedy Honors - Georgia Laurence and Madge Kennedy Also Score - Margaret Mayo's Success, New York Tribune, p. 9, col. 1.
  5. ^ (July 1914). Little Stories of the New Plays, Green Book Magazine, pp. 90-91
  6. ^ Bruno, Edward (November 1914). (A Story-ized Review of "Twin Beds", Green Book Magazine
  7. ^ Bordman, Gerald. American Theatre: A Chronicle of Comedy and Drama 1914-1930, p. 4 (1995)
  8. ^ (22 August 2014). Stage Letter, The Day Book
  9. ^ (9 August 1914). New Productions, New York Tribune, p. 5
  10. ^ (5 June 1915). Plays to Make Summer Runs, New York World (reporting that 350th performance would be Wednesday June 9, 1915)
  11. ^ (14 July 1915). "Twin Beds" Near 400th Mark, New York World (400th performance is coming next week)
  12. ^ (4 July 1915). Harris Has Newcomers - Irene Haisman and Reginald Denny Now in "Twin Beds", New York Tribune
  13. ^ (25 August 1915). News of Plays and Players, New York Tribune
  14. ^ The Oxford Companion to American Theatre, p. 629 (2004)