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Curzon Dobell

Phyl

October 23, 2026

The Mint Theater Company, in its relentless search for forgotten dramatic plums still ripe for the picking, has come up with another juicy one in Cicely Hamilton’s 1911 British dramedy, "Phyl," never published but preserved in manuscript at the British Library. Hamilton (1872–1952) was a London-born actress, playwright, novelist, journalist, and suffragette. Her 1908 "Diana of Dobson’s" was successfully revived by the Mint in 2001 (and will be given a reading on October 23). She had an independent, free-thinking streak not unlike that of Phyllis (“Phyl”) Chester, the refreshingly outspoken heroine who gives her name to "Phyl" (which Hamilton dubbed a “comedy”). [more]

A Day by the Sea

August 30, 2016

Now that we have been through all the angry play movements, literate writers like N.C. Hunter and Terence Rattigan are once again ripe for revival. While in his own time, Hunter was criticized for being too much like Chekhov that now seems a plus in the days of sloppy craftsmanship and plays that are really movie scenarios staged in the theater. "A Picture of Autumn" was obviously a post-war British variation on Chekhov’s "The Cherry Orchard," while Waters of the Moon resembles "The Sea Gull." "A Day by the Sea" owes a great deal to Chekhov’s "Uncle Vanya" and includes the same basic cast of characters. [more]