| Elizabeth the Queen | |
|---|---|
First edition 1930
| |
| Written by | Maxwell Anderson |
| Date premiered | November 27, 1930 |
| Place premiered | Guild Theatre New York City |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Drama |
| Setting | various parts of Whitehall palace |
Elizabeth the Queen was a 1930 Broadway three-act play written in blank versebyMaxwell Anderson, produced by the Theatre Guild, directed by Philip Moeller and with scenic and costume design by Lee Simonson. It ran for 147 performances from November 3, 1930, to March 1931 at the Guild Theatre. The starring roles were played by Lynn FontanneasElizabeth and Alfred LuntasLord Essex.
It was adapted into a film The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939) directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Bette Davis, Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland and a television movie, Elizabeth the Queen (1968) directed by George Schaefer and starring Judith Anderson and Charlton Heston.
On radio, it has been adapted four times: for NBC's "Great Plays" program on WJZ (May 7, 1939), with Mady Christians and Wesley Addy;[1]onMatinee Theater (December 17, 1944) with Judith Evelyn and Victor Jory; on The Theatre Guild on the Air (December 2, 1945) with Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt and on Best Plays (November 9, 1952) with Eva Le Gallienne.
The play revolves around the turbulent love affair between the aging Queen Elizabeth I of England and her much younger suitor Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, who is ambitious for the throne.
Multiple roles as Courtiers, Guards, Men-at-arms:
