84 Charing Cross Road

The Playhouse Theatre Cheltenham, Saturday 18th – Saturday 25th September 2010

Recommend this production to your friends.

The Cast

Helene Hanff – Judi Allan
Frank Doel – Jason Blackburn
Cecily Farr – Carol Bowman
Megan Wells – Cathy Penney
Mr Martin – Mike Mackenzie
William Humphries – Stephen Santouris
Maxine Stuart – Kate Bennett
Joan Todd – Margo Thompson

84 Charing Cross Road - The Plot

In 1949 Helene Hanff, in search of obscure classics and British literature titles she has been unable to find in New York City, notices an ad placed by antiquarian booksellers Marks & Co located at the titular address in London in the Saturday Review of Literature. She contacts the shop and manager Frank Doel fulfills her requests.

A long distance friendship evolves over time, not only between the two but between Hanff and other staff members as well, including birthday gifts, holiday packages, and food parcels to compensate for post-World War II food shortages in England. Their correspondence includes discussions about topics as diverse as the sermons of John Donne, how to make Yorkshire Pudding, the Brooklyn Dodgers, and the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.Hanff postpones visiting her English friends until too late: Doel dies in December 1968 and the bookshop eventually closes. She finally visits Charing Cross Road and the vacant shop in the summer of 1971.

Acknowledgements

CODS would like to thank the following for their help and support in making this production possible:

INPRINT Bookshop, Stroud, Steve Maggs of www.84charingcrossroad, Sue MacGregor – Presenter of 'A Good Read' BBC Radio 4, and all members and friends of the society who have given their time and talent to help.