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PRODUCTION: The Happy Journey - One Act Play (Drama) PRODUCTION DATE: Spring 1955 DIRECTED BY: Sheila Rumney STAGED: St. Andrews Hall, Burgess Hill SYNOPSIS: The play dramatises the Kirby family's simple journey in their Chevrolet to elder daughter Beulah's house in Camden. But there is more to this play than the banal rituals of a family excursion. Along the way, Ma reprimands her son Arthur for his wisecrack about her pious devotion to God. Her daughter Caroline is a daydreamer, but when she spits out of the car window, Ma scolds her too. Ma is a strong woman who has a habit of sitting in judgment of other people, but she cares little about what others think of her. She has lost a son to war, so she is resigned to the inevitability of death and knows people must continue to go about their business, placing their faith in a benevolent God, even if mankind doesn't understand how he controls the universe. PLAYWRIGHT: Although more generally known and referred to as 'The Happy Journey', the full title of this short play is actually ' The Happy Journey To Trenton & Camden' and was written by Thornton Wilder in 1931. BHTC NOTES: Performed as an evening of three short plays it is not clear from the information available how many performances were involved.
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