BBC Play of the Month - Season 7

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A Midsummer Night's Dream

1 - A Midsummer Night's Dream

Air Date: September 26, 1971

Mistaken identity, unrequited love, and the supernatural are combined in Shakespeare's classic set in the woods of Greece on a moonlit night.

Rasputin

2 - Rasputin

Air Date: October 24, 1971

In early 20th century Russia, a peasant monk exerts great influence upon the superstitious wife of the Russian Tsar.

Tartuffe

3 - Tartuffe

Air Date: November 28, 1971

Orgon is a man of property duped by the false piety of the penniless Tartuffe. Orgon takes him into his house, believing him a paragon of virtue. Orgon orders his daughter to reject her fiancé and marry Tartuffe.

The Cherry Orchard

4 - The Cherry Orchard

Air Date: December 19, 1971

Madamr Ranevskaya is a spoiled, aging aristocrat who returns from Paris to face the loss of her magnificent cherry orchard estate after a default on the mortgage. In denial, she continues living in the past, deluding herself and her family, while the beautiful cherry trees are being axed down by the repossessor Lopakhin, her former serf, who has his own agenda.

Summer and Smoke

5 - Summer and Smoke

Air Date: January 23, 1972

A plain, repressed spinster falls for a dashing young medical student, but he prefers the wilder life, until it's too late.

Stephen D

6 - Stephen D

Air Date: February 20, 1972

Stephen Dedalus comes of age in a Dublin changing radically as the 20th century nears.

The Merchant of Venice

7 - The Merchant of Venice

Air Date: April 16, 1972

Antonio's friend Bassanio is in love and needs money to go courting. Using Antonio as his collateral, he borrows money from Shylock. But when the debt comes due, Shylock demands repayment in the form of a pound of Antonio's flesh.

Lady Windermere's Fan

8 - Lady Windermere's Fan

Air Date: May 14, 1972

Lady Windermere suspects that her husband is having an affair with another woman; she confronts him with it.

The Playboy of the Western World

9 - The Playboy of the Western World

Air Date: June 11, 1972

She Stoops to Conquer

10 - She Stoops to Conquer

Air Date: July 23, 1972

Trelawny of the "Wells"

11 - Trelawny of the "Wells"

Air Date: August 13, 1972

A theatrical troupe from the west end of London loses its leading lady when she elopes with a wealthy young man from the other side of town.