The White Heather (play)


The White Heather is an 1897 melodrama by playwrights Cecil Raleigh and Henry Hamilton. The climactic scene of the play portrays a fight between two underwater divers.

Background

The play debuted at Drury Lane on 16 September 1897, the first produced by new managing director Arthur Collins. Typical of Drury Lane shows of the period, the elaborate production ran for four hours, and included scenes set at the Stock Exchange, Battersea Park, Boulter's Lock, and the Devonshire House Ball of 1897. It had an initial run of 91 performances until 15 December 1897 and returned for 43 more performances from 12 May to 25 June 1898. The Princess's Theatre revived the play in 1899 with Eily Malyon in the cast for 31 performances.
Upon its debut in London, Charles Frohman's London representative William Lestocq immediately acquired the American rights. The play had a successful 184-performance New York run at the Academy of Music from 22 November 1897 to 30 April 1898.
It was adapted into a silent film of the same name in 1919.

Original London cast

The primary cast included Mrs. John Wood, Henry Neville, Beatrice Lamb, Patti Browne, Kate Rorke, Dawson Milward, and Robert Loraine.