Overview

Synopsis

Written in the midst of wartime and highly influenced by Terence Rattigan’s own experiences as a tailgunner during World War Two, Flare Path offers a witty yet profound take on the unerring British wartime spirit. In a small Lincolnshire hotel, neighboring the local RAF airbase, an array of pilots and their crews gather each night following harrowing air raids. On this night, several of them are joined by their wives, who must now send their husbands off into the skies. Patricia Graham has come to see her husband Teddy, but she is also joined by her former lover who is now very much in her present. As she faces the dilemma of which man to choose, ex-barmaid Dolly keeps an upbeat, positive exterior while waiting anxiously at the window to track the journey of her Polish pilot husband, Count Skricevinsky. As the residents of the hotel gather in the aftermath of a particularly dangerous nighttime raid over the Rhineland, will all the resident crew make it back in one piece?

Show Information

Book
Terence Rattigan
Category
Play
Age Guidance
Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
Number of Acts
3
First Produced
1942
Genres
Drama, Historical/Biographical
Settings
Period, Unit/Single Set
Time & Place
The Falcon Hotel, Lincolnshire, Early 1940s
Cast Size
medium
Licensor
Nick Hern Book
Ideal For
College/University, Community Theatre, Regional Theatre, Professional Theatre, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Adult, Mature Adult, Late Teen, Young Adult Characters, Medium Cast

Context

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Plot

Characters

Name Part Size Gender Vocal Part

Countess Skricevinsky (Doris)

Lead

Female

Non-singer

Peter Kyle

Lead

Male

Non-singer

Flight Lieutenant Graham (Teddy)

Lead

Male

Non-singer

Patricia Warren (Mrs Graham)

Lead

Female

Non-singer

Mrs Oakes

Supporting

Female

Non-singer

Sergeant Miller (Dusty)

Supporting

Male

Non-singer

Percy

Supporting

Male

Non-singer

Flying Officer Count Skriczevinsky

Supporting

Male

Non-singer

Mrs Miller (Maude)

Supporting

Female

Non-singer

Squadron Leader Swanson

Supporting

Male

Non-singer

Corporal Jones (Wiggy)

Featured

Male

Non-singer

Songs

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A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.

Monologues

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Scenes

All scenes are the property and copyright of their owners. Scenes are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only. If you would like to give a public performance of this scene, please obtain authorization from the appropriate licensor.

Key Terms

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Videos

Quizzes

Themes, Symbols & Motifs

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Quote Analysis

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Guide Written By:

Alexandra Appleton

Alexandra Appleton

Writer, editor and theatre researcher