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
Plot
Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
Songs
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
Scenes
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
Writer, editor and theatre researcher