Richard Addinsell: Ring Round the Moon (1950)

Christopher Fry’s adaptation and translation of French playwright Jean Anouilh’s comedy L’Invitation au Chateau, renamed as Ring Round the Moon was a popular play in the early 1950s. It is best recalled today (where at all) in the performance which opened at the Globe Theatre, London on 25 January 1950. This production starred Paul Scofield, Margaret Rutherford, Cecil Trouncer and Audrey Fildes.

The play is set in a grand estate in France, the story explores themes of love, mistaken identity, and the complexities of human relationships. The plot revolves around Hugo, a wealthy and aloof man, who is planning to marry a beautiful, but spoiled, woman Diana Messerschmann. However, Hugo’s twin brother, the more playful and free-spirited Frederic, secretly arranges a romantic twist to disrupt his brother’s engagement. Through a series of misunderstandings and hidden motives, the characters navigate the intricacies of love, identity, and societal expectations. Anouilh/Fry uses wit and humour to examine the nature of love, and the illusions people hold about themselves and others. The play's light-hearted tone contrasts with its underlying reflections on personal freedom and the search for happiness in a world full of complications.

The incidental music was provided by English composer Richard Addinsell (1904-77) (of Warsaw Concerto fame). Philip Lane in the liner notes for the only commercial recording of this work (Dutton Epoch, CDLX 7209) explains that he was able to reconstruct the score from tapes that were hired to amateur dramatic societies. He scored it for a “modestly sized orchestra, albeit a little fuller than originally.”

The Suite: Ring Round the Moon contains eight short movements, most bearing the title of a dance. It begins positively, with a fetching Prelude, complete with an obligato for piano. The second is a spry Two Step that Addinsell would later reuse in The Prince and the Showgirl (1957) starring Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier. The Invitation Waltz was later made into a standalone concert piece and was also used in the film Woman in a Dressing Gown (1957). It is a wistful, haunting piece. The longest number is the Tango, with its lugubrious, Latin-American lilt. Things become happier with the cheery Light Waltz: it is a quintessential piece of light music. Equally merry is the jolly Polka. The penultimate number is a Sad Waltz which lives up to its title. Very much a piece of its time. Happiness is restored with the vibrant Galop.

Listen to Richard Addinsell’s Suite: Ring Round the Moon on YouTube, here (scroll down on the right hand side for the individual movements). The BBC Concert Orchestra is conducted by Roderick Dunk.