Wednesday 20 June 1928 London and Daventry 9.35-11

Incidental Music by Percy Pitt, played by the Wireless Symphony Orchestra Conducted by Percy Pitt

Giovanni Malatesta, ‘The Hunchback’ (Tyrant of Rimini) - Harcourt Williams
Paolo, ‘The Handsome’ (brother of Giovanni) - Robert Donat
Valentino - Robert Speaight
Corrado - Bruce Belfrage
Luigi - Patrick Waddington
Carlo (Servant to Giovanni) - Herbert Lugg
Francesca da Rimini - Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies
Lucrezia Degl’ Onesti - Dorothy Green
Nita (Maid to Francesca) - Ivy Des Voeux
Angela (a blind and Aged Servant) - Dorothy Holmes-Gore
Guests, Courtiers, Soldiers, Servants, etc.

Rimini - 1285
Scene I. - The Hall in the Castle of the Malatesta
Scene 2 - A Hall in the Palance
Scene 3 - A Lane Outside the Wall of the Castle Garden, near a postern door

In 1285, Rimini, on the shores of the Adriatic, was the stronghold of Malatesta. The First Tyrant of Rimini left two sons, Giovanni, a man of invincible courage, inflexible will, impulsive, lame, deformed and ugly, and Paolo, so handsome and debonair that he was called ‘Il Bello’.

Lucrezia, their tall, dark cousin, wsa a childless widow, not young, but still beautiful. She loved no one by Giovanni.

When Polenta of Ravenna gave his daughter Francesca to be the seal of his alliance with his neighbour of Rimini, Paolo was sent to bring home his brother’s bride.

The first scene of the tragedy shows Giovanni standing in his gloomy Hall surrounded by his guests and retainers.