The Old Broom Sub Title A Comedy in Three Acts AUTHOR George Shiels Setting Broom's House, in Purdystown, and a lodging-house in Belfast, over a twenty-four hour period. Synopsis Archy and Emily are an embarrassment to Archy's well-to-do family, with Archy himself having served time, and Emily being the family's former servant girl. Under an agreement with the family, they go to England, and as long as they stay there, they are to receive a regular allowance. But when the couple's home in Coventry is bombed, Emily demands to return home, and when they do Archy's family is outraged. Demanding a return on their agreement should the couple stay, they swiftly discover Emily's shrewdness. As she plays their nuisance value off against family relationships,events take some rather unexpected twists. PLAY TYPE Plays General Number of Acts Full-Length Cast Size Male 5 Cast Size Female 5 Date of First Production 3 April 1944 Production Produced by Ulster Group Theatre ORIGINAL VENUE Group Theatre Original Cast Emily Broom Elizabeth Begley Sarah Frailey Ella Boyd Tom Frailey Jack Gavin Rachel Broom Georgina Hadden Landlady Mary Hughes Hubert Dobie Walter B. Kennedy Ben Broom R.H. MacCandless Austin Broom Henry Robinson Archy Broom Joseph Tomelty Barbara Broom Jean Woods Production Team Decor by Henry Robinson General Manager Joseph Tomelty Produced by R.H. MacCandless Stage Manager Dan Fitzpatrick Records and Reproduction W. Erskine Mayne CLICK HERE for information on script availability, production rights and translations for this play Information for this entry was taken from the original production programme, the published script, press cuttings and from the Theatre and Performing Arts Archive of the Linen Hall Library, Belfast. Printer friendly version