Time and the Conways is a British play written by J. B. Priestley in 1937 illustrating J. W. Dunne’s Theory of Time through the experience of a moneyed Yorkshire family, the Conways, over a period of nineteen years from 1919 to 1937. Widely regarded as one of the best of Priestley’s Time Plays, a series of pieces for theatre which played with different concepts of Time (the others including I Have Been Here Before, Dangerous Corner and An Inspector Calls) it continues to be revived in the UK regularly.
In 1984, the play was adapted for film by the Soviet studio Mosfilm and was directed by Vladimir Basov. It starred Rufina Nifontova as Mrs. Conway, Vladimir Basov, Jr. as Ernest Beevers in youth, Vladimir Basov as Ernest Beevers at maturity and Margarita Volodina as Kay.
Time and the Conways – American Airlines Theatre on Broadway
First Preview 14, Sept 2017
Opening Night 10, Oct 2017
Closing Date 26, Nov 1917
Cast
Elizabeth McGovern – Mrs. Conway
Steven Boyer – Ernest
Anna Camp – Hazel
Gabriel Ebert – Alan
Charlotte Parry – Kay
Matthew James Thomas – Robin
Anna Baryshnikov – Carol – Broadway debut
Brooke Bloom – Madge – Broadway debut
Alfredo Narciso – Gerald
Cara Ricketts – Joan – Broadway debut Joan
Understudies: Amanda Leigh Cobb (Kay, Madge), Ben Diskant (Alan, Ernest), Kim Martin-Cotten (Mrs. Conway), Kate McGonigle (Carol, Hazel, Joan) and Stuart Ward (Gerald, Robin)
Crew
Written by J.B. Priestley
Directed by Rebecca Taichman
Scenic Design by Neil Patel
Costume Design by Paloma Young
Lighting Design by Christopher Akerlind
Sound Design by Matt Hubbs
Hair and Wig Design by Leah J. Loukas
Makeup Design by Leah J. Loukas
Associate Costume Design: Amy Price
Associate Lighting Design: Brandon Stirling Baker
Associate Sound Design: Stephen Dee
General Manager: Denise Cooper Company Manager: Lee Poulin
Production Manager: Aurora Productions
Production Stage Manager: James Latus
Assistant Stage Mgr: Stephen Milosevich
Casting: Jim Carnahan, CSA and Jillian Cimini, C.S.A.
Press Representative: Polk & Co.
Fight direction by Thomas Schall
Roundabout Director of Marketing Elizabeth Kandel
Roundabout Director of Development Christopher Nave, CFRE
Roundabout Founding Director: Gene Feist
Roundabout Adams Associate Artistic Director: Scott Ellis
Advertising: SPOTCo, Inc.; Interactive Marketing: Situation Interactive
Dialect Coach: Deborah Hecht
Photographer: Joan Marcus
The play works on the level of a universal human tragedy and a powerful portrait of the history of Britain between the Wars. Priestley shows how through a process of complacency and class arrogance, Britain allowed itself to decline and collapse between 1919 and 1937, instead of realizing the availability of immense creative and humanistic potential accessible during the post-war (the Great War) generation. Priestley could clearly see the tide of history leading towards another major European conflict as he has his character Ernest comment in 1937 that they are coming to ‘the next war’.
