The Potting Shed is a 1957 play by Graham Greene in three acts. The psychological drama centers on a secret held by the Callifer family for nearly thirty years. The patriarch of the family is dying and James, his estranged son, appears unexpectedly. He can remember nothing about a mysterious moment that occurred in the family's potting shed when he was 14 years old. Family members who recall the event are unwilling to describe it to him. With the help of a psychoanalyst, James tries to recall just what happened that day that left him rejected by his father, alienated from his family, and alone in the world.
Characters
Dr Frederick Baston an old friend and fellow worker of H.C. Callifer. Aged early 60s
Anne Callifer daughter of John Callifer. Aged 13
Sara Callifer former wife of James Callifer. Age about 36
Mrs Callifer H.C. Callifer's wife. Mother of John and James. Age about 70
James Callifer the ex husband of Sara, brother of John. Age about 44
Dr Kreuzer aged anything between 50 and 60
Corner James Callifer's fellow lodger. Age about 30.'
Mrs Potter wife of former gardener. Aged about 75.
Miss Connolly housekeeper to Father William Callifer. Aged about 55
Father William Callifer Uncle of John and James, and brother of H.C. Callifer. Aged about 60
Plot
The play opens at the Callifer's country seat, Wild Grove, now lost in industrialised environs. The pater familias, Henry Callifer, is dying and his wife has sent for all their relatives, excepting his long-estranged brother William, and his younger son James, who has been for thirty years mysteriously outcast from the family. Dr Frederick Baston, an old family friend, is preparing a eulogy for Henry's funeral. Henry has expressed a wish that his body be burnt and the ashes cast into their river; the landscape has lost its pleasant aspect over the years but his wife has found a half decent spot where the factories can hardly be seen from the bank.
Theatre Productions
The Broadway production was directed by Carmen Capalbo. It opened on 29 January 1957 at the Bijou Theatre and later moved to the John Golden Theatre to complete its run of 143 performances. Robert Flemyng starred as James Callifer and Sybil Thorndike, Frank Conroy, Leueen MacGrath, Joan Croydon, Lewis Casson, and Carol Lynley were cast in supporting roles. The Potting Shed was first produced in London on 5 February 1958 at the Globe Theatre, directed by Michael Macowan, starring; Walter Hudd, Sarah Long, Lockwood West, John Gielgud, Peter Illing, Redmond Phillips. The third act of the play differed between the 1957 American and 1958 British productions. An author's note in the British edition of the published play states: Greene was never pleased with the third act and rewrote it during rehearsals of the American production; he changed it back to the original script for the British premiere. Time said, "The play's emotional power derives from its harassed outcries and silences, from very human bafflements and needs, from a truly serious man's intensities and jocosities alike... for two acts, culminating in a superbly dramatic revelation scene, The Potting Shed, by its writing and storytelling alike, more and more grips and stirs its audience." It was revived at the Finborough Theatre in early 2011.
