The play begins with two English women, Mrs. Moore and Adela Quested. They travel to 1920s India, where Mrs. Moore's son, Ronny, is working. Ronny is supposed to be engaged to Adela. The women hope to experience India while they are there. Adela and Ronny are unsure if they are meant to be together. While on a hike led by Dr. Aziz, Adela is attacked in a cave. She assumes it was Dr. Aziz, but later while testifying in court, which becomes a media sensation, she realizes Dr. Aziz is not the person who attacked her. Dr. Aziz brings up the racial tensions he feels between the English and the Indians.
Historical casting
Background
In the early 1950s, the play's creator, Santha Rama Rau, had dinner one evening with producer Cheryl Crawford. Crawford remarked to Rau that there had never been a distinguished play on Broadway before that dealt with India. This conversation brought up the E.M. Forster novel that was first published in 1924, titled A Passage to India. Rau mentioned to Crawford the possibility of her adapting the novel for the stage. In 1957, Rau met in person with Forster. Rau presented Forster with working script, and Forster gave his blessing for her to move forward with the production. Forster did have several notes of changes for the script.
Production history
The play was first staged by the Oxford Playhouse in January 1960. The play then went on a short tour with the same cast, before transferring to the Comedy Theatre on London's West End in April 1960. Forster attended the West End production and was pleased with it. He died in 1970. The play next transferred to the Broadway stage, with a slightly different cast. The production opened in January 1962 and played for 109 performances, closing in May. The play received two Tony Award nominations, one for Best Lead Actress for Gladys Cooper, and one for Best Scene Design. Director David Lean saw the play and was interested in making a film in the 1960s, but Forster refused to allow it to be made. Instead, he allowed for a television production. This version, directed by Waris Hussein and adapted from the stage version, was transmitted on November 16, 1965 on BBC 1 as a part of the Play of the Month series. In 1981, David Lean was able to gain the rights to make a feature-film production of the play. Filmed in 1983, and released in 1984, from a script almost entirely re-written by Lean, the film received positive reception from critics. The film was nominated for eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The film won two awards. Peggy Ashcroft won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Mrs. Moore, and Judy Davis was nominated for Lead Actress. The film also won for Best Original Score.
