The Winslow Boy
From 10 June 2002
To 15 June 2002
by Terence Rattigan
Description
A perennial favourite. The Winslow Boy is based on a real life story of a young cadet who is accused of stealing a five shilling postal order. Convinced of the boy's innocence, The Winslow family persuade the country's leading lawyer, Sir Robert Morton to take on the defence. As the case proceeds, it challenges many long accepted legal ideas and sets off a national frenzy, exacting a heavy price on the family.
Extract from the Directors Notes
The actual incident upon which the play is based gripped the entire country during the ealy 1900's. It was even debated on the floor of Parliament to "let right be done," and give the boy a fair hearing. It is the tale of a 13-year-old cadet (real name George Archer-Shee) who while attending Osbourne Royal Naval Colllege was expelled for stealing a postal order. Upon hearing the news and his son's claim of innocence, the father of the lad decided to fight against the injustice and for the honour of the boy and the family name. Unfortunately, as the college happens to be under the protective umbrella of the Admiraty it was therefore immune to all legal claims of wrongdoing.
Terence Rattigan's play of a family fight for justice won awards on both sides of the Atlantic, and was first made into a film in the early 1950s. It is a strongly written drama about those values that we hold dear and often see squandered. As Sir Robert Morton in the play observes, "It's easy to do justice... It's hard to do right". However, as the Winslow family find out, doing what is right is often only achieved at a great cost. The question has to be asked at what point is the sacrifice too great to continue the fight being waged? Eventually all parties must ask themselves (and each other) "Is it worth it?"