The Sleeping Prince (play)

"The Sleeping Prince" is a 1953 play by Terrence Rattigan. Set in London, England in 1911, it tells the story of a young actress who meets and ultimately captivates a Prince.

Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh starred in the first production of the play, in the Phoenix Theatre in London's West End, in 1953. It was first performed on Broadway in the Coronet Theatre in November and December 1956, directed by Michael Redgrave, and with a cast including Redgrave, Barbara Bel Geddes and Cathleen Nesbitt.

Marilyn Monroe bought the rights to the play and subsequently produced "The Prince and the Showgirl" (1957), with Rattigan also writing the screen adaptation. The film was directed by, and costarred Laurence Olivier. Although not a box-office success in its day, the "New York Times" credits Olivier with extracting a "delightful, comic performance" from Monroe. [ [http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=39188 "New York Times", review of "The Prince and the Showgirl] ". Retrieved January 11, 2006. ]

In 1963 the play was also adapted into a musical as "The Girl Who Came to Supper", with music and lyrics by Noel Coward.

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