- My Boy Jack (play)
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Rudyard Kipling in his study
My Boy Jack is a 1997 play by English actor David Haig. It tells the story of Rudyard Kipling and his grief for his son, John, who died in World War I.
The title comes from Kipling's 1915 poem, My Boy Jack.[1]
Contents
History
My Boy Jack played at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham, in 2004. It then toured Oxford, Richmond, Brighton, Norwich, Cardiff and Cambridge, with the newly-formed Haig Lang Productions. [2] In America, My Boy Jack has been performed under the title My Son Jack.[3]
A television drama based on Haig's play was filmed in August 2007, with Haig as Kipling and Daniel Radcliffe as Jack Kipling.[4] It was distributed by Granada[5] and Ecosse Films.[6] It was broadcast on ITV1 and TV3 (Ireland) at 9pm on Sunday 11 November 2007, Remembrance Day.[7]
Recent research
John Kipling's body was never found, despite Rudyard's desperate searching. In 1992 the Commonwealth War Graves Commission claimed to have identified his body. However, Tonie and Valmai Holt (authors of the successful Major and Mrs Holt's Battlefield Guides) doubted the "identification" and researched John's life and death in detail, writing the first biography of John, entitled My Boy Jack?[8] In November 2007 the Imperial War Museum mounted an exhibition covering John's life and included a section on the Holts' doubts and the naming of another candidate for the "identified" body. The ITV drama does not claim to be a documentary account, but a representation of the experience of so many families in losing a son during the Great War.[9]
Dramatis Personae
- Rudyard Kipling, a writer
- John "Jack" Kipling, his son
- Caroline "Carrie" Kipling, his wife
- Elsie "Bird" Kipling, his daughter
- Guardsman McHugh
- Guardsman Bowe
- Guardsman Doyle
- Mr. Frankland
- Major Sparks
- Col. Rory Pottle
- George Bambridge
Plot
Act One
My Boy Jack begins comically, with 17-year-old Jack Kipling trying on a pair of pince-nez. He is unable to see well without correction, but his father, Rudyard Kipling, wants him to wear the pince-nez to take his vision exam; it will make Jack's vision troubles look less serious. Jack fails the test, however; he cannot read the eye chart, without the pince-nez, from farther away than about a metre.
Jack, at home again, talks with Elsie, his sister. He explains that he wants to leave in order to get away from "this house and everything", and Elsie becomes angry with Jack — not because he wants to leave her, but because he could be killed at war. Kipling comes into the room, and Elsie hides behind a chair. Kipling then tells Jack that he will get Jack into the army, somehow. After Kipling leaves, Elsie emerges, furious.
The act ends with Jack leading his men into battle. In the theatre, there is then an interval.
Act Two
This part of My Boy Jack deals with the Kipling family receiving the news of Jack being declared Missing In Action. During an argument with Carrie, Kipling reveals his guilt and responsibility helping Jack enlist in the army. Elsie reveals that Jack went to war, not out of patriotism, but to get away from his family, particularly to escape the shadow of Kipling's fame.
There is then a flashback to a time when Jack was only seven, showing Jack and Elsie with their father.
Act Three
It is now 1924, and Elsie is marrying George Bambridge. Her parents, though still missing Jack, are beginning to move on; they are happy for Elsie. Kipling has been interviewing soldiers from Jack's regiment of Irish Guards. One of them who served under Jack recalls his last moments. Jack had been leading a charge against the German trenches, continuing the attack while the other soldiers dropped off in fear. Jack was killed by machine gun fire just as he reached enemy lines. Kipling received some bittersweet solace in knowing that his son died heroically.
The play then jumps forward nine years, to 1933. It has been twenty years since My Boy Jack first began, in 1913. There are rumours of war, again, and Kipling wonders why the Great War was even fought. What was the point of his son's death, if there will just be another war?
My Boy Jack ends with Kipling reciting his poem, My Boy Jack.[10]
Cast
The Casts of My Boy Jack Character British Touring Cast Television Cast Rudyard Kipling David Haig David Haig Caroline "Carrie" Kipling Belinda Lang Kim Cattrall Elsie "Bird" Kipling Rosanna Lavelle Carey Mulligan John "Jack" Kipling Ben Silverstone Daniel Radcliffe Guardsman Bowe Simon Wolfe Martin McCann Major Sparks Chris Moran Peter Hanly Mr Frankland Fred Ridgeway Young Jack Changed depending on area N/A Young Elsie Changed depending on area N/A Peter Carter Bill Milner Mrs Carter Lucy Millar Guardsman McHugh Rúaidhrí Conroy Guardsman Doyle Laurence Kinlan Postboy Rory Rae Colonel Ferguson Nick Dunning Leo Amery MP Michael McElhatton H.A Gwynne Peter Gowen Field Marshal 'Bobs' Roberts Brian de Salvo ... Naval Doctor Simon Coury Commander Egan Michael Grennell Corporal O'Leary Richard Dormer McHugh Rúaidhrí Conroy Daly Ciaran Nolan Mr. Relph Sean O'Neil Colonel Brooks Bosco Hogan Captain Bruce Adam Goodwin Ralph John-Paul MacLeod Captain Viney Peter O'Meara Maitland Billy Gibson Nurse Hannah McCabe Hobdon Fred Ridgeway Dying Soldier Mark Huberman Colonel Hayden David Heap Mr Lieuenthal Chris McHallem Journalist Jason Maza Photographer James Holmes Col. Rory Pottle George Bambridge King George V N/A Julian Wadham References
- ^ kipling my boy jack
- ^ The British Theatre Guide : Reviews - My Boy Jack (Theatre Royal, Nottingham, and touring
- ^ My Son Jack , a CurtainUp Los Angeles review
- ^ TV war role for Potter star| Showbiz | This is London
- ^ World Screen - Home
- ^ Ecosse films
- ^ "My Boy Jack". ITV (Granada Productions). http://www.itv.com/Drama/perioddrama/MyBoyJack/default.html. Retrieved 2007-11-03.
- ^ My Boy Jack - Daniel Radcliffe Of Harry Potter Fame To Play John Kipling
- ^ Battlefield Guide Books and Maps - Home Page New
- ^ Ben Silverstone & Get Real
External links
- My Boy Jack at the IMDb
- My Boy Jack review at BBC
- "Find a Grave"
Categories:- 1997 plays
- World War I plays
- Rudyard Kipling, a writer
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