Milestones (play)

Milestones is a 1912 play by Arnold Bennett and Edward Knoblock. It is a story of an upper-middle-class family's progress between 1860 and 1912.

First productions

The play opened at the Royalty Theatre, London, on 5 March 1912 and ran for 612 performances. In September 1912 it opened at the Liberty Theatre, New York, where it ran for 215 performances.

Original cast

John Rhead – Dennis Eadie
Samuel Sibley – Hubert Harben
Ned Pym – Stanley Logan
Arthur Preece – Lionel Atwill
Lord Monkhurst – Owen Nares
Richard Sibley – Reginald Malcolm
Mrs Rhead – Mary Relph
Gertrude Rhead – Haidee Wright
Rose Sibley – Mary Jerrold
Emily Rhead – Evelyn Weeden
Nancy Sibley – Esmé Hubbard
Muriel Pym – Gladys Cooper

The New York cast was headed by Leslie Faber as John Rhead.

Plot

The play depicts the generational clashes within a prosperous English family, all concerning the matrimonial wishes of the rising generation and their parents' opposition to it. Act I is set in 1860; Act 2 in 1885; Act 3 in 1912. The following is from The Times's summary of the plot in its review of the first performance.

Film adaptations

The play was adapted into silent films on two occasions. A 1916 British film Milestones directed by Thomas Bentley and starring Owen Nares and a 1920 American film Milestones directed by Paul Scardon and starring Lewis Stone.