The Common Pursuit
The Common Pursuit is a play by Simon Gray which follows the lives of six characters who first meet as undergraduates at Cambridge University when they are involved in setting up a literary magazine called The Common Pursuit. The title is an allusion to F. R. Leavis's 1952 collection of essays Scrutiny: The Common Pursuit.
Characters
- Stuart Thorne
- Marigold Watson
- Martin Musgrove
- Humphry Taylor
- Nick Finchling
- Peter Whetworth
Synopsis
The characters of The Common Pursuit first meet in Stuart Thorne's rooms in Cambridge, at the first meeting of a literary magazine Stuart is starting called The Common Pursuit. He and Marigold are very much in love, Nick is determined to become a theatre critic, Humphry wants to be a philosophy professor, Martin is set on a career in publishing and Peter only seems interested in chasing women. The play then follows their various lives and careers over the next 20 years, and their struggles to remain faithful to their ambitions and the things they love.Productions
The Common Pursuit was first performed at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith on July 3, 1984, directed by Harold Pinter, with the following cast:- Stuart Thorne - Nicholas le Prevost
- Marigold Watson - Nina Thomas
- Martin Musgrove - Ian Ogilvy
- Humphry Taylor - Clive Francis
- Nick Finchling - Robert East
- Peter Whetworth - Simon Williams
Between the 1984 and 1988 London productions, Gray directed the American premiere of The Common Pursuit at the Promenade Theatre, Off-Broadway. It opened on October 19, 1986, won positive notices, ran for 352 performances, and won both the 1987 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play, and the 1987 Outer [Critics Circle Award|Outer Critics Circle] for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play. The original cast included:
- Stuart Thorne - Kristoffer Tabori
- Marigold Watson - Judy Geeson
- Martin Musgrove - Michael Countryman
- Humphry Taylor - Peter Friedman
- Nick Finchling - Nathan Lane
- Peter Whetworth - Dylan Baker