A Cuckoo in the Nest

A Cuckoo in the Nest is a farce by the English playwright Ben Travers. It was first given at the Aldwych Theatre, London, the second in the series of twelve Aldwych farces presented by the actor-manager Tom Walls at the theatre between 1923 and 1933. Several of the cast formed the regular core cast for the later Aldwych farces. The plot concerns two friends, a man and a woman, who are each married to other people. While travelling together, they are obliged by circumstances to share a hotel bedroom. Everyone else assumes the worst, but the two travellers are able to prove their innocence.

The piece opened on 22 July 1925 and ran for 376 performances. Travers made a film adaptation, which Walls directed in 1933, with most of the leading members of the stage cast reprising their roles.

The actor-manager Tom Walls, initially together with Leslie Henson, produced the series of Aldwych farces, nearly all written by Ben Travers, starring Walls and his co-star Ralph Lynn, who specialised in playing "silly ass" characters. Walls assembled a regular company of actors to fill the supporting roles. For the first few productions, the company included Yvonne Arnaud as the leading lady; Robertson Hare, as a figure of put-upon respectability; Mary Brough in eccentric old lady roles; and the saturnine Gordon James.

Walls and his team had enjoyed a substantial hit at the Aldwych, with It Pays to Advertise (1923), which had run for 598 performances. For this second Aldwych production, Walls acquired the rights to an unproduced farce by Ben Travers. Three brothers appeared in this production: Gordon James was the stage name adopted by Ralph Lynn's elder brother Sydney. Their younger brother Hastings Lynn became known for playing Ralph's original roles in Australia and New Zealand.

...
Wikipedia