THE CHANGELING
English Stage Company
Royal Court Theatre, London, 1961
Role: Alsemero

The Changeling, by English dramatists Thomas Middleton and William Rowley, was first performed at London’s Phoenix Theatre in 1622. It is widely considered the greatest English-language tragedy outside of Shakespeare.

In the 1961 production with Jeremy as Alsemero, Mary Ure played Beatrice and Robert Shaw played De Flores. It was directed by Tony Richardson and set in Spain during the time of Goya (late 1700s to early 1800s). 

It is a dark story of lust, murder and adultery, with a comic subplot set in a lunatic asylum. The Changeling takes its title from the fact that several characters go through changes that make them unrecognizable from what they formerly were or appeared to be—such is the power of love and lust.

Plot summary: The governor of Alicante, Vermandero, has arranged for his daughter, Beatrice Joanna, to marry Alonzo, a nobleman. But Beatrice falls in love with the handsome Alsemero, and she persuades her father's servant, De Flores, to kill Alonzo so she can marry Alsemero. As a reward, De Flores demands her body not money. Beatrice at first is repulsed but then her desire is ignited and the two descend into a downward spiral of moral corruption and death.

Full text of play // Wikipedia page // Rita Tushingham Web site // Review