Never So Good - Misplaced Pages

Never So Good

Written by	Howard Brenton
Date premiered	26 March 2008 (2008-03-26)
Place premiered	National Theatre, London
Original language	English
Subject	Life and career of British politician Harold Macmillan
Official site

Never So Good is a 2008 play by Howard Brenton, which portrays the life and career of Harold Macmillan, a 20th-century Conservative British politician who served as Prime Minister (1957–1963). It was first performed in the Lyttelton auditorium of the National Theatre, London, on 26 March 2008; previews began on 17 March 2008.

The play is divided into four acts, covering Macmillan's early life and military experience in World War I; his involvement in British politics during the descent into World War II; the Suez Crisis, during which he served as Chancellor of the Exchequer; and his service as Prime Minister, during which the reputation of his government was severely damaged by the Profumo affair. Macmillan's younger self remains with him, providing mocking commentary.

The National Theatre production was directed by Howard Davies. The cast included Jeremy Irons as Harold Macmillan, Anthony Calf as Anthony Eden, Pip Carter as young Harold Macmillan, Anna Carteret as Nellie Macmillan, Anna Chancellor as Dorothy Macmillan and Ian McNeice as Winston Churchill, whom he would later play in several episodes of Doctor Who.

References

"A good look at politics". Evening Standard. 27 March 2008.
"History of Harold Macmillan - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk.
"National Theatre : Productions : Never So Good". 12 May 2008. Archived from the original on 12 May 2008.
"Never So Good - Drama Online". www.dramaonlinelibrary.com.
"First Night: Never So Good, National Theatre, London". The Independent. 27 March 2008. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022.
Hemming, Sarah (27 March 2008). "Never So Good, Lyttelton, National Theatre, London". Financial Times.
"How one historical Doctor Who character ALMOST made it back for the new series". Radio Times.

External links

John Thaxter "Never So Good" review in The Stage, 27 March 2008
Michael Billington "Never So Good" review in The Guardian, 28 March 2008
Charles Spencer "Jeremy Irons shines in Never So Good" review in The Daily Telegraph, 28 March 2008
Susannah Clapp "Supermac returns" review in The Observer, 30 March 2008
National Theatre page for the opening production
Never So Good (script), Howard Brenton (2008), published by Nick Hern Books Limited, ISBN 978-1-85459-551-5

v t e Works by Howard Brenton
Major plays	Christie in Love Magnificence The Churchill Play Weapons of Happiness Epsom Downs The Romans in Britain Bloody Poetry Greenland Paul In Extremis Never So Good Anne Boleyn 55 Days Drawing the Line Doctor Scroggy's War Lawrence After Arabia
With David Hare	Pravda
Television	Dead Head
See also	Portable Theatre Company

v t e Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton
Constituencies	Stockton-on-Tees Bromley
Family	Daniel MacMillan (grandfather) Lady Dorothy Macmillan (wife) Maurice Macmillan (son) Lady Caroline Faber (daughter) Julian Amery (son-in-law) Edward Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire (brother-in-law)
Career	1945 Bromley by-election Macmillan government US–UK Mutual Defence Agreement 1959 United Kingdom general election Wind of Change speech Night of the Long Knives Beeching reports Vassall affair Profumo affair Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
Depictions	Supermac (1958 cartoon) Never So Good (play, 2008) The Crown (TV, 2017)
Related	Birch Grove The Middle Way (1938) 1960 University of Oxford Chancellor election 1963 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours Earl of Stockton Macmillan Publishers St Giles' Church, Horsted Keynes

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