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Taste of Honey Playwright Shelagh Delaney dies at 71 | Taste of Honey Playwright Shelagh Delaney dies at 71 |
(about 21 hours later) | |
Playwright Shelagh Delaney, best known for A Taste of Honey, has died at the age of 71. | Playwright Shelagh Delaney, best known for A Taste of Honey, has died at the age of 71. |
Her agent Jane Villiers confirmed the writer died of cancer at her daughter's Suffolk home on Sunday night. | Her agent Jane Villiers confirmed the writer died of cancer at her daughter's Suffolk home on Sunday night. |
Delaney was 19 when A Taste of Honey, about the friendship between a young pregnant woman and a gay artist, premiered in 1958. | Delaney was 19 when A Taste of Honey, about the friendship between a young pregnant woman and a gay artist, premiered in 1958. |
A success in both London and New York, it was made into a Bafta-winning film in 1961, starring Rita Tushingham. | A success in both London and New York, it was made into a Bafta-winning film in 1961, starring Rita Tushingham. |
She wrote it in just two weeks, reworking material she had written for a novel. | She wrote it in just two weeks, reworking material she had written for a novel. |
The play, considered one of the era's "kitchen sink" dramas, portrayed working class life in Salford where Delaney grew up. | The play, considered one of the era's "kitchen sink" dramas, portrayed working class life in Salford where Delaney grew up. |
Morrissey muse | Morrissey muse |
A Taste of Honey opened at Royal Stratford East in London, before moving to the West End in 1959, and was considered controversial at the time. | A Taste of Honey opened at Royal Stratford East in London, before moving to the West End in 1959, and was considered controversial at the time. |
In 1960, it opened on Broadway in New York, with Joan Plowright as Jo and Angela Lansbury as her mother. | In 1960, it opened on Broadway in New York, with Joan Plowright as Jo and Angela Lansbury as her mother. |
Plowright won a Tony award for her performance. | Plowright won a Tony award for her performance. |
Delaney once described most theatre as "safe, sheltered, cultured lives in charmed surroundings, not life as the majority of ordinary people know it". | Delaney once described most theatre as "safe, sheltered, cultured lives in charmed surroundings, not life as the majority of ordinary people know it". |
She added: "No-one in my play despairs. Like the majority of people, they take in their stride whatever happens to them and remain cheerful." | She added: "No-one in my play despairs. Like the majority of people, they take in their stride whatever happens to them and remain cheerful." |
Delaney's subsequent work never reached the heights of her debut, but she continued to write scripts. | Delaney's subsequent work never reached the heights of her debut, but she continued to write scripts. |
Her second play, The Lion in Love, was produced in 1960 in Coventry, and transferred to the Royal Court in London later that year. | Her second play, The Lion in Love, was produced in 1960 in Coventry, and transferred to the Royal Court in London later that year. |
She later wrote for film, TV and radio, including 1967's Charlie Bubbles, starring Albert Finney, and 1977's The House That Jack Built, which was later staged in New York. | She later wrote for film, TV and radio, including 1967's Charlie Bubbles, starring Albert Finney, and 1977's The House That Jack Built, which was later staged in New York. |
She also wrote the screenplay for 1985's Dance With a Stranger, based on the life of Ruth Ellis, who in 1955 was the last woman in the UK to be hanged for shooting her partner. | She also wrote the screenplay for 1985's Dance With a Stranger, based on the life of Ruth Ellis, who in 1955 was the last woman in the UK to be hanged for shooting her partner. |
Directed by Mike Newell, it starred Miranda Richardson as Ellis. | Directed by Mike Newell, it starred Miranda Richardson as Ellis. |
Delaney enjoyed further fame when Morrissey, lead singer with The Smiths, lifted several lines from her plays, including: "I dreamt of you last night and I fell out of bed twice." | |
Her image featured on the cover of the band's 1987 album, Louder Than Bombs. | Her image featured on the cover of the band's 1987 album, Louder Than Bombs. |
Speaking to the NME in 1986, Morrissey said: "I've never made any secret of the fact that at least 50 per cent of my reason for writing can be blamed on Shelagh Delaney." | |
She is survived by her daughter, Charlotte, and three grandchildren. | She is survived by her daughter, Charlotte, and three grandchildren. |