Leslie Howard vs. John Gielgud

Leslie Howard produced, directed and starred as Hamlet which only ran at the Imperial Theatre, New York, for 39 performances between November 10 through December, 1936. Why? Because Howard set it up five blocks away from the theatre that had been housing John Gielgud's Hamlet for a month and because Howard had the jitters opening night and received some not so favorable reviews. If only the critics had come back on the second night. Howard received very favorable reviews in the out-of-town run up in Boston and afterwards on tour.

[Leslie Howard in Hamlet, 1936]

Hamlet - Producer, Director, Actor
Imperial Theatre
November 10, 1936 thru December 1936
Performances: 39

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