Lady Frederick

"Women's hearts are like old china, none the worse for a break or two."

-Admiral, Lady Frederick (1907) by Somerset Maugham



Lady Frederick (1907) by W. Somerset Maugham is a play that sparked the author's lagging writing career when it became a hit on the London stage, running for 422 performances. The title character is an aging widow with numerous suitors despite her mounting debts. When the play hit the New York stage in 1908, the role of Lady Frederick was played by Ethel Barrymore and later in the movie version, The Divorcee (1919). Considered a comedy, this play is a must-read for fans of Maugham and the early twentieth century.