Mack and Mabel

Presented at the Theatre Royal Brighton week commencing 2nd July 1984.

"Mack & Mabel" is a speculative romantic comedy based on the relationship between two of the pivotal figures of the silent film era: slapstick comedy pioneer Mack Sennett  and his frequent leading lady Mabel Normand.

It begins in 1911, when Mabel shows up on Sennett's New York set as a deli delivery girl and immediately catches the director's eye. Soon she is starring in Sennett's two-reelers, and she joins him when he moves his operation to the new movie capital of Hollywood. She also joins him in a romance, one which is complicated by his dictatorial directing style. When Mabel expresses an interest in expanding into feature dramas, Sennett discourages her, leading her to leave him professionally--and personally--for slick director William Desmond Taylor.

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