Spring and Port Wine - A Comedy

by Bill Naughton

The Heinemann Plays series offers contemporary drama and classic plays in durable classroom editions. Many have large casts and an equal mix of boy and girl parts. In this play, the whole Crompton family becomes entangled in a row in which a good many uncomfortable truths are told.

Genres: Plays, Classics, Fiction

86 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1967

About the author

William John Francis Naughton (1910-1992) was a popular ‘working class’ author and playwright who was born in Ballyhaunis, County Mayo, Ireland in June 1910 and died in early January 1992 in Ballasalla, Isle of Man. He was four years old when his family moved to Bolton, Lancashire, where, after leaving school around 1924, he worked as a weaver, coal-bagger and lorry-driver, enjoying a variety of experience and knowledge before starting to write with a rare honesty and perception about ‘ordinary’ people. Although ‘Alfie’ is the play with which he will always be associated, mostly because of the film starring Michael Caine, he was a prolific writer of quality work which included such notable plays as ‘My Flesh My Blood’, ‘All In Good Time’; plus novels, short stories and children’s books. Two other plays were made into films –‘Spring and Port Wine’, with James Mason as Rafe Crompton, and ‘The Family Way’, which starred John Mills. His work also included ‘One Small Boy’, ‘A Roof Over Your Head’, and short story collections such as ‘Late Night on Watling Street’ ‘The Bees Have Stopped Working’, and ‘The Goalkeeper's Revenge’. Among his most popular autobiographical works, well worth seeking out, are ‘On The Pig’s Back’ and ‘Saintly Billy’.

Reviews

[[ J o ] · Rating 1 out of 5]

I find it very disconcerting that I remember this play quite well, despite having read it over ten years ago whilst I was at school. I know this is the first place I heard the phrase "sunny side-up" when describing fried eggs, and in general it was pretty dire.

I may re-read it, since I've discovered a love of theatre recently and it might shed better light on it, but I sincerely doubt it. Could be interesting, however, just to experiment in that way.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty dull- made to read in school- GCSE years

[Lara Hepburn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boring story but great use of characterization and universal themes. The play focuses more on the relationships between characters rather than the plot. Could’ve done with a bit more excitement.

[mae · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

[Hayley Jones-Gill · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hated this with a passion when we studied it at school. We studied An Inspector Calls straight after, between them, they destroyed my love of literature for a good while.

[maia! · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Jörg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hated the controlling father in this play. I read it in 1987 and it left a lasting impression.

Set in Bolton this is a play about Rafe Crompton and his family. Rafe is an authoritarian and this behaviour causes anxiety and resentment. Tension mounts during a battle of wills over a herring! Yes that's right a herring!

The author Bill Naughton wrote the famous play Alfie. Another character I don't like much! Naughton wrote many plays, novels and short stories.

I read this play for my CSE English Literature. I was 16, so I related to the daughter's plight and I hated Rafe. Even after raising 2 children I still think Rafe was awful. There is a sad story behind the behaviour and I suppose we are all products of our problem pasts. But we must remove these blocks so we can live. Rafe does love his wife and family underneath it all so I sympathise. A bit!

It’s not something I would read now. It’s not exciting. Just a view of another’s family life. If you like soap operas you may like this play. Dinner table drama.

[Henry Johnson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read this at school, very boring.