A number of dramatic adaptations continue to be made from the novel. The first of those designed for the stage was written by Walter Kerr and Leo Brady for the Catholic University of America Theatre in Washington, D.C. The show starred Eric Linden as Pinkie and ran from 4 – 10 February in 1942.[10] In Britain the following year, Frank Harvey's play ran for a hundred performances at the Garrick Theatre in the West End, starring Richard Attenborough and Dulcie Gray.[11][12]
In 2004, composer John Barry and lyricist Don Black wrote a musical version based on the novel. The show opened in London's Almeida Theatre on 20 September and ran until 13 October. However, owing to poor reviews, it failed to get a West End transfer.[12] A more successful adaptation followed in 2018, when Bryony Lavery's play opened at York Theatre Royal in February before touring the UK.[13]
Terence Rattigan and Greene himself wrote the screenplay for a 1948 film, produced and directed by John and Roy Boulting. It again starred Richard Attenborough as Pinkie, with Carol Marsh as Rose. In the United States, the film was released under the title Young Scarface. The climax differs from the novel in taking place at the Palace Pier.[14] In the new century, Rowan Joffé directed a film adaptation which was released in 2010, starring Sam Riley[15] as Pinkie, Andrea Riseborough as Rose and Helen Mirren as Ida Arnold.[16] In a chronological departure from Greene's 1930s novel, the film is set in the Mods and Rockers subculture of a divided Brighton in the 1960s.
There have also been two radio adaptations. Evelyn Russell's 90-minute dramatisation for the BBC Home Service was aired in 1953 with Jimmy Thompson as Pinkie.[17] In 1994, Ken Whitmore adapted the story for a five-episode BBC Radio dramatisation, directed by John Yorke and starring Steven Mackintosh as Pinkie.[18]
