The play was first produced at the Court Theatre in London in 1905 by J.E. Vedrenne and Harley Granville-Barker. Barker also played Cusins, alongside Louis Calvert, Clare Greet, Edmund Gwenn, Oswald Yorke and Annie Russell. The Broadway premiere in the United States was at the Playhouse Theatre on 9 December 1915.
A film adaptation of 1941 was produced by Gabriel Pascal, and starred Wendy Hiller as Barbara, Rex Harrison as Cusins and Robert Morley as Undershaft.
A Broadway production in 1956 with Charles Laughton and Burgess Meredith is noted in the discussion following Laughton's guest appearance on What's My Line on 25 November 1956. Meredith was on the panel.
Caedmon Records released a 4-LP recording of the play in 1965 (TRS 319 S) directed by Howard Sackler with Warren Mitchell as Bill Walker, Maggie Smith as Barbara, Alec McCowen as Cusins, Celia Johnson as Lady Britomart and Robert Morley as Undershaft.
A TV movie production was broadcast in 1966 with Eileen Atkins as Barbara, Douglas Wilmer as Undershaft and Daniel Massey as Cusins.[3]
The play has been produced a number of times for BBC Radio:
- 1955, BBC Light Programme with Irene Worth as Barbara, Anthony Jacobs as Cusins and Frank Pettingell as Undershaft
- 1962, BBC Third Programme with Joyce Redman, Esme Percy and Eliot Makeham
- 1961, BBC Third Programme with June Tobin as Barbara, Richard Hurndall as Cusins and Malcolm Keen as Undershaft
- 1967, BBC Home Service with Dorothy Tutin as Barbara, Alec McCowen as Cusins and Max Adrian as Undershaft
- 1980, BBC Radio 4 with Anna Massey as Barbara, Jeremy Clyde as Cusins and John Phillips as Undershaft
- 1998, BBC Radio 3 with Jemma Redgrave as Barbara, David Yelland as Cusins and Peter Bowles as Undershaft
- 2015, BBC Radio 4 in 2 episodes with Eleanor Tomlinson as Barbara, Jack Farthing as Cusins and Matthew Marsh as Undershaft
