author
Richard Ganthony
1856–1924
Best known for the stage hit A Message from Mars, this Liverpool-born writer and actor built a transatlantic theatre career and left behind one of the era’s memorable comic fantasies.
1 Audiobook
A message from Mars : A fantastic comedy in three acts
by Richard Ganthony
About the author
Richard Ganthony was a British actor and playwright, born in Liverpool on September 11, 1856. Sources agree that he spent much of his career in the United States, even though his best-known success was closely tied to the London stage.
His standout work was A Message from Mars, first performed at London’s Avenue Theatre in November 1899. The play became his signature piece, and theatre records also show Broadway productions of A Message from Mars as well as another of his plays, A Brace of Partridges. He was credited not only as a writer but also as a performer, which helps explain the theatrical ease of his work.
Ganthony died in Richmond, Surrey, in April 1924. While he is not widely remembered today, A Message from Mars gave him a lasting place in theatre history and even fed into early screen adaptations of his story.