Lettice and Lovage is a comical and satirical play by Peter Shaffer. It is centered on a flamboyant tour guide who loves to embellish the history behind an English country house and who butts heads with a fact-conscious official at the house. The play was written specifically for Dame Maggie Smith, who originated the title role of Lettice Douffet in both the English and American runs of the production. The role of Lotte Schoen was played by Margaret Tyzack. Following a tour of provincial theatres, the play was produced in London in 1987. Its two-year run of 768 performances at the Globe Theatre counts as one of the longer runs in London theatrical history. After a year in the West End play, Smith and Tyzack were replaced by Geraldine McEwan and Sara Kestelman. The play was revised by Shaffer in 1988. The first American production opened on March 13, 1990, with a preview performance of the revised play at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in New York City. The Broadway version ran from March 25, 1990 to December 23, 1990 with a total of 286 performances. Awards 1990 Tony Award Best Play (nominated) 1990 Tony Award Best Actress in a Play: Dame Maggie Smith - winner 1990 Tony Award Best Featured Actress in a Play: Margaret Tyzack - winner 1990 Tony Award Best Direction of a Play (nominated) Production history Peter Shaffer describes Lettice and Lovage as a "very English piece" as far as its humor and references. He altered the ending for the American production, but not for the reason of "Americanizing" it In the introduction to his 1990 version of the play, Shaffer goes on to suppose that American audiences might not appreciate the comedic device of mocking English architecture, opining that America outranks England in their contemporary architecture and therefore would not find the issue as funny or relevant. With the indomitable Maggie Smith in the role of Lettice, the play seemed to prosper. The New York Times review on 26 March 1990 proclaimed, "Miss Smith's personality so saturates everything around her that, like the character she plays, she instantly floods a world of gray with color". But in other productions, perhaps the overarching English tone was too much for American audiences. In the June 28, 1992 review of the same play sans Smith, The New York Times observed, "It is bizarre to observe how a play that