Hugh Hastings

Hugh Hastings (31 January 191726 November 2004) was an Australian writer best known for his play Seagulls Over Sorrento. He moved to England in 1936 determined to break into theatre as an actor or writer. He served in the British Royal Navy for over five years during World War II. Life Born Hugh Williamson, Hastings left Australia in 1936 to work in the British film industry. Hastings's play Seagulls Over Sorrento made theatre history by running for 1,551 performances at London's Apollo Theatre. Only two other plays had then run longer in theatre history: Noël Coward's Blithe Spirit; and R. F. Delderfield's Worm's Eye View. Part of the play's appeal was that it was radical for the time. The play was set inside a Royal Navy research station near Scapa Flow. The play was not popular with everyone, and not everyone saw the humor in it. It elicited subdued laughs as well as frowns, depending on whether the audience was liberal or conservative.