Margaret Rawlings, Lady Barlow (5 June 1906 – 19 May 1996) was an English stage actress, born inOsaka, Japan, daughter of the Rev. George William Rawlings and his wife Lilian (née Boddington) Rawlings.
She was educated atOxford High School andLady Margaret Hall, Oxford. She first married Gabriel Toyne (marriage dissolved) and then Sir Robert Barlow (knighted 1943) who pre-deceased her.
Her entries inWho's Who in the Theatre record her private address as 10 Duke Street, Adelphi, London WC2 (1936), Flat 12, 72 Westbourne Terrace, London W2 (1939), then finally Rocketer Farm,Wendover, Buckinghamshire (from 1947 onwards).
She was a co-founder ofEquity, serving as a Council member for 30 years and was twice appointed Vice-President, in 1973–74 and 1975–76.[citation needed]
While still at Oxford, Rawlings appeared at the Little Theatre withJohn Masefield's company. She made her professional debut in March 1927 with TheMacdona Players as Jennifer inThe Doctor's Dilemma atCroydon, and subsequently also played inThe Philanderer,Arms and the Man,You Never Can Tell andThe Dark Lady of the Sonnets.
She made her London stage debut on 22 January 1928 with the Venturers company as Louise inJordan at theStrand Theatre, then toured as Gwen in The Fanatics and as Jill inChance Acquaintance. In October 1928 at theEmbassy Theatre she played Vivian Mason inThe Seventh Guest and Moya inThe Shadow, before touring with Maurice Colbourne andBarry Jones in Shaw repertory to Canada and the United States in 1929–30.
Ann Whitefield inMan and Superman and Eliza Doolittle inPygmalion (Bernard Shaw) for the Macdona Players,Cambridge Theatre August 1935
Katherine "Kitty" O'Shea inParnell (Elsie T Schauffler),Ethel Barrymore Theatre New York November 1935 – 99 performances
Katherine "Kitty" O'Shea inParnell (which she had partly rewritten to enable the play to be licensed for London performance), Gate Theatre April 1936 (co-starring withWyndham Goldie in the title role); andNew Theatre November 1936
Charmian inAntony and Cleopatra directed byTheodore Komisarjevsky, New Theatre October 1936
Karen Selby inThe Flashing Stream (Charles Morgan), Lyric Theatre September 1938; and appeared in the same role at theBiltmore Theatre New York, April 1939
The Countess inThe Purple Fig Tree (George Ralli),Piccadilly Theatre February 1950
Lady Macbeth to the Macbeth ofAlec Clunes, who also directed, Arts Theatre June 1950
Anna Sergievna inSpring at Marino (Constance Cox) directed by John Fernald, Arts Theatre February 1951
Zabrina inTamburlaine the Great (Christopher Marlowe) co-starring withDonald Wolfit in the title role and directed byTyrone Guthrie, Old Vic September 1951
Lysistrata inThe Apple Cart (Bernard Shaw) co-starring withNoël Coward as King Magnus, Theatre Royal Haymarket, May 1953
The Countess inThe Dark is Light Enough (Christopher Fry directed byPeter Brook, touring Arts Theatre, Salisbury and Windsor 1955
Mistress Ford inThe Merry Wives of Windsor and Paulina inThe Winter's Tale (toPaul Rogers' Falstaff and Leontes), Old Vic 1955–56 season
Title role inPhedre (Jean Racine), Theatre-in-the-Round November 1957 and tour
Empress Eugenie in a solo touring performance,Cambridge Festival July 1978;May Fair Theatre andVaudeville Theatre February 1979; Yvonne Arnaud Theatre July 1979; and the Dublin Festival, October 1979
