Comments on: Ghosts of Stratford Present and Past http://blogs.whatsonstage.com/2007/11/15/ghosts-of-stratford-present-and-past/ Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:51:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.2 By: Simon Trowbridge http://blogs.whatsonstage.com/2007/11/15/ghosts-of-stratford-present-and-past/#comment-1175 Simon Trowbridge Tue, 27 Nov 2007 17:16:00 +0000 http://blogs.whatsonstage.com/2007/11/15/ghosts-of-stratford-present-and-past/#comment-1175 I too was a little shocked to see the ripped apart RST, especially since Michael Boyd has spent most of the last two years telling Dame Judi Dench that he was saving the building. Since he also keeps trying to convince himself and others that the RSC is still a 'company', rhetoric is obviously all in the theatre. The last public event in the old RST, a meeting of all RSC artistic directors except Peter Hall (who appeared on video) was a great and important occasion sadly not reported in the press. Nunn said that the RST -- a raked stage thrusting through the proscenium -- had defined the RSC's style. I fear that the RSC is giving up too soon on the proscenium and for the wrong reason, namely because they've decided that current actors and directors lack the technique and imagination to command distances and empty spaces. I too was a little shocked to see the ripped apart RST, especially since Michael Boyd has spent most of the last two years telling Dame Judi Dench that he was saving the building. Since he also keeps trying to convince himself and others that the RSC is still a ‘company’, rhetoric is obviously all in the theatre.

The last public event in the old RST, a meeting of all RSC artistic directors except Peter Hall (who appeared on video) was a great and important occasion sadly not reported in the press. Nunn said that the RST — a raked stage thrusting through the proscenium — had defined the RSC’s style. I fear that the RSC is giving up too soon on the proscenium and for the wrong reason, namely because they’ve decided that current actors and directors lack the technique and imagination to command distances and empty spaces.

]]> By: Michael Coveney http://blogs.whatsonstage.com/2007/11/15/ghosts-of-stratford-present-and-past/#comment-950 Michael Coveney Mon, 19 Nov 2007 12:37:51 +0000 http://blogs.whatsonstage.com/2007/11/15/ghosts-of-stratford-present-and-past/#comment-950 Jonathan, that's a very touching testimonial. What a voice Richardson had! It must be a marvellous conduit for such memories playing Vincent Crummles. Yes indeed, the theatre was in Dickens' blood all his life, something I thought Simon Callow conveyed very well in his one man show. I'm glad to see from a Telegraph interview with your directors that you are retaining the terrific Stephen Oliver music. Stephen was a great friend of mine at Oxford; he arrived having already written 57 operas and we shared a piano for a couple of terms in Worcester College. He was an amazing whirlwind of a person and I remember that the first RSC show at Stratford I ever reviewed, Keith Hack's production of The Tempest in The Other PLace in 1975, had a complete sea-score by him (that was the RSC debut season of Richard Griffiths and Ian McDiarmid, too). Nickleby was the great RSC hit of 1980, slightly overshadowing (a bit unfairly, in my view) John Barton's ten-play series of The Greeks earlier in the year; and that had a wonderful score, too, by Nick Bicat. I think someone should make an album of the best RSC music over the past thirty years... Jonathan, that’s a very touching testimonial. What a voice Richardson had! It must be a marvellous conduit for such memories playing Vincent Crummles. Yes indeed, the theatre was in Dickens’ blood all his life, something I thought Simon Callow conveyed very well in his one man show. I’m glad to see from a Telegraph interview with your directors that you are retaining the terrific Stephen Oliver music. Stephen was a great friend of mine at Oxford; he arrived having already written 57 operas and we shared a piano for a couple of terms in Worcester College. He was an amazing whirlwind of a person and I remember that the first RSC show at Stratford I ever reviewed, Keith Hack’s production of The Tempest in The Other PLace in 1975, had a complete sea-score by him (that was the RSC debut season of Richard Griffiths and Ian McDiarmid, too). Nickleby was the great RSC hit of 1980, slightly overshadowing (a bit unfairly, in my view) John Barton’s ten-play series of The Greeks earlier in the year; and that had a wonderful score, too, by Nick Bicat. I think someone should make an album of the best RSC music over the past thirty years…

]]> By: Jonathan Coy http://blogs.whatsonstage.com/2007/11/15/ghosts-of-stratford-present-and-past/#comment-933 Jonathan Coy Sun, 18 Nov 2007 13:06:37 +0000 http://blogs.whatsonstage.com/2007/11/15/ghosts-of-stratford-present-and-past/#comment-933 Dear Michael, Your nostalgic piece on the ghosts of Stratford struck a chord. My first visit was as a Shakespeare-mad 12 year old in 1965. Isaw Eric Porter as Shylock and I sent him my programme to autograph - he responded to my enthusiasm with a most delightful letter. There was a lesson in courtesy to a young fan. For the next ten years I must have seen virtually every single RSC production either at Stratford or the Aldwych. Like you, I saw Ian Richardson's blonde "Coriolanus" - were you the one sitting along the row in short trousers? On the little train that went from Leamington to Stratford, in those days the only way to reach the little market town, Iwas thrilled to eavesdrop on a group of people, clearly 'in the know', saying that "Ian" had damaged his knee. True enough, that afternoon the knee didn't bend, nor, however, did that mighty voice crack. Like you, too, I saw the Warner "Hamlet" - still MY favourite by a mile - though not my first, that was O'Toole's at the Old Vic. As I was only ten I don't remember a lot about it except that I thought it was FABULOUS. When I take the stage every night (twice on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays!) as the actor-manager Vincent Crummles in "Nicholas Nickleby" I am, in my head, paying a small homage to those heroes of our youth. Did you know that Dickens dedicated the first edition of "NN" to his great friend William Charles Macready? Well if CD wasn't embarrassed about remaining stage-struck into adulthood, why should we be? Yours, Jonathan Dear Michael,

Your nostalgic piece on the ghosts of Stratford struck a chord. My first visit was as a Shakespeare-mad 12 year old in 1965. Isaw Eric Porter as Shylock and I sent him my programme to autograph - he responded to my enthusiasm with a most delightful letter. There was a lesson in courtesy to a young fan. For the next ten years I must have seen virtually every single RSC production either at Stratford or the Aldwych. Like you, I saw Ian Richardson’s blonde “Coriolanus” - were you the one sitting along the row in short trousers? On the little train that went from Leamington to Stratford, in those days the only way to reach the little market town, Iwas thrilled to eavesdrop on a group of people, clearly ‘in the know’, saying that “Ian” had damaged his knee. True enough, that afternoon the knee didn’t bend, nor, however, did that mighty voice crack. Like you, too, I saw the Warner “Hamlet” - still MY favourite by a mile - though not my first, that was O’Toole’s at the Old Vic. As I was only ten I don’t remember a lot about it except that I thought it was FABULOUS.
When I take the stage every night (twice on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays!) as the actor-manager Vincent Crummles in “Nicholas Nickleby” I am, in my head, paying a small homage to those heroes of our youth. Did you know that Dickens dedicated the first edition of “NN” to his great friend William Charles Macready? Well if CD wasn’t embarrassed about remaining stage-struck into adulthood, why should we be?

Yours,

Jonathan

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