THE GUY
by Walter Lever
Directed by Alfred Emmet
Cast:
Carol Allen, Marianne Van-de-core, Adrian Dickins, Ned Gethings, Anne Heslop, Wendy Stone, Jeanette Walters, Ffranccon Whelan, Tony Worth
THE AUTHOR
Questopics,
June 1966
"WALTER LEVER is 52 years old and is the one Questor among our new authors this year. He has spent much of his life in academic pastures, teaching English literature in universities as wide-spread as Jerusalem, Khartoum, Uganda and (most recently) Durham. Dr. Lever has made his mark in the criticism of Elizabethan drama and poetry, publishing a book on the Elizabethan love sonnet and editing 'Measure for Measure' for the Arden Shakespeare.
"Although he wryly describes himself as "the oldest promising young playwright in England" Walter Lever has a genuine appreciation of the thought processes and outlook of the young—obviously deriving from his close association with students over a number of years."
THE PLAY
Questopics
June 1966
"About the play itself Dr. Lever is purposely and effectively ambiguous. While admitting that his life-long work on the Elizabethans must have had some indirect effect on his own dramatic inclinations, he defies the audience to find any more tangible link.
"The play, set in an unnamed station of the London Underground, is at once a morality and an anti-morality play; the characters, at first glance familiar enough figures whom one might encounter on the platform, rapidly reveal that they have other facets which the audience will find less familiar, and even sinister."
PRODUCTION PHOTOS
PRESS RESPONSE
Walter Lever's ambitious modern morality produced the widest divergence of critical opinion. The Stage hailed it as a richly layered and intellectually stimulating work, praising its inventive use of symbolism and its playful engagement with modern theatrical styles. B. A. Young in the Financial Times likewise admired the abundance of ideas but felt the play lacked clarity and discipline, with too many themes competing for attention. Douglas McVay was openly hostile, dismissing it as an overlong reworking of familiar avant-garde symbolism. Together the reviews portray a challenging and ambitious play that inspired admiration in some critics while leaving others entirely unconvinced.
The Financial Times
The Middlesex County Times
The Stage and Television Today
QUESTORS ARCHIVES
THE GUY