SEASON 7 (1935-36)
Wonderful Zoo
Captain Banner
Twelfth Night November 1935
WONDERFUL ZOO
by F. Sladen Smith
Directed by Alfred Emmet
Setting devised by Alfred Emmet
and designed by Dudley Clark
Throwing off the shackles of realism!
The high-light of this season was the opening production, WONDERFUL ZOO. It was generally regarded as having added considerably to the Club's reputation for experimental and unusual work. Dudley Clark's designs, in which the scenery was painted on sheeting hung on a double curtain rail around the stage, were featured in a scenic design exhibition in the West End. This is how a reviewer described it:
"They had scenery painted on curtains. (If they wanted to open a door or window they pulled apart two pieces of tapestry.) Tables and chairs had their angles exaggerated to get away from normal perspective. A man, climbing down the face of a building and described in the action as eluding his pursuers by disappearing between the Prince Consort's legs, showed that this did not exhaust his fantastic repertoire by emerging from Queen Victoria's head, somewhere in the region of the left ear."
In his programme note, Alfred Emmet explained that WONDERFUL ZOO, though not anti-realistic, is in form essentially nearer fantasy than realism, and would be swamped by pure realistic treatment, apart from one's desire to throw off the shackles of realism in the theatre.
December 1935
CAPTAIN BANNER
by George R Preedy
Directed by Alec Payne
Designed by Audrey Perkins
It was back to a more conventional, though little known, costume drama with CAPTAIN BANNER.
The reviews were lukewarm and the ticket sales disappointing, and this had a material affect on the season's accounts.
The production's failures were put down to lack of rehearsal time and preparation.
May 1936
TWELFTH NIGHT
by William Shakespeare
Directed by Alfred Emmet
Designed by Alfred Emmet and Dudley Clark
CONTROVERSY!
It started long before rehearsals had even begun!
As soon as Season 7 was announced in November 1935, LJD (reviewer for the West Middlesex Gazette) pounced, accusing The Questors of having lapsed from their established reputation for avoiding the "hackneyed" choices of other amateur dramatic societies by including "Twelfth Night" in their season.
"If a progressive society is going to tackle a Shakespeare play at all, why pick one that most local societies have had a shot at one time or another?...I should have liked to see them delve into that wealth of Shakespeare that amateurs and professionals alike seem to keep in the confines of their library."
Alfred Emmet responded by suggesting that "the proper test to be applied is whether, by this production, we succeed in contributing anything to the theatre, and that if we do succeed in this, that will justify us in our choice."
He promised a freshness of approach and that the production would not be merely the traditional Shakespeare of recent generations.
This was a red rag to another correspondent, whose interest in the plays of Shakespeare was apparently "unbounded."
"I am not one of those individuals who go to a Shakespeare play to see it presented with this quality of "freshness"; I go to hear the beauty of the language, the incomparable blank verse... I want the play played as Shakespeare intended. I do not want a picture show."
To which Alfred replied that the correspondent seemed to be suggesting that he preferred his Shakespeare stale. "[He] wants the play played as Shakespeare intended. I venture to think that would be something fresh, and I very much doubt whether [he] has ever seen the play so performed. The tradition that so shackles many Shakespeare productions has nothing to do with either Shakespeare or his time."
You can read the full exchange here.
A few weeks after this outburst in the press, the issue was put to the test in a light hearted way at one of The Questors regular SURPRISE NIGHTS.
A scene from TWELFTH NIGHT was presented in the styles of five different directors- an actor manager of the old school, a modern version in the style of Noel Coward, a violently expressionist interpretation, a clash of modern and Elizabethan styles, and a Hollywood version involving some "slightly clad ladies".
This event got almost as much press attention as the final production...
... which in the event proved a substantial success.
"It left a good many amateur and professional productions of the play stone cold"
"Mr. Emmet's production steered a skilful course...and the result was a complete triumph for all those who had faith in him and in themselves."