SEASON 22 (1950-51)
The Tinsel of Athens
The Winter's Tale
The Merchant of Yonkers
Poor Man's Miracle
The Philanderer
September 1950
THE TINSEL OF ATHENS
by Lydia Ragosin
Directed by Alfred Emmet
Designed by Sheila Walsh
Although her career was most successful in the realm of radio and television, we premiered a number of Lydia Ragosin's stage plays over the years (she was the daughter of the famous ballerina Lydia Kyasht), culminating in the commissioning of a stage version of THE CORRUPTIBLE CROWN, two plays about Richard III and Henry VII which we played in repertoire in 1967.
THE TINSEL OF ATHENS, about a young Russian scientist seeking refuge in Britain, was the first of hers that we put on. It got mixed reviews in the press, although it is obvious from reading her correspondence with Alfred Emmet that she benefited from the experience.
I notice that this was the first show that a young Kath Harrington is credited as working on. Kath quickly became a cornerstone of the Questors and is one of those people that we wonder how Questors could ever have survived without. She passed away in 2004 and is probably now busy sorting things out "up there."
When asked when it was she joined Questors she said it might very well have been in 1933 when, with her mother, she was visiting the clinic next door. She decided, however, that the members looked a 'funny lot' and were probably members of an entirely different and rather shady club which in those days shared the same premises (the notorious Barn Club).
Fortunately for us she turned up a few years later to help with props on this production.
November 1950
THE WINTER'S TALE
by William Shakespeare
Directed by Abraham Asseo
Designed by Beryl Anthony
Topical triva: according to the programme note, in 1610 Shakespeare's actors got paid £30 extra for performing this play "because for six weeks prior to Christmas "infection" had prevented their appearing in theatres". Only six weeks!
[This note was written during the Covid epidemic lockdowns!]
Three fresh Questor faces
making their debuts in this production of
THE WINTER'S TALE
March 1951
THE MERCHANT OF YONKERS
by Thornton Wilder
Directed by Eric Voce
Designed by Beryl Anthony
This play has a long history, which I won't take up space expounding in full here, but briefly it began life as a one-act farce (A DAY WELL SPENT 1835), was extended into a full-length play by Austrian writer Johann Nestroy (EINEN JUX WILL ER SICH MACHEN 1842), adapted by Thornton Wilder (THE MERCHANT OF YONKERS 1938), rewritten by Wilder with more attention given to the character of Dolly Gallagher Levi (THE MATCHMAKER 1953), which made way for the Broadway musical HELLO DOLLY! Oh yes, and then there's Tom Stoppard's version ON THE RAZZLE (1981). Which all goes to show it's a pretty damn good plot!
As the programme rightly states this version of the play doesn't appear to have been produced professionally in this country before ours. But there was a production several months later at the Embassy Theatre, with Robert Eddison, Alfie Bass, Esma Cannon, Peter Baylis and Nigel Hawthorne among the cast. Ivor Brown saw it and thought ours was much better - "a happy, farcical-whimsical flutter, fresh and unself-conscious"- whereas the Embassy production was like flat soda-water with the life fizzed out of it!
March 1951
POOR MAN'S MIRACLE
by Marian Hemar
Directed by Alfred Emmet
Designed by Ernest Ives
The production, which was included in the British Drama League's London Theatre Week and also coincided with The Questors' hosting of the Little Theatre Guild Conference, was very well received. Paul Bedford writing in the Middlesex County Times was particularly struck by the way the court scene was staged.
"The audience became the jury and members of the cast stood in the aisles trying to lead the reactions. Personally I found this a little disturbing, and have been pondering whether such an experiment in inverted arena production was the author's original intention or merely an answer to the lack of space on the Questors stage. If the former, its value seems doubtful; but if the latter it can only be taken as another example of the enterprise of "London's most important Little Theatre" - for as such has the Questors been recently described in print by no less an authority than E Martin Browne, The Director of the British Drama League."
The programme credits Eric Kirby with sound effects and music.
This is his first mention in this survey, although he had already provided music a few months earlier for the Revue "BY FURTHER REQUEST"
June 1951
THE PHILANDERER
by George Bernard Shaw
Directed by Barbara Hutchins
Designed by Norman Branson
This was Shaw's second play and has as its theme an assualt on the Marriage laws -"the grotesque sexual compacts made between men and women."
Paul Bedford's review of this "masterly production" gives "almost unfettered praise" to the actors and certainly makes one want to borrow a time machine to go back and enjoy what seems to have been a really good night in the old theatre.
Sadly, there are no photos for this production in archives. All we have is this sketch by Frank Dobry of Peter Curtis in the role of Dr Paramore.
Two ingenus in this production - Clifford Webb is making his first appearance on the Questors stage and a "vociferous" young Michael Davis makes an appearance as the page boy, prior to joining the Student Group.