Still treading the boards
When, as my alter-ego Lady Margaret, I was recording my Radio 4 series, the reviews for which ranged from ‘Highly talented’ to ‘Terminally boring,’ the opening section was always done as a live walkabout amongst the gathering audience.
Her ladyship once asked a woman where she lived. ‘Nempnett Thrubwell’ came the reply.
‘Gosh, that sounds delightful’ exclaimed Margaret, ‘Is it a highly desirable roses-round-the-door thatched property in glowing Somerset stone?’
‘No. It’s a concrete bungalow!’ I’ve never been to Nempnett Thrubwell but I’d hate to think with such a poetic name the village was totally made up of concrete bungalows.
On endless tours with Natural Theatre, we used to play all sorts of games.
One was to invent imaginary thespians named after Somerset villages, and to give them spurious press reviews. Looking at the atlas, it appears any number of luvvies reside in the county.
Thus, Hardington Manville was much praised for his subtle interpretation of the Prince of Denmark at the Donmar, despite being a little old for the part.
And veteran comic actor Compton Dando excelled (as usual) as the Gravedigger. How many times have we seen him deliver this classic role?
News just in that favourite baddie Hornblotton Green will be reprising his much-loved Captain Hook this Christmas at Wimbledon Theatre, while the sad report of the passing of Rosemary Lane, star of countless musical comedies alongside the likes of Noel Coward, has touched many hearts in Theatreland.
Rosemary collapsed, as so many aged actresses tend to do, midway through her performance as fading medium, Madam Arcati in Blithe Spirit at the Lyric.
An audience member said afterwards ‘We thought it was part of the show, but after half an hour of her not moving, we realised something was wrong.
But it proves, that even when dead, Rosemary gave her all!’
Critics are raving about gospel legend Queen Camel’s performance in the West End revival of Up Yours, Vicar, her first foray into straight theatre, though some opined that she could perhaps modify her volume.
Meanwhile, over at the National, cheeky Curry Mallet is doing his upmost to reach the dizzy mockney heights formerly attained by Tommy Steele in the new production of Half a Sixpence.
Famously rotund actor Butleigh Wooten continues to divide audiences, playing all three characters in the highly controversial production of Waiting for Godot at Regents Park Open Air Theatre.
Reactions have been mixed, with The Times critic rather cruelly asking if the casting was the result of financial limitations or ‘in this sweltering weather, an attempt by Mr Wooten to lose weight?’
Other famous Somerset actors in the news include Chiltern Cantelo, starring as Harry Belafonte in Daylight Come, The Musical, and veteran Shakespearian stalwart Wyke Champflower giving his umpteenth farewell tour of The Merry Wives in which of course he plays Falstaff (the sitting down version).
Meanwhile who can ever forget the aforementioned Nempnet Thrubwell’s barnstorming King Lear, featuring the famous ‘Blow winds, blow!’ speech delivered in the form of the shipping forecast?
And as for Muchelney Ham, well, one hopes his (or her) talents are not reflected in their name!