BOOK OF THE WEEK

The Oxford Book of Theatrical Anecdotes

In this time of relative Covid gloom, one of the things we sorely miss is live theatre. For many centuries, Britons have gone to the theatre. Since Queen Elizabeth and then King James (first of Scotland, then of all the Isles) lent royal patronage to the Players, the theatre has occupied a top spot in our pantheon of entertainment genres. But for those stuck indoors with nothing but internet streams to feed their appetite for all things thespian, The Oxford Book of Theatrical Anecdotes goes a long way to filling the vacuum. Compiled by the ebullient writer, broadcaster, former MP, actor and producer Giles Brandreth, the compilation is a sheer delight.

For people who like to read a little every night, this book is an ideal companion for the bedside table.

Across just under 800 pages, there are no less than 852 separate anecdotes. Regarding a choice of poster girl, who better than national treasure Dame Judi Dench, who says: “Completely brilliant. Gyles knows all the best theatre stories and he has collected them just for us. What a treat!” And while stars like Dame

Judi are known to all theatre lovers, many will be introduced here for the first time.

The layout of the book is suitably theatrical. It commences with a Prologue, and then moves to Act One: Players from William Shakespeare to Henry Irving. Act Two features Players from Sarah Bernhardt to Tallulah Bankhead. Then Players from Ralph Richardson to Naeem Hyatt star in Act Three.

During Interval, meet Audiences and Critics, and then in Act Four it is the turn of Playwrights, Producers and Directors. Act Five covers Unforeseen Circumstances, and the volume ends with an Epilogue.

In one of her many anecdotes, Judi Dench is playing Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli’s production: “My parents came to everything I did at the Old Vic, and it was during this run that Daddy got famously carried away when I cried out to Peggy Mount, ‘Where are my father and my mother, Nurse?’ and called out from the stalls: ‘Here we are darling, in row H!’ When I tell this story now, hardly anyone believes me, but I do assure you that it is true.”

Mostly humorous, the anecdotes all have something pertinent to say about theatrical life.

Triumph and disaster are treated just the same, and in a time of renewed lockdowns, this meaty volume will transport the reader into the world of make-believe and recount the very real exploits of the wizards who create it.