Nottingham Playhouse

[edthefolkie 7]

Some of this posting was in the Transport thread and I thought it ought to be in the Swingin' 60s too, hope nobody minds! Anybody remember the Playhouse in its early days on East Circus Street - or even on Goldsmith Street?

Somebody asked about a show called Owd Yer Tight, written by Emrys Bryson, which was on in 1965.

I should have gone to see it but didn't although I was in the Playhouse Club at the time, and had seen the young Ian McKellen in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, also other plays. I was probably short of cash as I was only 18! 'Owd Yer Tight featured John Neville and Ronald Magill (later of Emmerdale) who also directed the show. I don't recognise most of the other players but they were regulars in the 1960s.

Emrys Bryson did a little book, based on the show, also called 'Owd Yer Tight and I bought it for my dad in 1967. He gave it back to me before he died. It's a combination of much of the stuff later to appear in his "Portrait of Nottingham" and lots of doggerel and jokes. The "Notts as she is spoke" bits are there as is some vintage smut. One can just about work out which bits were in the play - I wonder if somebody at the Playhouse has a script? I suppose you could define the show as "That Was The City That Was".

Part of the introduction consists of this gem by Donald Cotton:

Floreat Arboretum!

Et Jessicus Booticus

Playing fields of Long Eaton

And Spartan Barton Bus.

All of these have come to mean

Nottingham - the Midland Queen.

Floreat Arboretum!

Most blessed of central parks;

This plot, this other Eden,

And similar remarks.

Where sheep may graze, all unattacked

But yet do not, in point of fact.

Eternal city on the Trent!

Thy image never fails

To warm the heart

Flung far apart

Beyond thy plastic pails.

O, God, to see the gasworks come

Across the moon at Nottingham!

Stands Woolworths where it used to be? (No! Ed)

And are there kippers still for tea?

Floreat Arboretum!

The bells are not so rare

In summer time on Bredon

As in the Market Square.

When East meets West, the bit between

Is Nottingham - the Midlands Queen.

The first night was in the presence of the Lord Mayor, his lady, Lord Goodman and Jennie Lee, the Minister for the Arts. I don't know what Alderman Derbyshire thought of the featured quote from Mr Arthur Seaton - "I'd put all them fat-gutted councillors in the castle and blow them all sky-high together."

[Cliff Ton 10,454]

Maybe I'm not the most cultured person because I've only been in the Playhouse about half a dozen times, but I remember my first ever visit.

A junior school trip in December 1965 to see a performance of Dickens' Christmas Carol. The star of the show, as Scrooge, was Wilfred Brambell - old man Steptoe. Don't remember much about the actual play itself, but I think I was fairly impressed.

For some reason, I've managed to keep the original programme from that day, so here's the front cover....

and the inside title page........

[edthefolkie 7]

The great thing about the Playhouse in that era was that you didn't have to be a culture vulture. I mean. there was a punchup on the opening night. Sitting in the front row watching Arthur Seaton throw up on stage was not exactly Chekov, either.

The place was usually packed out, there were other things going on besides the actual plays, and of course there was the Playhouse bar next door to the auditorium. A few of us ne'er do wells used to sit outside in the summer drinking orrible Trophy or summat, probably in order to stare at the gorgeous girl with the St. Bernard!

I don't know if the bar ever got busted, but a very large lump of some substance wrapped in Baco foil dropped out from the seat cushions & rolled across the floor when we were inside once! Oops, sorry Constable.

[mick2me 3,033]

Only been once, in the 80s

Saw 'Piaf' The story od Edith Piaf, starring a young Imelda Staunton - (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

[Limey 242]

OOOOwwwwww.... I don't like her! LOL - The character she plays in Harry Potter gives me the creeps!

Only memory I have of the Playhouse in the 60's was to see "A Midsummer Night's Dream" but I know I saw several other plays there too. My older sister was a big fan though - and was very into the drama "scene". Sometime in the late 60's she took a summer drama course in Chichester where the only other person from the Notts area was Richard Beckinsale!

[Beefsteak 305]

I wasn't going to alter it from the 60's but seeing as someone else has , !!! I too have only been once, this time in the 90's , to see my mum 'star' in a play by that famous Spanish Author "Lorca" . To tell the truth my mum was in the group of mourners attending the funeral af the (Unseen) husband of the main character in "The House of Bernada Alba" which actually starred Helena Bohnam Carter (Back to Harry Potter!!)

JEEEEEEESUS wept , that was one boring play!!

Mind you the 'afters' drinkies was great , I met Helena B,H, (Very shy) and the other stars of the play (Who's names, unfortunately , and if you ever read this please forgive me, escape me!) along with those other stalwarts of British comedy , "Celia Imrie" ( a bit 'stand offish !) "Sue Pollard (Totaly Crackers) and Julie Walters (Absolutely fantastic!!) Great end to a boring evening.

I was fortunate enough to be earning "Silly Money" at the time and was able to show my mum a "good time " for the first time in a long, long time, as my Dad had died earlier in the year.

[Limey 242]

...and Julie Walters is Mrs Weasley! Only figured that out this weekend after watching "Educating Rita"!

[hippo girl 1,995]

started going to the playhouse in the 1960's and continued ever since, especially the bar !!!!!!......went to see Forever Young yesterday and it was awesome........

[wednesdayite 0]

I have many happy memories of the Nottingham Playhouse circa 1966... several of us from school (Henry Mellish 6th form) became student members. This was organised by

one of the school staff and enabled us to obtain cheaper tickets.

I remember seeing some memorable productions there. The ones that really stand out were Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" with John Neville giving an electrifying

performance in the lead role as Willy Loman.

The other was a performance of "St Joan " with an up and coming young actress called Judi Dench in the lead role ! Oh happy days !

[Fynger 841]

oooo another Mellish lad....ow do mate.

[hippo girl 1,995]

Welcome wednesdayite, the playhouse lives on but not like in John nevilles day.......the list of aspiring actors who went on to become household names was endless......were you at Mellish with Roy Cooper ?

[Beefsteak 305]

My sister passed her Drama CSE AT GRADE1 with a lot of help from Dame Judy (way back in around 1975) She wrote to The Playhouse where Judy was appearing , for advice on 'Costume and make up' (IMMSC) and recieved loads of swatches and make up samples from her direct.

[Guest]

The 'new' Playhouse..many memories:

Walking past with my Mum after an exhausting day in the Eye Hospital.. i was press-ganged into being photographed with an enormous Teddy Bear..appeared on the front page next day:"Teddy Stays Put".

Saw The Settlers around '74, Festival time.

Also a memorable performance of Rosencrantz and Gildenstern and supper after!

[Cliff Ton 10,454]

Wellington Circus before the Playhouse was built. Everything on the right was demolished.

[Chulla 4,946]

Strewth! Couldn't they find another place to build the Playhouse, instead of destroying a beautiful line of buildings? . Was it Napoleon who said 'Just leave them their eyes to weep with'.

[Guest]

In agreeance Chulla,seems to be more of a gradient as well.

[broxtowelad 175]

My first trip to the Play House was in the late 60's with a school group. The actor was T.P.McKenna but I don't remember the play. The second time I went I saw Brian Rix in the audience, his daughter was in the play, but I don't remember that one either.

[Guest]

Fine actor Broxtowe, my brother was a spotty teen and doused his face in a certain solution.. i nicknamed him TCP McKenna!!

[OrphanAnnie 296]

When I was about 14 my uncle used to take me every Saturday afternoon to the Playhouse - I think he must have had complimentary tickets. John Neville was there, and Ann Bell. I remember seeing Robert Ryan as Othello (Ann Bell played Desdemona) and was fascinated catching glimpses of his white skin at the top of his legs where the make up hadn't covered them. Everytime he moved his costume slipped, reminded me of my aunt who had a 'tidemark' on her neck where her panstick didn't cover! I also recall a couple of school outings there when I was in the drama club.

Is the Playhouse still there?

[Tim in the North East 200]

Went to see J.B.Priestley's An Inspector Calls at the Playhouse in the 1970s - with the largely comedy actor Bill Fraser playing the serious Inspector. He gave a completely superb performance as the chilling character of the Inspector that destroys the complacency of the mill owning family. I have seen the play a few times since at various theatres and with different actors, but for me Bill Fraser's interpretation was definitive.

[DJ360 6,721]

John Neville came to our school and delivered a morning assembly reading from Faust.. Scared the s&!t out of me.. I'm pretty sure I also saw him wandering in Bulwell Park a few times.

Col

[LizzieM 9,507]

He lived near me in Arnold.

[FLY2 10,108]

I think that there should be a commemorative statue to John Neville in Nottingham.

Maybe there will be one one day.

[SK53 16]

Somewhere, but don't know where, I have a stash of programmes from Nottingham Playhouse roughly covering the period from 1967-1976. Off the top of my head & roughly in chronological order here are some of the ones I can remember:

• Treasure Island (1966-67 IIRC). The guns scared me, but terrified my younger brother so we had to leave.
• Jack & the Beanstalk, pantomime (either Xmas 1966 or 1967). This was IIRC the only panto the Playhouse put on during this period.
• Stop it Whoever You Are by Henry Livings (late '60s)
• Hedda Gabler (late '60s)
• The Workhouse Donkey (late '60s)
• Midsummer Nights Dream. This was put on twice around 1968. First as a regular season production and then, somewhat incongruously, as the Xmas family play. I presume whatever had been planned for Christmas had fallen through. Bill Maynard played Bottom.
• Dirty Dick by Pinero (late '60s).
• Hero Rises Up (late '60s). About Horatio Nelson.
• School for Scandal (late '60s)
• The Alchemist (late '60s)
• Macbeth (late '60s)
• Twelfth Night (1970)
• Lulu (1970). A pre-West End run. Tour de force part for the lead. Somewhere I have the script with costume changes.
• Hamlet (Autumn 1970). Alan Bates as Hamlet & Celia Johnson as Gertrude. This was another pre-West End run with most of the minor parts being played by regular members of the Playhouse repertory company. For instance Alec Heggie, who played the lead in Nicholas Nickleby, played at least 4 parts in Hamlet as well.
• Nicholas Nickleby (Xmas 1970), by Ned Sherrin & Caryl Brahms. I think this was also a tryout for a West End play. I believe it was reworked in later years. No relation to the RSC Nickleby.
• Waiting for Godot (March 1971). With Peter O'Toole. Only ran for a week IIRC.
• The Resistable Rise of Arturo Ui (memory says around 1971 but was 1969). Leonard Rossiter as Ui. British premier of this lesser known Brecht play (done not that long ago at The Lace Market). See http://www.leonardrossiter.com/ArturoUi.html
• Green Leaves of Nottingham (1972) adapted from book by Pat McGrath. Many teenage members of the saturday morning Theatre Workshop sessions appeared in this.
• Taming of the Shrew (about 1974)
• The National Health (about 1974)
• Canterbury Tales (~1975). Rather naughty. Seem to remember Cherie Lunghi who was a member of the rep. company at the time appearing in a state of undress.
• Touched by Stephen Lowe (1977). Playhouse company took this to the 1977 Edinburgh Festival. Set in Nottingham. Didn't particular like this at the time.
• Travesties (Sept. 1976). Stoppard play. Saw this again years later at the Barbican, and was amazed to realise Anthony Sher played the same role in both nearly 20 years apart.

I also know Brassneck & The Comedians were premiered at the Playhouse in the 1970s, but I have no contemporaneous memories of either.

I've also tried to recall the names of members of the company, but can't get much further than these: Ralph Nosseck, Peter Whitbread, Cherie Lunghi, Alec Heggie, Backstage I think the Wardrobe Mistress was called something like Daisy Stamp, and I think she had a sister working there too. Patrick Robertson was the main designer: he later returned to London and did some productions for ENO at the Coliseum. Most programmes listed virtually everyone who worked there, with the exception of assistant stage managers who would only be there for a few months working for their Equity card.

Hope this might trigger some more memories.

PS. I should add: I was in the cast of NIcholas Nickleby as one of the schoolboys of Dothebey Hall.

[Merthyr Imp 729]

I've also tried to recall the names of members of the company, but can't get much further than these: Ralph Nosseck, Peter Whitbread, Cherie Lunghi, Alec Heggie,

Was John Shrapnel one of them? He later appeared in quite a few things on TV.

I mean to dig out my own Playhouse programmes some time and put a few notes on here, but I never went there as often as the Theatre Royal.