NEWSLETTER OF THE THEATRE LIBRARY ASSOCIATION

Volume 14, Number 2IVolume 14, Number 3 FallIWinter 198611987 SPECIAL DOUBLE ISSUE

NATIONAL THEATRE EXHIBITION MOVES TO NEW YORK

Last winter the National Theatre in Lon- don mounted an exhibition of the work of John Haynes, the remarkable British The- atre photographer whose work has been immortalizing plays for more than twenty years. The exhibition, which was trans- ferred to the Colnaghi Gallery in New York this spring, reminds us that Haynes is a theatre practitioner of the highest rank, an artist who can evoke the essense of a play in a single photo.

Jane Horrocks as Fanny in Ask tor the Moon, by Shirley Gee (Hampstead Theatre, 1986)

To view Haynes' photographs is to re- live one's experience in the theatre, to feel the exhausting ,passion of Julie Walters and tan Charleson in Fool for Love, to sigh at the stunning beauty and sadness of Wendy Morgan in Martine- how one re- calls that gorgeous opening scene! Even negative feelings come back - Haynes' photo of A family and a fortune recalls much squirming and yawning during that tedious play. There is also a marvelous series of photos of David Storey's Home, one of Haynes' earliest assignments, as well as a generous selection from Beck- ett's plays. And there is Michael Gough in drag, ready to embrace Alan Bates in the 1983 revival of A Patriot for Me. In addition to the photographs of plays, there are rehearsal shots and some splen- Harry Andrews in the title role in Lear, by Edward Bond (Royal Court Theatre. 1971) did portraits of playwrights - those of Beckett, Bond and Orton are especially Colnaghi show closes May 9, 1987-you most recent theatre books. The work of noteworthy. And, although the exhibition may still purchase a copy of Taking the Mr. Haynes is really an international trea- provides a pretty good survey of the Stage: Twenty-one Years of the London sure, providing theatre-lovers of the pres- Hampstead and National Theatres, it is Theatre (Thames & Hudson, $14.95). This ent with happy memories and those of the particularly excellent in its coverage of book, which includes 132 of Haynes' pho- future with documents to study and enjoy the Royal Court Theatre since 1970. tographs, is an extraordinary testament to the history of this wonderful. transient art If ybu've missed the exhibition-the .the living theatre and gives more joy than form. ' THEATRE CRAFTSPEOPLE HONORED IN LINCOLN CENTER EXHIBITION

John the Baptist Decapitated Head, Salome, Hartford Grand Opera

The Association of Theatrical Artists and Craftspeople (ATAC) is the first and only trade association representing crafts- people working in the production fields of entertainment and performance. ATAC's members create an astonishing variety of works, including special effects, specialty costumes, models, masks and armor. Many of these objects were recently on exhibition in the Main Gallery at the Li- brary and Museum of the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. Founded in 1981, ATAC's prime goals are to unite members of the theatrical craft profession for the advancement of their art, the promotion of the highest artistic standards, and the sharing of ideas and in-' formation with the membership and the public. In addition to their newsletter, they publish The New York Theatrical Source- book, a directory of 2,500 companies. Other projects include seminars, grant re- search, health and safety information, and a job referral service, which categorizes members in more than 80 hard-to-find skills. For further information please con- tact ATAC, 1742 Second Avenue, #102, Horse Mask, Equus God Puppet, Taverner, Opera Company New York, NY 10128. -of Boston, 1985 Frog and Fish Footmen, Alice in Wonderland, Broadway & PBS, 1983 Melting Head, Street Trash (Film)

DOLORES PARADES AGAIN, BUT 20 BLOCKS NORTH

Fleral Follies~Broadway Revue Costumes 7900-7930, an exhibition of original designs and documents pertaining to the use of flowers, birds, animals and butterflies in the costumes of Broadway extravaganzas, was on view in the Astor Gallery at the Library and Museum of the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center from February 27 through May 23,1987. The show was curated by Dick Buck and Barbara Naomi Cohen Stratyner and designed by Don Vlack, who enlarged and cut out a cardboard photograph of Dolores and dressed it in her famous peacock costume. The costume was lent by the Museum of the City of New York. BOOK REVIEWS America's Musical Stage: Two Hundred but there is hardly any point in duplicating Years of Musical Theatre. By Julian Mates. Bordman's excellent reference. Instead, Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1985.,252 what Mates has effectively done is to es- pp. $29.95. tablish the inter-relationships of the varied musical forms which have held the Amer- David Glockley of the Houston Grand ican stage over the decades, including American Theatre Companies, 17491887. minstrel shows, circuses, opera, dance, Edited by Weldon B. Durham. Westport, Opera recently admitted that Danny New- burlesque, revue, and vaudeville. His per- CT: Greenwood Press, 1986. 598 pp. $65. man's popular theatre dogma "Subscribe Now" isn't working anymore. When Hous- ceptions are invaluable, as he is dealing American Theatre Companies, 18881930. ton mounts a Porgy and Bess or a Treeme with maior issues and essences, rather Edited by Weldon B. Durham. Westport, nisha-or even one of the war-horses of than rehearsing a dogged documentation. CT: Greenwood Press, 1987. 541 pp. $65. the operatic repertory-it has to be sold to It's es~eciallvimeortant. however. for the public as a special "event." Busy pee readers tb begin with ate;' overture. He In creating the three-volume work enti- ple, so the argument runs, don't want to be is intent on establishing the right of Amer- tled American Theatre Companies, editor tied down to a routine of musical theatre ican musical theatre to be considered a Weldon Durham has set an ambitious task on the first Tuesday of alternate months. serious artistic form. He argues for a long for himself-chronicling the individual And that's in a city where there's not much view, an historical perspective, which histories of American companies which choice. leads to the conclusion that it is not only produced theatre in the stock mode be- With the recent advent of Les Miserables an indigenous American art form, but tween 1749 and 1986. Fortunately for stu- and Starlight Express, both of them spec- probably our oldest performance tradi- dents of American theatre history, if the tacular productions, it's clear that musical tion. Mates is effective in covering so first two volumes are an indication of the theatre in New York is also becoming a many years and so much substance with quality of the total work, Durham will as- series of special events. With tickets at the such economy, always relating musicals to suredly achieve his goal. Metropolitan Opera at an upper level of the mainstream of American theatre life. The scope of Durham's study is limited $90-but they are printed on silver card! Contributions of serious composers, libret- to the documentation of groups which -lavish musical spectacles by Franco tists, and performing artists are stressed, adopted the stock-company mode of or- Zeffirelli and Jean-PierrePonnelle seem to underscoring the claims of the musical ganization. In his definition of the stock be the wave of the future at Lincoln Cen- stage to be regarded as a valid art form. company, Durham is in close agreement ter. Indeed, with long runs of 42nd Street, The fact of the tremendous popularity of with Jack Poggi (Theatre in America: The La Cage aux Folles, and Cats, it's possible various kinds of musicals over the years, Impact of Economic forces, 1870-7967) they will become permanent institutions. Mates insists, is in their favor rather than and Alfred Bernheim (The Business of the Fans can return each season to see the against them. (One recalls, of course, that Theatre: An Economic History of the Amer- new casts, as generations now seem to opera has long been Italy's most popular ican Theatre, 7 750-1932) before him. have kept The Fantasticks alive. theatre form. That has not discouraged na- The first volume, which covers the years Another permutation in the long history tive critics from treating scores, librettos, 1749 to 1887, presents eighty-one "group of American Musical Theatre is already in performances, and productions with great biographies" of American theatre compa- progress-without the public seeming to respect.) nies. Each entry begins with a narrative be aware of it. In view of this, a close Julian Mates rightly cites the plight of summary of the company's history outlin- reading of Julian Mates' provocative and musicals, new and old, in that they are ing both its business and artistic practices. absorbing analysis of our musical theatre customarily reviewed by drama critics, In addition, contributors have provided a will provide some valuable lessons from some of whom know little about the list of key personnel and the positions the past and some clues to the future. This potential of music and dance in a stage they held; a sample repertory, sometimes is an entirely worthy successor to Mates' work. Or they are evaluated by music for only one season, but more frequently historical masterwork, The American Mus- critics, who may care little for theatrical for several years; and a bibliography of ical Stage Before 7800 (Rutgers, 1962). values. Few critics, Mates insists, can see published, unpublished, and archival The new volume is not precisely a se- a musical whole-as the totality that the sources. The second volume contains 105 quel. Some historical substance is com- amalgam of performance forms becomes. portraits of companies formed between mon to both. Mates' earlier achievement Mates' endnotes and bibliographical essay 1888 and 1930 and is organized like the is notable, not only for the comprehensive offer further illumination, adding to the first volume. Companies are listed alpha- account it provides of early American book's value as a reference. betically by their principal names with theatre life, but also for its emulation of But it can also be a point of orientation cross-references to alternate names. When Marcel Proust's ingenious narrative de- as the American (or immigrant British) references are made to companies docu- vice. Mates managed, in that study, to musical sails onward over troubled seas. mented in other entries, they are indicated reanimate the past within the framework Times change. Musicals change. Prices by an asterisk. Separate appendixes list of a New York audience on the way to- change: the new volume is virtually $30. the companies chronologically and by and from-the 18 April 1796 premiere of Mates' Rutgers study cost only $6 in 1962. state. Each volume is thoroughly indexed. William Dunlap's American musical, The Tickets for musicals were also cheaper Despite their overall length, the first Archers. (In American Musical Theatre, then. Some might well argue that the mus- two volumes of American Theatre Con critic Gerald Bordman assesses its stage icals were better, too. panies are remarkably easy to use. In addi- quality as minimal, a "competent hack -Glenn Loney tion to being thoroughly cross-referenced work. . . ") and indexed, the scope of each of the vol- The new study clearly could not repeat umes is logical. Individual entries are com- the Proustian effect, but Mates has at- British Musical Theatre. By Kurt Ganzl. prehensive without burdening the reader tempted a theatrical structure of Over- New York: Oxford University Press, 1986. with unnecessary detail, and entries are ture, Acts, and Scenes. His "Intermission," $125. constructed so that readers can select devoted to The Black Crook, comes rather what information-a company's person- late in the performance, but it is a needed My first thought upon seeing these two nel, for example-may apply to their respite to dispel the folklore that this un- huge volumes was what could they possi- study without being forced to survey a usual show was the "first" American mus- bly contain? Isn't the British musical the- great deal of unnecessary material. These ical comedy. atre, especially when you omit operas, volumes are a valuable contribution to the Compared with Bordman's definitive oratorios, pantomimes and revues, rather literature and should be a welcome addi- tome, Mates' survey of the past two-hun- limited? And, British productions of non- tion to any library- public, academic or dred years of musical theatre in the United British musicals are mentioned (The Sound private. States may seem too brief. Doubtless of Music 15 times) but without any com- -John W. Frick there could have been much more detail, ments, casts or credits. Volume I covers the years 1865 through significant ways. And, even if modern di- viving about stage practices in Shake- 1914. Except for the first five years, each rectors and designers have tried to recre- speare's time-and precious little about year is treated as a chapter with a discus- ate "Globe" stages with various playing the actual character of the Globe, as well sion of the various productions. Not only areas, that doesn't mean that they have -Dessen has had to infer from what is are London productions given, but also used those spaces as Shakespeare and his available and from the close examination those given in Liverpool, Manchester, and colleagues might. Or that things described of stage directions and actual lines in other such locations, both British and for- literally in the playtexts were necessarily some four hundred manuscript or printed eign. Each year is then followed by a refer- actually shown on stage to the audience. copies of Elizabethan and Jacobean plays. ence section of production and cast de- In Elizabethan Stage Conventions and What he infers is, one is tempted to say, tails. Each production is numbered, with Modern Interpreters, Dessen examines this obvious to intelligent readers of the plays, Windsor Castle, produced at the Royal many-faceted problem. The extended title but, from recent productions -some of Strand Theatre on June 5, 1865, being may be more complex than need be-it which he notes-it's all too clear that numbered 0001. Gilbert and Sullivan are could warn off readers who will profit some directors and designers have for- given a great deal of space. In the case of much from this valuable study-but it gotten what is intended, or never under- The Pirates of Penzance the production de does describe Dessen's areas of interest. stood it. tails cover three pages, from the one He makes frequent reference to produc- Less Is More seems to be the thread run- "copyright performance" on December tions, notably of the Oregon Shakespear- ning through Dessen's argument. For the 30, 1879 at Paignton one day before the ean Festival, the Stratford Festival, the Elizabethans, a candle-possibly even New York production, up to the 1980 Royal Shakespeare Company, and even Joe unlit-on the sunlit stage of the Globe Joseph Papp production, the 1982 film ver- Papp's Public TheatreIShakespeare Festival. signified a night scene. Audiences, like a sion, and a television series in 1984. In Elizabethan Stage Conventions and meditating player on stage, could join him Volume I1 covers the years from 195 Modern Interpreters, Dessen examines this in "not seeing" other actors on stage but through 1984, arranged in the same man- many-faceted problem. The extended title not involved in the actual scene. The signi- ner. I looked up the first London musical I may be more complex than need be-it ficance of locale or place, the nature of ever saw-Grab Me a Gondola-and could warn off readers who will profit stage violence, the suggestion of darkness found a two-page summary of the plot and much from this valuable study-but it and light, the representation of madness: comments on the cast and performances. does describe Dessen's areas of interests. these and other conventions are examined The production details indicate that, after He makes frequent reference to produc- by Dessen in some detail, to demonstrate engagements at Windsor and Hammer- tions, notably of the Oregon Shakespear- the need for more careful, informed study smith, the show opened at the Lyric The ean Festival, the Stratford Festival, the of Shakespeare's texts, especially by those atre in the West End on December 26, Royal Shakespeare Company, and even who feel impelled to bring them to life on 1956 for a run of 673 performances. A Joe Papp's Public TheatreIShakespeare stage. careful check in my program reveals that Festival. Problems, Dessen suggests, don't all the twepage summary of the plot does in- Aside from those peculiar productions originate with misguided or untutored the- clude all the song titles, although nowhere in which both director and designers atre folk who try to make Shakespeare are they listed in correct order. The most seemed to have little or no idea of the in- "accessible" to modern audiences. Some recent London musical I have seen that is tent and content of Shakespeare's play- notable howlers, it's true, have been the included in this set is The Importance, pre texts, Dessen is also concerned about result of trying to make lines or directions duced at the Ambassadors Theatre on modern stagings of Elizabethan dramas match modern customs or stage-practices. May 31,1984 for 29 performances. It is dis- that misfire-or fall short of the power But there are other areas of difficulty as missed in one paragraph which includes they could achieve-because either the well. Serious scholars, Dessen indicates, only four of the fourteen songs in the director or the designers have interpreted have also confused issues by reading texts score. Full cast and production credits are dialogue or stage directions in terms of without knowledge of the nature of the given, however. modern theatre practice or in terms of the Elizabethan stage and its practices. The- Each volume has its own Appendix I world as we understand, it today. When he atre historians, he notes, may be more se- (printed music), Appendix I1 (recorded makes the point that.Shakespeare is not cure in those areas, but even they may fall music) and a complete index of all names alive now and was not writing for a theatre short in understanding the conventions of and show titles included in the text. Sub- filled with modern technology -or for an Shakespeare's time. tracting these appendixes and indexes, the audience sated on hours of weekly TV- This doesn't mean that Dessen wants total page number of the two volumes is Dessen may seem to be stating the ob productions recreated as they might have 2,246. There are 1,006 numbered produc- vious. been done nearly four hundred years ago tions, which means each production re- But, as he demonstrates from some not- -even if recreation were possible. But he ceives an average of two and one quarter able or notorious recent productions, the does argue that some major moments in pages. obvious needs constant restating. It is a the plays, some revelations of character, The author has modestly compared his truism that Shakespeare's was a theatre some dynamic actions can all be made work to Bordman's American Musical The- for the ear (and the mind) rather than for more effective today if they are presented atre, but it is much more. This monu- the eye. How many English teachers have with an Elizabethan minimality instead of mental work will answer almost any ques- pointed out to classes coming to the a contemporary realism. tion one could possibly have concerning Bard's plays for the first time that the ver- -Glenn Loney the British musical theatre. It certainly bal imagery takes the place of that which belongs in every appropriate library. on stage today-and especially on film or -Richard C. Lynch TV-would be shown? The Fabulous Lunts: A Biography of Alfred And, despite some disconsolate excur- Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. By Jared Brown. sions into the Epic or the Absurd, modern New York: Atheneum, 1986.523 pp. $24.95. Elizabethan Stage Conventions and Mod- American and British theatre has tended ern Interpreters. By Alan C. Dessen. Cam- to be solidly realistic. Since lbsen and The Lunts occupied a very special place bridge: Cambridge University Press, 1986. Chekhov, that has been the dominant the- in the American theatre. They acted to- 201 pp. $14.95 (pbk.). atre mode. Shakespeare's plays, Dessen gether from 1923 (Sweet Nell of Old Drury believes, sometimes come to grief be- by Paul Kester) until 1957 (touring the Despite Ian Kott's assertion to the con- cause of this. Or great moments may be United States in The Creat Sebastians by trary, Alan C. Dessen insists that the Bard's spoilt, by making what was intended to be Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse). They acknowledged universality does not in symbolic into a very real stage-picture, played Shakespeare, Shaw, Coward, fact make him our contemporary. His something it's almost certain would not O'Neill, Maxwell Anderson, Sidney How- world and the theatre for which he wrote have been seen on Shakespeare's stage. ard, and Chekhov, to name only a few. were different from ours in a number of Because there is so little evidence sur- George Freedley wrote a slim monograph about them in 1957, as part of the Theatre tween 1927 and 1946, actor and director production of The Vikings. World Monographs. Harley Granville Barker led the English Dennis Kennedy's Granville Barker and Jared Brown treats the Lunts' careers in theatre's progressive development in the the Dream of Theatre is a lavishly illus- detail. He tells of Lynn Fontanne's very early twentieth century. His memory is trated, exceptionally well-written and de early years in the theatre in England, of often overshadowed by the prolific vision- tailed account of Barker's work. With her early training with Ellen Terry, of her ary theories and productions of his coun- great insight Kennedy chronicles Barker's work with Weedon Grossmith, and of her trymen and contemporaries Edward Gor- work as an apprentice actor and play- coming to New York with the help of Laur- don Craig and William Pod. But Barker, wright, his seasons at the Savoy and Court ette Taylor to play in J. Hartley Manners' perhaps more than any theatrical artist of Theatre, his experimentation with classics, The Wooing of Eve in 1916. Her first ac- the day, brought the English theatre out of realism and non-representational theatre, claim in this country came in 1921, when its slavish dependence on the pervasive his interest in Shaw's plays, and his ex- she played the lead in Kaufman and Con- conventions of the Victorian stage into a traordinary Shakespearean productions. nelly's Dulcy. new era of simple, evocative and highly in- Kennedy's prose is clear and direct and the Alfred Lunt began his professional ca- telligent Shakespearean production. Cer- text is well-annotated. The illustrations, reer in 192, at the Castle Square Theatre tainly less flamboyant and outspoken than many previously unpublished, are valua- in Boston. He worked there for two years, Craig (with whom Barker acted as a young ble tangible evidence in support of Ken- toured in Margaret Anglin's company of man), Barker quietly and steadily brought nedy's commentary, and the book includes Paul Kestefs Beverly's Balance, and the revolutionary ideas of Craig and Poel, an appendix listing Barker's productions- played in several other productions. His as well as his own vision, to the center of 1899 to 1940-as well as a thorough bibli- first real success came with Booth Tar- the English theatre before World War I. ography. Kennedy's survey make; an ex- kington's Clarence in 199. Three recent books superbly reconstruct cellent corn~anionvolume for Salmon's During the years through which they ap and reassess Barker's significance in his collection oi Barker letters. peared together, Lunt and Fontanne estab own time and examine his seminal influ- Christine Dymkowski's Harley Cranville lished themselves as America's favorite ence on contemporary production. Barker: Preface to Modern Shakespeare fo- acting couple. They played comedy and The obvious strength of Granville Barker cuses on Barker's Shakespearean produc- tragedy, classical and modern. One can and his Contemporaries is that it supplies tions. Since she limits herself to Barker's get some idea of their versatility by the de- Barker's own words on a wide variety of fascination with the Bard, Dymkowski is scriptions in Brown's book. theatrical issues. After offering a concise able to offer considerably more detail on The personal careers of the Lunts some introductory survey of Barker's career, as Barker's Shakespearean productions than what paralleled the growth of the Theatre well as a detailed chronology, Salmon Kennedy. What comes through most clear- Guild, for whom they appeared in many wisely divides the correspondence into ly is the sharp intelligence that marked productions. Mr. Brown supplies a great chapters devoted to some of Barkefs most Barker's Shakespearean efforts. Dym- deal of history of the Guild, although the prolific correspondents, including William kowski amplifies her commentary with relationship between the Guild and the Archer, George Bernard Shaw, Lillah Mc- previously unpublished material from Lunts was not always a happy one. A more Carthy, Gilbert Murray, Helen Huntington, promptbooks and reviews and employs congenial partnership existed between the Thomas Hardy, T.E. Lawrence and John contemporary photographs to reconstruct Lunts and Noel Coward. Gielgud. Three additional chapters pre- particular moments from the productions. One of the characteristics of the Lunts' sent correspondence with other actors, As well as an assured study of Barker's performances was the vigor of the love directors and playwrights, including John Shakespearean Prefaces-with the added scenes. In such works as Molnar's The Martin-Harvey, William Poel, Max Rein- support of some of Barker's lesser-known Guardsman (19241, they quite literally hardt, Elizabeth Robins, john Galsworthy, writings on Shakespeare-Dymkowski of- wrestled. It was said that many in the audi- Lady Gregory, Laurence Housman, John fers detailed accounts of Barker's produc- ence at a performance by the Lunts were Masefield, and many others. tions of The Winter's Tale and Twelfth comforted by the knowledge that they Most of the letters are fascinating, par- Night, both produced in 1912, and A Mid- were a married ccwple. My one regret in ticularly the early correspondence with summer Night's Dream, produced in 194. this book is that Mr. Brown did not include Shaw concerning plans for productions of Dymkowski's most significant contribu- the Helen Hokinson cartoon of the two his works. In very early letters to Archer, tion is her intense reconstruction of Bark- terrified young amateur actors at oppos- Barker articulated the need for an English er's 1940 production of King Lear. With ing ends of a long sofa. The directress is national theatre and prophetically noted striking documentation, emphasizing a standing before them, chin in hand, head that "we may have to wait a very long previously unpublished reconstruction by in air. The caption read, "As I recall, the time for our National Theatre, and that Hallam Fordham and the production's Lunts rolled." when it comes we may have no modern Lear, John Gielgud, Dymkowski succeeds Mr. Brown's book is well-indexed and national drama to put in it. We must get at making the production a tangible expe annotated. There is a charming introduc- vital drama from somewhere, and if we rience for the reader. Barker once wrote tion by Helen Hayes. can't create it we must import it first." that only "from a study of the craft [of -Paul Myers These early letters clearly demonstrate theatrical art] will a right understanding of Barkefs energies and he often seems to be art emerge." Salmon, Kennedy and Dym- as idealistic as Craig. But the correspond- kowski have illuminated the craft, as well Granville Barker and His Correspondents. ence after the First World War takes on a as the art, of Harley Granville Barker. Edited by Eric Salmon. Detroit: Wayne somewhat weary, slightly frustrated and -James Fisher State University Press, 1986. 602 pp. ultimately cynical tone. Even so, the later 557.50. correspondence offers Barkefs potent in- The Musical Theatre: A Celebration. By Granville Barker and the Dream of The sights on the stage of the post-World War I Alan Jay Lerner. New York: McGraw-Hill, atre. By Dennis Kennedy. New York: Cam- theatre. bridge University Press, 1985. 231 pp. Salmon has superbly edited and anno- 1987. 240 pp. $24.95. 539.50. tated Granville Barker and His Corre spondents. His footnotes are unfailingly In October of 1985 Alan Jay Lerner Harley Granville Barker: A Preface to useful in creating the necessary context worked on this book in the Theatre Collec- Modern Shakespeare. By Christine Dym- for Barker's remarks, and the volume is tion of the New York Public Library. The kowski. Washington, D.C.: Folger Books, well-indexed, with several well-chosen il- staff came to know and respect him and 1986. 240 pp. 532.50. lustrations and a foreword by John Giel- was saddened to learn of his death a few gud. The foreword mistakenly identifies months later, just after completing this Often seen today as a pedantic scholar Ellen Terry as the star of Craig's 1926 pro- book . remembered primarily for his Prefaces to duction of Ibsen's The Pretenders, when in Beginning with Offenbach and his one Shakespeare, written and published be- actuality Terry appeared in Craig's 1903 act opera-bouffe Les Deux Aveugles in 1855, Mr. Cerner traces the development tural and theatrical terms. murderers-all in "compulsive" pursuit. of the musical through Strauss, Gilbert Philadelphia was for many years the While he searches for Richard, he also and Sullivan, and on up to Irving Berlin center for theatre and all things artistic tapes two plays for television-and takes and the great American composers. Nu- and intellectual. Gilbert Stuart referred to a holiday trip back home to South Africa, merous photographs, many in color, add it as "the Athens of America," and a study which he had not visited for eight years. to the celebration. of this subject has been long overdue. It is The journey involves yet another search, While nothing really new may be unfortunate that Greenwood Press has for feelings long unvoiced. Finally, learned, Mr. Lerner is consistently enter- done a disservice to the author by produc- Stratford-rehearsals begin. The idea of taining ("I have never quite understood ing the book in such small, faint print that Richard on crutches- Shakespeare's great the fascination the operetta composers it is difficult to read. It would, no doubt, warrior who is severely disabled - is had for gypsies. Their population was rela- put off anyone but an avid researcher adopted, ditched, and adopted again. Pre- tively small, their contribution to society from reading it. views, opening; acclaim from Trevor nil, and as far as I know their main talent - Babette Craven Nunn, and "a flash of a night in JoeAllen's was swirling around and card-reading.") some millennia ago," and letters from the and amusing ("We can cheer ourselves by Richard Ill Society (only one or two "less remembering an observation once made Year of the King. By Antony Sher. New enthusiastic"). Accounts of all are here. It by Sibelius that on the entire face of the York: Limelight Editions, 1987. 249 pp. is our pleasure that Mr. Shefs "pile of earth there is not one statue to a critic."). $17.95. notes and sketches from this past yeaf' Of interest are his accounts of such land- has been shared with us. It provides a rare mark musicals as My Fair Lady and Cam Having been numbered among those in insight into the making of a historic the- elot, as only he could know. Along about the entry "Americans invade - Stratford atrical event, yet one in which the play 1959 he begins to mention the "ominous gets so full it might be sick" during the run rests "in pride of place, on the top." cloud of rising costs" that prevented re- of Antony Sher's performance in Richard spectable shows from making a profit. By 111, this diary of the lives of "the two of us, the 1980's these costs have pushed the from the first suggestion to opening night" ticket price up out of reach. Mr. Lerner dis- promised a great deal of interest. How GOLDEN JUBILEE cusses this problem, as well as the theatre good that it fulfills that promise and offers organizations that are becoming real- more-eloquent writing, astonishing draw- There will be a gala reception on Fri- estate operators both here and in London. ings, and cause'for laughing out loud. day, October 9, 1987, honoring the fifti- He also discusses the influence today of Year of the King deals with the experi- eth anniversary of the Theatre Library Sondheim (content) and Andrew Lloyd ence of creating a performance, from "an Association. The party, which will offi- Webber (form) and the emergence of the unkempt mess" to "a bottled spider." In cially open the lnternational Sym- British musical (someone tells him that this case, the creation began even before posium on Popular Entertainment as a New York is about to become "just a stop a line of "JoeAllen's chat" came from the Reflection of National Identity, will on the American tour"). Mr. Lerner also re- mouth of Trevor Nunn; it was a popped also honor TLA's Past Presidents. All minds us that Broadway cannot survive Achilles' tendon which drove Sher into TLA members will receive invitations. without the musical theatre, but that the both physical therapy and psychotherapy The Symposium is sponsored by the musical theatre can live without Broad- -both essential elements in his concept Theatre Library Association, the Amer- way. of Richard. It was foreshadowed by a ican Society for Theatre Research, and -Richard C. Lynch small accident at a Barbican opening, the Society of Dance History Scholars, where the old man into whose shoulder in cooperation with the International Sher crashes is Laurence Olivier. ("God," Federation for Theatre Research. It will Philadelphia Theatres, A-Z: A Comprehen- Sher had written earlier, "it seems terribly be held in New York City from October sive, Descriptive Record of 813 Theatres unfair of Shakespeare to begin his play 9 through October 12,1987, at the City Constructed Since 1724. By lrvin R. Glazer. with such a famous speech. You don't like University of New York's Graduate Cen- Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1986. 277 to put your mouth to it. . .it's as hard as ter. TLA will be conducting a panel on pp. $45. saying 'I love you,' as if you'd just coined popular collections on Sunday morn- the phrase for the first time.") Once the ing, October 11. For further informa- When you consider the opposition to art is offered to him and he accepts, Sher tion please telephone Dick Buck at anything theatrical that persisted in Phila- v~sits both libraries and health farms, n 2-870-1670. delphia into the early twentieth century, it tapes TV programs on the disabled and on is remarkable how many theatres were constructed there since 1724. The Quakers in particular denounced the drama and actors, in fact acting was punishable by jail term until 1789 when the Pennsylvania legislature repealed the law prohibiting dramatic performances. In Philadelphia Theatres, A-Z lrvin R. Glazer records 813 theatres built in more than 200 years, although some of the buildings were called "museum," "hall," or "opera house" to disguise the purpose for which they were used. Also, the term "lecture" was used for "play." Names of some of the celebrities who performed as well as interesting quotations add color to the introductory chapters. This book is a well-researched, alpha- betical list of the theatres with descrip tions of the original architectural details in addition to later alterations, decorations and changes in systems of lighting from candlelight and oil lamps through gas Anthony Shefs sketch of himself as Richard Ill, from kar of the King, published in New York by lighting. There is a glossary of architec- Limelight Editions and in London by Methuen THEATRE LIBRARY ASSOCIATION OFFICERS President: Mary Ann Jawn, Curator, William Seymour Theatre Collection, Princeton University Library, Princeton, NJ 08544 (609) 452-3223 Vice-president: Martha Mahard. Assistant Curator, Haward Theatre Collection, Haward University Library, Cambridge, MA 02138 (617) 495-2445 Secretary-Treasurer: Richard M. Buck, Assistant to the Chief, Performing Arts Research Center, The New York Public Library at Lincoln Center, 111 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10023 (212) 870-1644 Recording Secretary: Lois E. McDonald, Associate Curator, The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, 305 Great Neck Road, Waterford, CT 06385 (203) 443-0051 EXECUTIVE BOARD Elizabeth Burdick, Librarian, International Theatre Institute of the US, 220 W. 42nd St., New York, NY 10036 (212) 944-1490 Maryarm Chach, Archivist. Shubert Archive, Lyceum Theatre, 149 West 45th Street, New York, NY 10036 (212) 944-3895 Geraldine Duclow, Librarian, Theatre Collection, Free Library of Philadelphia, Logan Square, Philadelphia, PA 19l03 (215) 686-5427 John W. Frick, Assistant Professor, Department of Communication Arts, University of Wisconsin Center, Fond Du Lac, WI 54935 (414) 929-3600 Brigitte Kucppm, Theatre Arts Librarian, University of California Libraries, Los Angeles, CA 90024 (213) 825-4880 Audree Malkin, c/o Theatre Arts Library, University of California Libraries, Los Angeles, CA 90024 (213) 825-4880 James Poteat, Manager, Research Services, Television Information Office, 745 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY la51 (212) 759-6800 Louis A. Rachow, Librarian-Curator, Hampden-Booth Theatre Library, The Players, 16 Gramercy Park, New York. NY 10003 (212) 228-7610 Anne G. Schh, Director, Louis B. Mayer Library, American Film Institute, 2021 North Western Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90027 (213) 856-7600 Don Stowell, Jr., USITT, Box 12484, Atlanta, GA 30355-2484 Richard Wall, Theatre Librarian, Paul Klapper Library, Queens College, Flushing, NY 11367 Wcndr When, formerly Associate Curator, Theatre Collection, Museum of the City of New York; present address: 23 Durham Street, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1H 2Y1 (519) 763-0264 EX OFFlClO Alan J. Pally, General Library and Museum of the Performing Arts, The New York Public Library at Lincoln Center, 111 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10023. Editor, BROADSIDE (n2) 870-1614 Barbara Naomi Cohen Stratyner, 265 Riverside Drive, 7C. New York, NY 10025. Editor, PERFORMING ARTS RESOURCES (212) 222-2172

Officers of the Theatre Library Association (founded 1937): President, Mary Ann Broadside ISSN: 0068-2746, published quarterly by the Theatre Library Association, Jensen, Curator, the William Seymour Collection, Princeton University Library, 111 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10023, is sent to all members in good stand- Princeton, New Jersey; Vice-president. Martha Mahard. Assistant Curator, Theatre ing. Editor: Alan J. Pally, Theatre Library Association, 111 Amsterdam Avcnue, New Collection, Haward University, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Secretary-Treasurer, York, N.Y. 10023. TLA membership (annual dues. $20 personal, 125 institutional) also; Richard M. Buck. Assistant to the Chief, Performing Arts Research Center, The New includes Performing Arts Resources, published annually Current members may York Public Library at Lincoln Center, New York City; Recording Secretary, Lois E, purchase past issues of Performing Arts Resources, $10 prepaid, and Broadside, 12 McDonald, Associate Curator, the O'Neill Theater Center, Waterford, Connecticut. prepaid.

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