DOCSLIB.ORG

Angus Mackay Diaries Volume III (1966-1977)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Angus Mackay Diaries Volume III (1966-1977) Angus Mackay Diaries Volume III (1966-1977) ANGUS MACKAY DIARY NO. 35 Friday July 22 1966 David rang up last night after his first night, about ten to twelve, from the ‘phone-box outside his digs. (The digs are about ¼ of an hours walk, on the way to Walton-on-the-Naze.) He was absolutely miserable. I have never heard him so depressed. As far as we could tell, there was nothing tangible for him to be depressed about, except that he’d felt ‘wooden’, ‘spastic’, ‘the whole company got the laughs’. I’d say this last had something to do with it, as he’d thought himself rather good and better than the others. An audience soon tells one, and the leading girl, whom he hadn’t thought much of ‘came up fantastically.’ That would throw him technically, too. But principally it’s, of course, that it’s all much harder than he expected. As Peter Hoar said he gave a very good period performance, and he’s playing the murderer, not the detective’s assistant, in the next play. I don’t think they’ve lost faith in him yet! (Also, ‘Jane’ is almost certainly by far the better part of the two – Cinderella usually is – and she probably got a lot of the laughs and the praise.) I hope he’ll pick himself up quickly and get on. This will be the testing time, as he has obviously a tendency to give in unless everything is easy for him. So there he is miserable in digs all by himself, about his acting, just as I wanted him to be. I hadn’t reckoned on how it would upset me. I couldn’t go to sleep for thinking about him and had to take a sleeping-pill. (And all day in the studio today!) I feel so responsible for him, as he is only where he is because of me. Am I encouraging him beyond his talents or even inclinations for my own satisfaction? I honestly think he is very talented. But of course my affection for him is the worst. My heart ached for him last night. I know so well what that feeling is like, when there is no escape from blaming yourself. And now I have to see it tomorrow and say something wise and comforting and RIGHT, that will actually help him. And all without showing that what I would idiotically, like to do, is pick him up and carry him back home where he need not be hurt or miserable again!! The hardest thing is to judge him in the whole play. Saturday July 23 1966 He was better than I dared to hope. He really has got it. Of course it’s all a bit hit and miss, but it’s there. The audience loved him. The whole thing wasn’t bad. I nearly burst with pride, when the director said ‘He’s the best young man we’ve had at Frinton for years. A natural’. If only D. could have been here too. Sunday July 24 1966 After being worried I might talk in the dressing-room, he saw I would behave quite nicely, and indeed was quite agreeable when I was asked to the after-the-show party! Seriously he was adorable all day and suggested he meet me at 10.15 this morning. Very nice, on his only sleeping in morning. He saw me off, after I’d given him some quite good notes. He seems to take us even more for granted as parents now. He really loves us. D. burst into tears when I told her what Joan Shore said about him. Of course he still has a long way to go, but I really thought ‘He might be a star’. He’s mad about Sally Ducrow now, the one he thought nothing of at first. Thursday August 4 1966 Last night had Roger Lloyd-Pack to dinner. Was an ASM with David at Coventry. A calm, intelligent, amiable boy, far more amenable than David! We may be able to help him a little, and I believe he enjoyed his evening. I cannot however pretend that part of the reason for asking him was to understand David better. As they were rather friendly at Coventry. Roger’s opinions absolutely chime with mine. David found him interesting and stimulating. Yet David disagrees with most of what I say. D. is quite right. I must grow up if I am to be a father in any but a sentimental sense to him. I must be there to be provoked, there to be sure of myself, there to be reacted against, this last something he has never had. He is provoking because he loves argument, the investigation of his own ideas and opinions in which he has almost no confidence. And more provoking to me than to anyone, because finally he can more confidently count on me than on anyone else. As witness his saying that the ideas about Shakespeare, he wouldn’t say to anyone else. He has to test all these ideas out because he can’t find himself. (I mean his is terribly, at the moment, all talk and no do.) I sometimes feel desolate about him that he is quite cold and without feeling, just idly interested in argument, and fact grubbing and then remember his family, and how he once said to me they had forced him to become ‘independent’ i.e. not caring for anybody. His emotional life has been very narrow, and he has often been hurt. If, for instance, I said to him now, ‘I find after all, we have nothing in common, the experiment hasn’t worked, out you go’, he would say he didn’t mind, right, pick himself up and go straight on. But really it would inflict a wound that would leave him quite cynical for life. What I must do is, first, certainly, not lose my temper. (My only comfort is that sometimes he makes D. lose hers) second, and more important, put him first, so that I can calmly wonder what insecurity he is parading now, rather than what emotional need of mine he is not satisfying. He depends on me more than I even imagine. I must remember that he is testing me and himself all the time. This is all the more important now that he is bound to embark on a real affair any minute now. If she were the wrong girl, our influence and stability would be even more vital. He comes of bad stock, feckless and lazy. His mother was right when she said that he was like his father. It depends on me to bring out the wonderful best that’s there. I don’t think he can possibly do it alone. Even his lively inquiring mind is a snare to his laziness and lack of concentration, since it is easier to have an argument than actually to do something. I must think of what I can do for him not what he can do for me. And this includes not simply giving him things, treats, theatres, and so on, since his acceptance of them is something he gives me! (Even Roger L-P said his (David’s) powers of concentration were not of the greatest. He must learn to work. What shall I say if it turns out that, like Miss Brodie, I have encouraged him unrealistically?) Wednesday August 10 1966 If only D. were here, too, to talk it over with! Well, he may do it alone. He was better than before, and is on absolutely the right lines. All he needs is time and experience to bring sureness, and I honestly don’t know where he might get to. Except that general note, I really can scarcely think of anything to say to him tomorrow. Some passages couldn’t have been better. Tomorrow night he’s playing a character part, with an accent and a beard! Help. I went and sat in on lunch with him and Sally and Sybil Eubank. Sally is a very sweet girl, and they’re apparently always together. They had a rehearsal in the afternoon, after which I was supposed to be taking him out to dinner, or high tea. Much too early for me, but I wanted one quiet talk alone. Still I was rather relieved when Joan and Sam Hoar asked me out, and when I told David this, he jumped at the opportunity to eat in the theatre kitchen with Sally, with food bought by themselves. I said ‘Why didn’t you say?’ He said ‘Well, I didn’t want you to have dinner all by yourself.’ Ah! I must remind him tomorrow of my last letter. He, and D. and I have now got far enough to say to each other, there’s no need to be in my pocket all the time on these occasions. We’re together for life, as it were, and from that basis confidence can come. He was the only one playing the right weight for the play, and the only one with any real taste. Thursday August 11 1966 Met David at 11 at the theatre, went for coffee (where we were interrupted by Annette ? with whom I did 3 plays ten years ago in Hull!) Then walked along the cliffs, sat on a seat for a bit, and then went back to the theatre, where he gave me a large pile of dirty washing, and then I took him and Sally Ducrow out to lunch at my hotel.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • SQUARING the CIRCLE Also Available from Faber & Faber
    SQUARING THE CIRCLE Also available from Faber & Faber by Tom Stoppard UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY (a version of Arthur Schnitzler's Das weite Land) ON THE RAZZLE (adapted from Johann Nestroy's Einen Jux will er sich machen) THE REAL THING THE DOG IT WAS THAT DIED and other plays FOUR PLAYS FOR RADIO Artist Descending a Staircase Where Are They Now? If You're Glad I'll be Frank Albert's Bridge SQUARING THE CIRCLE BY TOM STOPPARD t1 faber andfaber BOSTON • LONDON First published in the UK in 1984 First published in the USA in 1985 by Faber & Faber, Inc. 39 Thompson Street Winchester, MA 01890 © Tom Stoppard, 1984 All rights whatsoever in this play are strictly reserved, and all enquiries should be directed to Fraser and Dunlop (Scripts), Ltd., 91 Regent Street, London, WlR 8RU, England All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher, except for brief passages quoted by a reviewer Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Stoppard, Tom. Squaring the circle. I. Title. PR6069.T6S6 1985 822'.914 84-28732 ISBN 0-571-12538-7 (pbk.) IN TRODUC TION At the beginning of 1982, about a month after the imposition of martial law in Poland, a film producer named Fred Brogger suggested that I should write a television film about Solidarity. Thus began a saga, only moderately exceptional by these standards, which may be worth recounting as an example of the perils which sometimes attend the offspring of an Anglo-American marriage.
    [Show full text]
  • Shakespeare on Film, Video & Stage
    William Shakespeare on Film, Video and Stage Titles in bold red font with an asterisk (*) represent the crème de la crème – first choice titles in each category. These are the titles you’ll probably want to explore first. Titles in bold black font are the second- tier – outstanding films that are the next level of artistry and craftsmanship. Once you have experienced the top tier, these are where you should go next. They may not represent the highest achievement in each genre, but they are definitely a cut above the rest. Finally, the titles which are in a regular black font constitute the rest of the films within the genre. I would be the first to admit that some of these may actually be worthy of being “ranked” more highly, but it is a ridiculously subjective matter. Bibliography Shakespeare on Silent Film Robert Hamilton Ball, Theatre Arts Books, 1968. (Reissued by Routledge, 2016.) Shakespeare and the Film Roger Manvell, Praeger, 1971. Shakespeare on Film Jack J. Jorgens, Indiana University Press, 1977. Shakespeare on Television: An Anthology of Essays and Reviews J.C. Bulman, H.R. Coursen, eds., UPNE, 1988. The BBC Shakespeare Plays: Making the Televised Canon Susan Willis, The University of North Carolina Press, 1991. Shakespeare on Screen: An International Filmography and Videography Kenneth S. Rothwell, Neil Schuman Pub., 1991. Still in Movement: Shakespeare on Screen Lorne M. Buchman, Oxford University Press, 1991. Shakespeare Observed: Studies in Performance on Stage and Screen Samuel Crowl, Ohio University Press, 1992. Shakespeare and the Moving Image: The Plays on Film and Television Anthony Davies & Stanley Wells, eds., Cambridge University Press, 1994.
    [Show full text]
  • The Development of the Role of the Actor-Musician in Britain by British Directors Since the 1960’S
    1 The Development of the Role of the Actor-Musician in Britain by British Directors Since the 1960’s Francesca Mary Greatorex Theatre and Performance Department Goldsmiths University of London A thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) 2 I hereby declare that the work presented in this thesis is my own. Signed: ……………………………………………. 3 Acknowledgements This thesis could not have been written without the generosity of many individuals who were kind enough to share their knowledge and theatre experience with me. I have spoken with actors, musical directors, set designers, directors, singers, choreographers and actor-musicians and their names and testaments exist within the thesis. I should like to thank Emily Parsons the archivist for the Liverpool Everyman for all her help with my endless requests. I also want to thank Jonathan Petherbridge at the London Bubble for making the archive available to me. A further thank you to Rosamond Castle for all her help. On a sadder note a posthumous thank you to the director Robert Hamlin. He responded to my email request for the information with warmth, humour and above all, great enthusiasm for the project. Also a posthumous thank you to the actor, Robert Demeger who was so very generous with the information regarding the production of Ninagawa’s Hamlet in which he played Polonius. Finally, a big thank you to John Ginman for all his help, patience and advice. 4 The Development of the Role of the Actor-Musician in Britain by British Directors During the Period 1960 to 2000.
    [Show full text]
  • 22 August 2008 Page 1 of 6 SATURDAY 16 AUGUST 2008 Hudd …
    Radio 7 Listings for 16 – 22 August 2008 Page 1 of 6 SATURDAY 16 AUGUST 2008 Hudd …. Philip Fox moon, before the ship returns to Earth. Norton …. John Rowe Futuristic tale set in 1965 written and produced by Charles SAT 00:00 Time Hops (b007k1sp) Prison Officer …. Stephen Hogan Chilton. Time's Up Director: Cherry Cookson Jet Morgan …. Andrew Faulds The children are convinced that the man from the BBC will First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2004. Lemmy Barnett …. Alfie Bass help them. But is he really what he seems? SAT 06:00 Like They've Never Been Gone (b00cz8np) Doc …. Guy Kingsley-Poynter Conclusion of the comedy sci-fi by Alan Gilbey and David Series 4 Mitch …. David Williams Richard-Fox. Episode 6 All Other Parts …. David Jacobs Stars Sara Crowe as EK6, David Harewood as RV101, Nicola It’s Tommy and Sheila’s anniversary – 40 years in showbiz! Music composed and orchestra conducted by Van Phillips. Stapleton as Steph, Paul Reynolds as Baz, Dax O'Callaghan as Lewis is hoping it’ll pass quietly and cheaply. But will a short The original 1953 recordings of this futuristic series were Max, Ian Masters as Norton, Joshua Towb as Horatio, Neville hospital stay force Tommy to start taking life easier? erased. Jason as Tailor and Margaret John as Mrs Miller. Mike Coleman's sitcom starring Roy Hudd and June Whitfield. This series was re-recorded and first broadcast on the BBC Music by Richard Attree. Ageing showbiz couple Tommy Franklin and Sheila Parr battle Light Programme in April 1958.
    [Show full text]
  • Angus Mackay Diaries Volume IX (1989 - 1990)
    Angus Mackay Diaries Volume IX (1989 - 1990) ANGUS MACKAY DIARY NO. 90 April 17 1989 - June 18 1989. Monday April 1989 Oh dear, the sentimentality and muddle-headedness over the football disaster! Because it is sacred football. How grateful I am that I know nothing and care less about it, any more than motoring! I shall wait, I expect patiently, for both activities to fall apart from the inside, and perhaps, become rational. But oh, how I bleed for those poor dead young people. Tuesday April 18 1989 Now Liverpool Council are offering complete financial support for all the families of the dead, funeral expenses, everything. I wonder if the same would have been if ninety-five people had been suffocated on the stairs after a semi-gala at Liverpool Playhouse. Odd peoples’ love of crowds. I think I must have as little of the herd instinct as anyone. Last night I thought I might go to see A. Hopkins in M. Buller fly which is previewing. When I got there, the foyer was so full at 7.30 for 8.0, that I didn’t even enquire whether there was a ticket, - I turned away and came back home. Another aspect of the whole thing, is the lower middle class male being very very reluctantly dragged into reality. I hope he’s not too upset about it to work. Later. It seemed like next day! Out at 2.15 to buy some summer pyjamas, 3 prs. £41 M and S, Oxford St. Then to buy coffee beans, Gourmet Noir.
    [Show full text]
  • Ahmanson Theatre
    AHMANSON THEATRE 1967-68 PREMIERE SEASON 1968-69 SEASON “More Stately Mansions” “Captain Brassbound’s Conversion” by Eugene O’Neill; by George Bernard Shaw; Starring Ingrid Bergman, Arthur Hill Starring Greer Garson, and Colleen Dewhurst; Darren McGavin, Jim Backus, Paul Directed by José Quintero. Ford, John Williams, George Rose (American Premiere). and Tony Tanner; September 12 - October 21, 1967. Directed by Joseph Anthony. “The Happy Time” September 24 - November 9, 1968. Book by N. Richard Nash; “Love Match” Based on the play by Samuel A. Book by Christian Hamilton; Taylor and the book by Robert L. Music by David Shire; Fontaine; Music by John Kander; Lyrics by Richard Maltby Jr.; Lyrics by Fred Ebb; Starring Patricia Routledge, Starring Robert Goulet and Michael Allinson and Hal Linden; David Wayne; Directed and choreographed by Directed and choreographed by Danny Daniels. Gower Champion. (World Premiere). (World Premiere). November 19, 1968 - January 4, 1969. November 13 - December 23, 1967. The Royal Shakespeare Company in The Royal Shakespeare Company in “Dr. Faustus” “As You Like It” by Christopher Marlowe; by William Shakespeare; Directed by Clifford Williams. Directed by David Jones. “Much Ado About Nothing” “The Taming of the Shrew” by William Shakespeare; by William Shakespeare; Directed by Trevor Nunn. Directed by Trevor Nunn. January 14 - March 1, 1969. January 2 - February 10, 1968. “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” “Catch My Soul” by Tom Stoppard; Words by William Shakespeare; Starring Brian Murray and Music by Ray Pohlman; George Backman; Starring William Marshall, Jerry Lee Directed by Derek Goldby. Lewis and Julienne Marie; March 11 - April 26, 1969.
    [Show full text]
  • John Boorman
    13/15 John Boorman BFI Southbank to honour the director with a BFI Fellowship on 25 March followed by a career retrospective throughout April On 25 March John Boorman will be presented a BFI Fellowship – the highest accolade that the nation’s leading organisation for film can award. To mark the occasion he will be interviewed by Michel Ciment, on-stage at BFI Southbank, to launch a major retrospective of his work and to celebrate his recent 80th birthday. There will also be an Extended Run and nationwide release of Point Blank (1967) and an exhibition of artefacts from Boorman’s personal archive, on display in the Mezzanine – including a dress worn by Helen Mirren in Excalibur (1981). To complement this season there will be an exclusive run of Me and Me Dad (2011), an intimate insight of life in the Boorman family, directed by John’s daughter Katrine Boorman (who will appear in conversation on 27 March, following a preview of her film). According to Philip French, John Boorman is ‘one of the greatest filmmakers this country has produced’. He began his career as a documentary director for the BBC with Citizen 63 (BBC, 1963) and The Newcomers (BBC, 1964), and this season will feature these early works and follow his varied filmmaking career to date. His first feature film, Catch Us If You Can (1965), was a showcase for the Dave Clark Five and caught the attention and support of Pauline Kael. It was followed by The Quarry: Portrait of a Man as a Parylsed Artist (BBC, 1966), inspired by Fellini’s 8½ and events in Boorman’s own life.
    [Show full text]
  • The 1960S Ian Bannen – Richard Pasco – Tom Courtenay – Richard
    The 1960s Ian Bannen – Richard Pasco – Tom Courtenay – Richard Chamberlain Ian Bannen, thought to be the first Scot to play Hamlet, had come to Stratford ten years previously as a walk-on. In Peter Wood’s 1961 production, staged at the re-named Royal Shakespeare Theatre, he was the first actor to play the Prince under Peter Hall’s regime as Director. In his startling and controversial performance the noble mind was gone, as was all trace of Ophelia’s portrait of ‘the glass of fashion and the mould of form’. Several critics were appalled at his lunatic neuroticism, and spelt out the symptoms: ‘His eyes are sometimes wild, staring, and seemingly on fire, his body shakes, and his hands and head tremble feverishly,’ wrote one. Another, who judged him ‘unconditionally mad as a hatter’, explained: ‘This man is mad when we first find him, and the full horror of madness, the almost delicious danger, comes once the revenge motif has been sounded by the Ghost, when a paroxysm of rage and physical excitement sweeps the body, and the psychopathic obsession for vengeance becomes a great and sinister game.’ Bannen explained: ‘I see Hamlet as being in a high state of tension the whole time....He needs something to help him relax the tension. That is why he loves codding Polonius, jazzing it up with the Players, and playing around with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.’ Later he admitted to having over-played the madness. He also confessed he found the part exhausting, because Shakespeare’s mind moved at such enormous speed.
    [Show full text]
  • TPTV Schedule March 29Th to April 4Th
    th th TPTV Schedule March 29 to April 4 Date Time Programme Synopsis Mon 29 00:15 The Best of The 1981. Comedy. Directed by Stanley Long. Stars Barry Evans, Harry H. Corbett & Diana Dors. Mar 21 Adventures The funniest, naughtiest bits from the 1970s Adventures of series. Bawdy British fun at its cheekiest. Mon 29 01:55 Little Fauss and Big 1970. Comedy-Drama. Director: Sidney J. Furie. Stars Robert Redford, Michael J. Pollard, Mar 21 Halsy Lauren Hutton, Noah Beery Jr. & Lucille Benson. The exploits of two bikers, one of Redford's lesser known works (SUBTITLES AVAILABLE) Mon 29 03:55 Crystal Palace Astounding amateur footage on the 1936 great fire of Crystal Palace, shot both during the fire Mar 21 and the day after. Mon 29 04:00 Lytton's Diary Tricks of the Trade. 1985. Stars: Peter Bowles, Anna Nygh, Bernard Archard. Lytton learns Mar 21 about a crooked politician working a shady export deal with moneyed interests from the Middle East (S1, E04) Mon 29 05:00 The Tom Ewell Show Tom Cuts Of The Credit. Tom cuts off the wife and daughters from credit cards and the family Mar 21 checking account in order to teach them a lesson about finances. Mon 29 05:30 The Tom Ewell Show Debbie Takes Up The Tuba. Tom Ewell stars in this half-hour sitcom as Tom Porter, a real Mar 21 estate agent. Daughter Debbie starts taking tuba lessons, annoying the entire family. Mon 29 06:00 Catch Us If You Can AKA Having A Wild Weekend.
    [Show full text]
  • 2021 Roll of Honour Saying Thank You
    Awards issued between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2020 (Updated 10/06/21) Contents Saying thank you 3 National Honours 4 World Scouting 6 Meritorious Conduct and Gallantry Awards 7 Good Service Awards 11 Future recognition 78 Please note Edits County: Although in some parts of the We aim to ensure that all recipients are British Isles Scout Counties are known listed correctly in this document, as Areas, Islands, Regions (Scotland) - however if you don’t see your name or and in one case Bailiwick, for ease of you see a mistake, please notify the reading, this publication simply refers to Awards Team on [email protected]. County/Counties. Published by The Scout Association, Awards are listed in first name Gilwell Park, Chingford, London E4 7QW alphabetical order under the location Copyright 2019 The Scout Association which nominated/approved the award. Registered Charity number 306101/SC038437 #SkillsForLife 2021 Roll of honour Saying thank you We’d just like to say thank you. Over the past year in my role I have been privileged to witness many examples across the UK of the You, our brilliant volunteers and staff, make Scouts astounding hard work of so many adult volunteers happen. It’s as simple as that. Without your and staff who make Scouts a real adventure for kindness and commitment we wouldn’t be able to young people. In the unusual year that it has been, I offer the incredible opportunities we give to our have met more people than ever due to the power young people, helping them gain skills for life.
    [Show full text]
  • Danny Daniels: a Life of Dance and Choreography
    California State University, San Bernardino CSUSB ScholarWorks Theses Digitization Project John M. Pfau Library 2003 Danny Daniels: A life of dance and choreography Louis Eric Fossum Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project Part of the Dance Commons Recommended Citation Fossum, Louis Eric, "Danny Daniels: A life of dance and choreography" (2003). Theses Digitization Project. 2357. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2357 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the John M. Pfau Library at CSUSB ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses Digitization Project by an authorized administrator of CSUSB ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. DANNY DANIELS: A LIFE OF DANCE AND CHOREOGRAPHY A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of California State University, San Bernardino In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies: Theatre 'Arts and Communication Studies by Louis Eric Fossum June 2003 DANNY DANIELS: A LIFE OF DANCE AND CHOREOGRAPHY A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of California State University, San Bernardino by Louis Eric Fossum June 2003 Approved by: Processor Kathryn Ervin, Advisor Department of Thea/fer Arts Department of Theater Arts Dr. Robin Larsen Department of Communications Studies ABSTRACT The career of Danny Daniels was significant for its contribution to dance choreography for the stage and screen, and his development of concept choreography. Danny' s dedication to the art of dance, and the integrity of the artistic process was matched by his support and love for the dancers who performed his choreographic works.
    [Show full text]
  • Theatre Archive Project: Interview with Michael Codron
    THEATRE ARCHIVE PROJECT http://sounds.bl.uk Michael Codron – interview transcript Interviewer: Adam Smith 7 April 2009 Producer. Actors; Alphabetical Order; The Birthday Party; The Caretaker; censorship; critics; directors; 'Dirty Plays' controversy; Entertaining Mr Sloane; Gallery First Nighters; The Homecoming; Jack Hylton The Killing of Sister George; Joan Littlewood; Look Back in Anger; London Arts Theatre; Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith; Donald McWhinnie; Joe Orton; Harold Pinter; producers; Peggy Ramsay; scripts; Share My Lettuce; There's a Girl in My Soup; Kenneth Williams; writers. AS: You have been described as both a producer and an impresario, although some critics claim that there is nowadays an uncertainty as to the precise meaning of these words. Given the slippage between the two, and that you have been described using each of the terms, but that they are not mutually exclusive, which would you describe yourself as? MC: I sometimes say impresario but it sounds like the wretched man from Pinocchio, doesn't it? Do you remember that man that tried to capture Pinocchio? But I really am a producer, a theatre producer. Yes, impresario sounds rather evil, doesn't it? [laughs] Perhaps I am evil, occasionally. AS: So how would you define this profession before 1968, what would it involve? MC: As far as I'm concerned? Well you’re asking me to talk about 1945 aren't you first, when I was all of 15. AS: What about after you became a producer, how would you define the profession? MC: No I didn't become a producer until 1950-something. AS: You're right, we'll do it chronologically.
    [Show full text]