DOCSLIB.ORG

Vision of Life in Christopher Fry's Seasonal Comedies

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Vision of Life in Christopher Fry's Seasonal Comedies VISION OF LIFE IN CHRISTOPHER FRY'S SEASONAL COMEDIES DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF Master of Philosophy IN ENGLISH BY Sehar Fatima Harris UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF Professor K. S. Misra DEPARTMENT OP ENGLISH ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY. ALIGARH (INDIA) DS1967 DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH & MODERN EUROPEAN LANGUAGES ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY ALIGARH—202002 (India) Fab Alary 22, 1991 TO tfmn IT nKc CONCSRK Cortifiea that Kiss, n«»hir ratiif-a Harris has ccacpleted har i^.rhil dissartiticn, castittoa ®Vi3lc!i3 cS £.iea in Cjjristori^ar Fry*o Zsmaontii Coesdl'*-',• wader try auparvtslon ORJ that *jo t!>o !:3ot of cy Irooud odga tha %«5£!c lo <atooo e^Jlaolvoly by tho c^mdldato horsdf • '^-<Z/lA/*-'Vl3-Y^ Or. E,3. Klsra Fro£e3sor of rajglish TABLE OF CONTSaSITS Page No. PRBPX:E i Chapter I : INTRODUCTION 1 Chapter II : A PHOEWIX TOO PRSQUBNT 2 6 Chapter III : A YARD OP SUN 62 CONCLUSION 103 A SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY 116 •***•** PREFACE The present study aims at determining Fry's vision of life as it emerges from his serio-comic plays< nanr.ely, A Phoenix Too Frequent, The Lady's not for Burning, Venus Observed, The Dark Is Light Enough and A Yard of Sun. Fry is a relatively not adequately studied dramatist. He has either been approached as a landmark. in the revival of poetic drama in the twentieth coitury or has been both praised and criticized for manipulating a unique free verse style. The brillaiance of his langu­ age and the comedy in his plays have bean the prime con­ cern of the studies on Pry. But an adequate analysis of the vision of life which anerges from his major secular plays has been lacking so far. Because of the constraint on space all the serio-comic plays have not been analysed in detail. Only his first and last comedies have been analysed to demonstrate the consistency in Fry's approach to life. The intervening comedies have been briefly touched upon in the last chapter to support our conclusion about Fry' s vision of life. li The study comprises four chapters. The first chapter deals with Fry's early life, influences on him, his contact with the theatre, major researches done on his plays, his theory of comedy and the stance proposed to be taken in the present study. The second and third chapters contain respectively analysis of his first and last serio-comic plays, namely, A Phoenix Ibo Frequent ^^'^ A Yard of 3un» In the analysis the main thrust has been the working out of Fry's approach to life and hence the other dramaturgical components have naturally received less attention. In the final chapter the general points emerging from the analysis of the plays have been recapitulated. The comedies of which detailed analysis could not be given have been summarized only with reference to the vision of life contained in thern^ so that a reasonably complete picture of Pry's vision of life may be presented. In the preparation of the present study I wish to acknowledge my thanks and gratitude to my supervisor. Professor K.S. Misra, without whose help and assistence it would have been difficult to complete this task succss- fully. I would like to thank Professor S.M, Jafar Zaki, ill Chairman, Department of English £or his encouragement. I am also grateful to the members of the Maulana Azad Library and the English Department Seminar Library for their help in the preparation of the present study. FEBRUARY 1991 ( SSHAR PATIMA HARRIS ) CHATTER I INTRODUCTION Christopher Pry is considered as a landmark in the revival of English poetic drama in the twentieth century. After the hey-day of poetic drama in the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods, poetic drama had more or less disappeared except for the attempts by John Drydan in his verse plays. After a gap of a hundred and fifty years attempts were made in the nineteenth century by the Romantic and Victorian poets to revive this form. But almost all the poets were uncon­ nected with the theatre. Moreover, the tyranny of the theatre managers, and stardom of actors compelled thsn to write closet plays. Fresh attempts were made right from the beginning of the present century to reinstate poetic drama to its pristine glory by playwrights, like Stephen Phillips, James Flecker, Gordon Bottomley. John Masefield and John Drinkwater. But their attempts remained of historical importance and the history of theatrical per­ formance shows that they have been relegated into the lumber-room of past curiosities. The primary cause of their failure was perceived by T.3. Eliot. Eliot made a distinction between poetic drama in prose and poetic drama In verse. He w^s in favour of the latter. But he beli­ eved that the regular blank verse tradition, which had become outworn and rather remote from the living speech, should be avoided. He felt that the main cause of his predecessors' failure was attributable to their following the already exhausted Shakespearean blank verse tradition. Before we come to Fry it is relevant to have a cursory glance at Eliot's theory and practice in poetic drama and the causes for his failure. Eliot's laudable efforts are well known to the students of modem poetic drama. His main aim was to restore poetic drama to its pristine glory which it had once enjoyed in the Elizabethan period and for this he fought hard. Being a Christian, Eliot naturally started with religious plays which could help in the propagation of his spiritual and religious notions and then moved on to write more secular plays. He wanted the medium of his plays to be verse, not the Elizabethan blank verse tradi­ tion but which is close to conteir^porary speech idiom and was against poetry being used as a means of decoration. Instead, he believed that the language should be such that the reader is not fully aware of the medium but should be wholly engrossed in the 'dramatic action' and the •situation between the characters.' Eliot also voiced his concern against the mingling of prose and verse in the same play as it distracts the attention of the reader from the play itself to the medium of its expression. In fact, he preferred verse because emotional intensity can best be conveyed only through verse. It makes drama more complete and dramatic. Eliot favoured a poetic drama which should give entertainment not of the crude sort as in the case of the Elizabethans, but entertainment as a fonn of art. On the other hand, Eliot was convinced that a good poetic play should have two levels of actions, one which is outer and another, the inner structure, which Eliot calls the 'musical organization.' This 'doubleness in action' ' could be well explained with reference to Shakespeare's great tragedies — Hamlet, Macbeth and King Lear, in which the outer structure is full of bloody action and horrified situations in which the hero is caught, but underneath this can be seen the journey of the hero from a state of darkness to a state of spiritual enlightenment. 1. T.S. Sliot, "Poetry and Dran a, " On Poetry and Poets, (London, Faber i Faber Ltd., 1965), p. 74. 2. See T.S. Eliot, Selected Essays (London, Faber 5t Faber Ltd., 1951), p. 229. This inner structure, according to Sliot, gives unity to the play. 31iot's failure can be attributed to his obsession with 'religious' and 'spiritual' themes and his putting his verse 'on a thin diet' till poetry disappeared comp­ letely from his last play. He also made the mistake of choosing a worn-out tradition of social comedy to convey serious spiritual themes. "By adopting this pattern of ironic social comedy, Eliot placed upon his genius a regrettable limitation. He tied himself to a social, and still more to theatrical, conventions which were already out worn when the plays were written." Also responsible for his failure is his lukewarm interest in human emotions and issues. It is due to his excessive involvement with the holymen and their problems that he ignores people of lower status and their petty problems. In his zest for imparting spiritual message to the people, he even neglects his characters which are left simply as mouthpieces of the playwright. Apart from this, Eliot also made his charac­ ters undergo drastic changes in personality without much S.M. Browne, TheMakinq of T.S. Eliot's Plays (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 19 69) , p. 342. incentive on the part of the characters. This leads to the belief that his drama appeals more to the head than to the heart which is contrary to the claim made by the poet - dramatists of the twentieth century. Eliot started writing plays for a small audience but later moved on to a bigger audience. Here he is cont­ rasted with Yeats who started with a large audience and moved on to a smaller audience. Eliot's contribution lies in his showing the path along which poetic drama could develop further by paying special attention to the verse medium, and subject-matter which should be humane as well as entertaining. Pry was a tort;h-»bearer of the concern voiced and experiments made by W.B. Yeats and T.s. Eliot. In fact, it was "Fry who was to inherit Eliot's mantle in the 4 theatre." Some critics, while emphasizing Fry's position, have gone to the extent of saying that "In the late 1940's and early 1950's, verse drama was repre­ sented in the English theatre not so much by T.3.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Lavender Hill "Serious Competition for 'GUYS AND
    On Wifely Constancy The Passing Show Miss Cornell Poetic Speaks Playwrights Of Those She Go on Plays Right Writing Star of Maugham Revival Sees Lesson in Classic Hits Way Is Hard and Rewards Fewer, By Mark Barron But, Like Anouilh, They Work On NEW YORK. [sake, just because it was a great A veteran from in the * By Jay Carmody trouper coast play past. to coast, Miss Katharine Cornell “It is just as Maugham writes The is that so sensitive surprise many humans go on writing in ‘The Constant Wife’ when I for the theater. was still traveling the other eve- am fighting to hold my husband The insensitive ones, no. are ning after her They gamblers, betting that their Broadway premiere from a beautiful blond who is al- literal reports on life or their broad jokes about will catch the it, in W. Somerset Maugham’s artful most stealing him from me.’’ she public fancy and make them rich. They know the odds and the comedy, "The Constant Wife.” said. consequences involved in failure and nature armed them with the This “As the wife in Maugham’s toughness to both. These are time, however, Miss Cor- play, accept the addicts and there is I am faced with nell took only a hop-skip-and- the realization little need to give them a second thought. that Jump from National every marriage needs a great It is different with the other, smaller group. They are crea- Broadway’s Theater to her deal more thought than most tive, artistic and idealistic. They write plays because they want long-established home on Manhattan’s East wives devote to it.
    [Show full text]
  • 113 Winter 2004
    ISSN 1478-0186 1 The Charles Williams Society www.geocities.com/charles_wms_soc Newsletter The Charles Williams Society Newsletter No. 113 Winter 2004 2 THE SOCIETY The Charles Williams Society The Society was founded in 1975, thirty years after Charles Williams’s sudden death at the end of the Second World War. It exists to celebrate Charles Wil- liams and to provide a forum for the exchange of views and information about his life and work. Members of the Society receive a quarterly newsletter and may attend the Society’s meetings which are held three times a year. Facilities for members also include a postal lending library and a reference library housed at The Centre for Medieval Studies in Oxford. Officers of the Society President: John Heath-Stubbs OBE Chairman: Librarian: Mrs Eileen Mable Dr Brian Horne 28 Wroxham Way Flat 8, 65 Cadogan Gardens Harpenden London, SW3 2RA Herts, AL5 4PP 020 7581 9917 01582 713641 [email protected] Secretary: Membership Secretary: Revd Dr Richard Sturch Mr Guy Carter 35 Broomfield 67B Ulverston Road Stacey Bushes Walthamstow Milton Keynes MK12 6HA London, E17 4NB 01908 316779 020 8523 3465 [email protected] [email protected] Treasurer: Newsletter Editor: Mr Stephen Barber Mr Edward Gauntlett Greystones 21 Downsway, Lawton Avenue, Carterton Whyteleafe Oxon OX18 3JY Surrey, CR3 0EW 01993 841219 020 8660 1402 [email protected] ste- [email protected] Winter 2004 THE NEWSLETTER 3 Contents Newsletter No. 113 Winter 2004 Officers of the Society 2 Reading Groups 3 From the Editor 4 Society News & Notes 5 Forthcoming Meetings 6 Council Meeting 7 Questionnaire Summary 8 The Future of the Society 9 Waiting for Conflict: A Creative Response to the Experience of War Michael Hampel 11 Book Reviews 23 Letters 26 Editorial Policy and Copyright 27 Reading groups For information about the Oxford reading group please contact Brenda Boughton, tel: 01865 515589.
    [Show full text]
  • Theatre Archive Project Archive
    University of Sheffield Library. Special Collections and Archives Ref: MS 349 Title: Theatre Archive Project: Archive Scope: A collection of interviews on CD-ROM with those visiting or working in the theatre between 1945 and 1968, created by the Theatre Archive Project (British Library and De Montfort University); also copies of some correspondence Dates: 1958-2008 Level: Fonds Extent: 3 boxes Name of creator: Theatre Archive Project Administrative / biographical history: Beginning in 2003, the Theatre Archive Project is a major reinvestigation of British theatre history between 1945 and 1968, from the perspectives of both the members of the audience and those working in the theatre at the time. It encompasses both the post-war theatre archives held by the British Library, and also their post-1968 scripts collection. In addition, many oral history interviews have been carried out with visitors and theatre practitioners. The Project began at the University of Sheffield and later transferred to De Montfort University. The archive at Sheffield contains 170 CD-ROMs of interviews with theatre workers and audience members, including Glenda Jackson, Brian Rix, Susan Engel and Michael Frayn. There is also a collection of copies of correspondence between Gyorgy Lengyel and Michel and Suria Saint Denis, and between Gyorgy Lengyel and Sir John Gielgud, dating from 1958 to 1999. Related collections: De Montfort University Library Source: Deposited by Theatre Archive Project staff, 2005-2009 System of arrangement: As received Subjects: Theatre Conditions of access: Available to all researchers, by appointment Restrictions: None Copyright: According to document Finding aids: Listed MS 349 THEATRE ARCHIVE PROJECT: ARCHIVE 349/1 Interviews on CD-ROM (Alphabetical listing) Interviewee Abstract Interviewer Date of Interview Disc no.
    [Show full text]
  • Ring Round the Moon Is Often Considered an Adaptation Rather Than a Translation
    Jean Anouilh was born on June 23 rd , 1910, in Jean Anouilh the small village of Cérisole, France to parents of Basque heritage. His father was a tailor and his mother, a violinist. Anouilh became interested in drama at a young age and began his playwriting career at the age of 12. Anouilh received his secondary education at the Collège Chaptal and later enrolled as a law student in the University of Paris, only to Jean Anouilh abandon the course after just eighteen months when he found employment in the advertising industry. It was in advertising, through drafting copy, that Anouilh discovered the importance of the brevity and precision of language; he put the discovery to use when, at 25, he chose to devote himself entirely to writing. In addition to many successful plays, he also wrote ballets and translated and adapted works from such authors as Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde. Many of his works deal with moral choices and the limitations imposed upon his characters. Anouilh's work reflects the classical theatre of Molière in its comic portrayal of human folly and misery and the experimental theatre of Pirandello in its overt use of theatrical devices to explore the nature of reality and illusion. A note on “adaptation” and “translation” A Charade with Music Ring Round the Moon is often considered an adaptation rather than a translation . When Christopher Fry adapted it for Peter Brooks’ 1950 Adapted by Christopher Fry London production, he made several changes to the script. Fry softened some of the edges of the original, for example cutting out all Anouilh’s allusions to anti-Semitism, and also pushed the A Playgoer’s Guide comedy up a notch, both in language and action.
    [Show full text]
  • Printed Books, Maps & Autographs (MAY20) Lot
    Printed Books, Maps & Autographs (MAY20) Thu, 28th May 2020 Viewing: Restricted viewing by appointment only from Friday 15 May until Tuesday 26 May (excluding Bank Holiday Monday 25 May). Click here for details. Lot 628 Estimate: £150 - £200 + Fees British Actors. A collection of signed theatre programmes and photos British Actors. A group of approximately 55 signed programmes for the New Theatre, Oxford, 1930s & 1940s, mostly multi-signed by several of the cast on upper wrapper or the cast list, signatures include Richard Burton, John Gielgud, Claire Bloom (together in Christopher Fry’s The Lady’s Not for Burning, 1949, with a loosely inserted autograph letter signed from the playwright to Mr Frewer), Kathleen Harrison, Patricia Burke, Trevor Howard, Bernard Miles, Roger Livesey, Sybil Thorndike Celia Johnson, Nicholas Parsons, John Gielgud, Leslie Banks, Robert Morley, Ivor Novello, Beatrice Lillie, Zena Dare, Phyllis Dare, Michael Redgrave, Lilli Palmer, Marie Tempest, Owen Nares, Robertson Hare, Rex Harrison (pencil), Robert Donat, Ronald Squire, Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson, Eric Portman, Violet Vanburgh, et al., some related letters, photographs and flyers loosely inserted including several with signatures, original printed wrappers, some staples slightly rusted, slim 8vo, together with a group of approximately 70 mostly smaller format photographs and real photo publicity postcards of music hall and theatre entertainers, many with printed or ink signatures, ink signers include Anita Martell, David Ziekins, Billy Kent, Gene Darham, Stella Carol, Jack Jackson, Peggy Cohrane, Charles D. Smart, Dennis Lawes, Joan Winters, Arthur Schnabel (signature), etc. Qty: approx. 120.
    [Show full text]
  • Four Original Plays
    Oe'f- lllpv'. l'fJ .S ~e ;>.S.~ X X f/1;.1 l 1 @ PRODUCTION STAFF Technical Direction by Robert Vogelsang THE Costumes by Hedwig Billaber UNIVERSITY STAGE MANAGER . NORMAN DAVISON LIGHTING CHARLES FORESMAN OF COSTUMES. GERALDINE CHAR, JANE SUGIYAMA, ANN TOGAWA, GLADYS TSUKAMOTO HAWAII PROPERTIES . MiSAO TOKUHISA, LEORA KOIKE THEATRE BUSINESS WALLACE AKIYAMA; assisted by ELAJNE WoN PUBLICITY. MAYBELLE NAKAMURA GROUP HEAD USHER WALTER YouNG PROMPTERS AMY MUNECHIKA, JEAN TAKAHASHI, SHIRLEY TONG, HELEN TOPHAM THIS GROUP HAS BEEN ASSISTED BY: Nancy Arakaki, Richard Chong, Dixon Ince, Robert Lum, James Misbima, Warren Monaghan, Edmund Poons, Charles Sonoda, Roy Uejio; and by the classes in Dramatic Production (Dr:tma 150) :md Theatre Practice (Drama 200). THEATRE GROUP COUNCIL Wallace Akiyama Norman Davison Misao Tokuhisa FOUR ORIGINAL PLAYS Hedwig Billaber Charles Foresman Joan Waite Sheila Cruickshank Maybelle Nakamura Walter Young The Ram Russell Sowers Situation: Desperate Lazy Man Lucie Bentley, Earle Ernst, and Joel Trapido (Directors) Where the Love Tree Grows The Theatre Group wishes to acknowledge the assistance of others, including both students and members of the faculty and administration, who have helped make this production possible. The Malo-Maker THE THEATRE GROUP SEASON As noted above, Four Original Plays will be followed early in December by a faculty production of Christopher Fry's The Lady's 1101 for Buming. According to present plans, the Group's third production will be Eugene O'Neill's only comedy, Ah, 11'/i/demess !, scheduled for February. This will be followed in early April by a combined production, with the Music Department, of Gian-Carlo Menotti's short opera Amah/ aud 1he Nigh1 Visilors.
    [Show full text]
  • Walterdale Theatre Associates Archive Listing of Plays
    Walterdale Theatre Associates Archive Listing of Plays Season 1 (1958-1960) Lady Audley’s Secret o By Mary Elizabeth Braddon; Adapted by C.H. Hazelwood o Directed by Jack McCreath Out of the Frying Pan o Original Musical, Book by Frances Swan o Directed by Jack McCreath Light Up the Sky o By Moss Hart o Directed by Jack McCreath Teahouse of the August Moon o By John Patrick o Directed by Jack McCreath The Reluctant Debutante o By William Douglas Home o Directed by Frank Glenfield Season 2 (1960-1961) My Sister Eileen o By Joseph A. Fields & Jerome Chodorov o Directed by Jack McCreath Man of Destiny o By George Bernard Shaw o Reading only Venus Observed o By Christopher Fry o Reading only Dial ‘M’ for Murder o By Frederick Knott o Directed by Marjorie Knowler The Boy Friend o By Sandy Wilson o Directed by Jack McCreath Ten Little Indians o By Agatha Christie o Directed by Bob Hedley Season 3 (1961-1962) Don Juan in Hell o By George Bernard Shaw o Reading directed by Jack McCreath Epitaph for George Dillon o By John Osborne & Anthony Creighton o Directed by Marjorie Knowler Don Juan in Hell o By George Bernard Shaw o Directed by Jack McCreath Boy With a Cart *Is This a Friendly Visit? o By George Bernard Shaw o Directed by Mary Baldridge Page 1 of 34 Walterdale Theatre Associates Archive Listing of Plays Romanoff and Juliet o By Peter Ustinov o Directed by Frank Glenfield See How They Run o By Phillip King o Directed by Jack McCreath House of Bernarda Alba o By Frederica Garcia Lorca o Directed by Michael Posca Season 4 (1962-1963) Barranca o By Jack McCreath o Directed by Jack McCreath One-Act Festival (Adjudicator - Walter Kaasa) o Passion, Poison and Petrification .
    [Show full text]
  • Quaker Elements in Christopher Fry's Dramas
    QUAKER ELEMENTS IN CHRISTOPHER FRY'S DRAMAS by IAIN DUNBAR KIRKALDY-WILLIS B.A., University of Western Ontario, 1964 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in the Department of English We accept this thesis as conforming to the required standard THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA May, 1966 In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of British Columbia, I agree that the Library shall make it freely available for reference and.study. I further agree that permission for ex• tensive copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the Head of my Department or by his representatives. It is understood that copying or publication of this thesis for finan• cial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Department of The University of British Columbia Vancouver 8, Canada Date [ML ABSTRACT This thesis examines the interplay of the forces of life, death and love in Fry's plays. The relevance of Quakerism to the issue is established in Chapter I. This chapter takes the mystery of existence as the basic point common to Fry's plays and Quakerism and explores it as it develops in each. Christopher Fry includes within his plays abundant evidence of the tragedy inherent in the human condition. He transcends this awareness, however, in his consistent intimation of the triumph of the vital force and in a con• cept of redemption through joy as the proper expression of the human spirit. This attitude parallels the basic frame of mind underlying the Quakerism in which Fry has his roots.
    [Show full text]
  • Christopher Fry (1907 – 2005)
    Christopher Fry (1907 – 2005) Biography Christopher Fry, originally Christopher Harris, was born on December 18, 1907 in Bristol, Gloucestershire, England. He adopted his mother’s surname after he became a schoolteacher at age 18, his father having died many years earlier. Fry was an actor, director, and writer of revues and plays. He gained fame as a playwright for The Lady’s Not for Burning (1948), an ironic comedy set in medieval times whose heroine is charged with being a witch. A Phoenix Too Frequent (1946) retells a tale from Petronius Arbiter. The Boy with a Cart (1950), a story of St. Cuthman, is a legend of miracles and faith in the style of the mystery plays. A Sleep of Prisoners (1951) and The Dark Is Light Enough (1954) explore religious themes. After many years of translating and adapting plays—including Ring Round the Moon (produced 1950; adapted from Jean Anouilh’s L’Invitation du château), Duel of Angels (produced 1963; adapted from Jean Giraudoux’s Pour Lucrèce), and Peer Gynt (produced 1970; based on Johan Fillinger’s translation of Henrik Ibsen’s play)—Fry wrote A Yard of Sun, which was produced in 1970. Fry also collaborated on the screenplays of the epic films Ben Hur (1959) and Barabbas (1962), and he wrote plays for both radio and television. His Can You Find Me: A Family History was published in 1978.1 Christopher Fry died on June 30, 2005, in Chichester, West Sussex. “Christopher Fry”, Encyclopædia Britannica Online www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/221164/Christopher-Fry 101243 Bibliotheca Alexandrina Compiled by Claudia Nessim & Mervat Abdel Fattah Selected Materials Available at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Works by the Author Plays (Print) Fry, Christopher.
    [Show full text]
  • The Lady's Not for Burning
    Press Information finborough theatre doublethink theatre, Mark Puddle , and the finborough theatre present THE LADY’S NOT FOR BURNING by Christopher Fry. Directed by Walter Sutcliffe. 2007 marks the centenary of the birth of one of the UK’s best known verse playwrights – Christopher Fry . The multi-award- winning Finborough Theatre begins its poetry atthefinborough series with a major revival of his most famous work – The Lady’s Not for Burning , opening on 19 April 2007 for a four week run. England, 1400. Thomas Mendip, a discharged soldier weary of the world and eager to leave it, comes to a small town, announces he has committed murder and demands to be hanged. Much to his annoyance, the town’s Mayor and his officials oppose his request and instead are determined to hang Jennet, an attractive woman accused of witchcraft. Amidst the confusion of a local wedding and the dilemma of who will or won’t be hanged in the morning, an unlikely wooing takes place… Christopher Fry (1907-2005) is best known as a major figure in the revival of verse in British theatre with such works as The Boy with the Cart (1938), A Phoenix Too Frequent (1946), The Firstborn (1946), Thor, with Angels (1949), The Dark is Light Enough (1954), Venus Observed (1950) and his translations of Anouilh and Giraudoux. He also wrote or collaborated on several screenplays including the movie of Ben Hur . The Lady’s Not for Burning was originally produced in the West End in 1949 with John Gielgud, Richard Burton and Claire Bloom, the play won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award on Broadway.
    [Show full text]
  • Christopher Fry—Author and Dramatist by Michael Howes Location of Plaque—St Andrews Park Road, Southborough
    Christopher Fry—Author and Dramatist by Michael Howes Location of plaque—St Andrews Park Road, Southborough Christopher Fry was born on 18 December 1907 at Bristol, the second son of former builder and Anglican Lay Preacher Charles John Harris and his wife Emma Marguerite. His real name was Arthur Hammond Harris but he took his grandmother’s maiden name and called himself Christopher Fry. He believed - on very tenuous, unproven grounds - that his grandmother was related to the prison reformer Elizabeth Fry (whose portrait appears on the reverse of the current five pound note). He attended Bedford Modern School where at a young age he developed a passion for the arts, writing amateur plays and teaching himself the piano and composition. He later worked as a schoolteacher but gave this up early on to found the Tunbridge Wells Repertory Players in 1932. It was in this year that he moved to “Red Roofs”, St Andrew’s Park Road, Southborough, where he lived for four years. During this time Christopher wrote, staged and acted in plays, at least one of which was performed at the Royal Victoria Hall. The black-and-white photograph of the young playwright, inset, was taken at the hall. Despite wanting to turn the Tunbridge Wells area into a provincial theatrical Mecca (as Chichester is today), he never really achieved this. He did, however, find love at this time and he married Southborough girl Phyllis Hart in December 1936. They adopted one son, Tam. His breakthrough came with The Lady’s not for Burning which was first per- formed in 1948.
    [Show full text]
  • Short Report
    COLLECTION FINDING AID Googie Withers, CBE AO (1917-2011) Performing Arts Programs and Ephemera (PROMPT) Australian Collection Development Born Georgette Lizette Withers but known as "Googie" from an early age. This finding aid lists programs and ephemera which document all aspects of Googie Withers’ stage acting career in Australia and overseas. Material on her film and television screen career is not generally collected by the Library. The list is based on imperfect holdings and is updated as gaps in the Library’s holdings for this artist are filled. Printed materials in the PROMPT collection include programs and printed ephemera such as brochures, leaflets, tickets, etc. Theatre programs are taken as the prime documentary evidence of a performance by Withers. In a few cases however, the only evidence of a performance is a piece of printed ephemera. In these cases the type of piece is identified, eg, brochure. The list is based on imperfect holdings and is updated as gaps in the Library’s holdings for this artist are filled. Unless otherwise stated, all entries are based on published programs in the PROMPT collection. The Googie Withers PROMPT files may be accessed through the Library’s Petherick Reading Room by eCallslip request: http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn3532224. The Withers material in the PROMPT Collection is in the chronological order of her Australian and overseas performance and this list reflects this arrangement. Entries identify the city and the venue. All the information is taken from programs, flyers and ephemera. www.nla.gov.au Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.1 Australia July 2011 PROMPT COLLECTION FINDING AID Googie Withers, CBE AO (1917-2011) Entries for each program are arranged as follows: Year, day/s and month; Venue/Theatre (Location) Company Name of production / Creator Withers’ role or other involvement.
    [Show full text]