Grecian's Play

[DavebytheSea]

It didn't, on either night. Saturday was a nightmare though, as we had formulated a contigency plan to hold the Garden Quad scenes in Big School. .

You spotted snakes with double tongue
Thorny hedgehogs be not seen;
Newts and blind-worms do no wrong.

Do they still have newts in the Garden Quad (called the New Quad in my day)?

[Laura M]

Yup still got the newts and tadpoles!!!

[rockfreak]

1955, Head boy David (now Lord) Simon doing a manic reading of Toad, in Toad of Toad Hall, in the old Prep hall?

[Chris T]

Excuse the (temporary?) diversion, but what's a Wessex Ranger?

[michael scuffil]

Ploughed through this thread in case I'd already contributed to it, but it seems I haven't.

There were 'Leaving Grecians' Plays' every year I was there, except 1963, when it was displaced by the fund-collecting Festival (just as well, because I'd been asked to produce it, should the festival not take place).
Of the Grecians' Plays I saw, I remember these. There was Toad of Toad Hall, staged in the Prep Hall in (which year? 1958, 59?), starring the senior grecian Lord-to-be Simon.
I forget which year, but that oddball Peter Flynn, the American visitor, staged The Lady's Not For Burning (which no one understood) in Big School.
In 1962, there was a performance of Aristophanes' 'Frogs' on the forecourt (and roof) of the Music School.
I also recall 'Romanoff and Juliet', staged in Big School (can't remember when, or who was in it).
There was also one year (I think 1961) when there was a programme of three short plays including one by Ionescu (The Bald Primadonna, I think) and one by Pinter.
That's five. I can't recall the other two.

[eucsgmrc]

In 1962, there was a performance of Aristophanes' 'Frogs' on the forecourt (and roof) of the Music School.

And here it is!




I have a copy of the Blue which reveals that Boucher and I played Aeschylus and Euripides, but I can't even remember which one I was. Even at the time, I didn't understand a word of the play, and filled up my performance with "business". Pat Daunt's review managed to put a complimentary gloss on it by saying "commanded the long and difficult last scene of the play admirably and held the delighted attention of all ages" - which, being interpreted, means "arsed about interminably and raised a few slight titters".