WALKING IN A WEST END WONDERLAND
PART 1
The
West End. Prior to my first visit to London in, gasp, 1972 (can it really be
more than 40 years ago??), whenever I heard the term "West End," I
conjured up images of well-dressed, sophisticated theatre-goers chatting,
drinking and smoking in cozy, elegant pubs before dashing off to see the latest
in scintillating theatre. I can't say the reality totally dashed my images, but
it certainly was not the genteel haven of refinement that I had somehow
envisaged.
What
is the West End, you ask? Simply, and perhaps inaccurately, put, the West End
is London's version of Broadway, though I suppose the Brits would say that
Broadway is New York's version of the West End. Semantics aside, the West End
is the heart of London's commercial theatre. (For the record, the Fringe is
London's version of Off-Broadway or v.v.) It's a big, sprawling affair that
goes from Victoria Station up to the top of Shaftesbury Avenue to Covent Garden
to Soho to the Stand to the … well, you get the picture. The West End is not
nearly as tidily arranged as Broadway.
London is a much older city than New York. Streets and sidewalks tend to
be narrow and at curtain time, the area throbs with a very proper British
insanity that can, at times, be a bit daunting.
And, be warned, London streets can be a warren, so a wrong turn can send
you blocks away from your intended destination. I recommend keeping your London
A-Z handy (or download the App). Day-of-performance discount tickets can be
found at the TKTS booth in Leiceister Square and it works pretty much the same
as it does in New York and no, you will not
find tickets to The Book of Mormon
at the booth, just like in New York. But it would be so wrong of me to give
anyone the impression that the West End is just another Broadway, but with a British
accent. It's so much more.
I
freely admit I'm an Anglophile. I'm even more of a Londonphile. When I first
arrived in London on that May morning in 1972, it was love at first sight. And
the love affair continues unabated. For a number of reasons, it's been several
years since I've spent time in this wonder of cities, and I'm not exaggerating
when I say I actually ache to go visit. I love my hometown of Chicago and I
truly "heart" New York, but with London, I feel a sense of belonging
that is hard to describe. The weather can be horrid, the city is ridiculously
expensive, everything is crowded and in the summer tourist season, it borders
on bedlam, but there is also sense of wonder and discovery, of history, of
stillness and peace, and of course the theatre! This remarkable city on the
Thames is one of the two great theatre capitals in the world, the other being,
not surprisingly, New York. (Note to my fellow Chicagoans…don't roll your eyes
at me or start tsk-tsking. It's just the way it is. Deal with it.)
I
thought it'd be fun to start this series of West End memories with my first
West End experiences. Company, my
first West End show, was highlighted in my first blog post. And The Mousetrap, also seen during that
visit, was featured in an earlier post as well. The following shows filled the
rest of that memorable week in May-June, 1972, back when I was young (21), a
mere wisp of a thing, and when you could stay at a comfortable hotel with
breakfast included (the Crescent on Cartwright Circle), eat and see lots of
shows and sights for less than $100…and that was for the entire week!! Sigh!
Let's begin....
London
theatre tickets at the time were different from what I was used to in the
Colonies. As seen in this advert, the name of the show is not printed on the
tickets, just the theatre name, date and time of performance, seat location and
the price. I guess you just had to know what show you were seeing! These were
the stubs from the two performances of Company
I attended that week.
(note: for Dietrich, it looks like the price increased from the printed 70p to a walloping 1 quid!!)
May,
1972. I'm going to tell you a story and I swear on my parents' drawer it's true.
Dietrich did NOT walk onstage. I don't how she got center stage, maybe she was
flown down from the flies, maybe she just materialized, but the curtain was
open, the lights were dim and I swear she was wheeled out on some sort of
dolly. Don't roll your eyes. It's the truth! The woman did not move during the
entire concert. Oh sure, she moved her hands, but she did not step one inch
away from the microphone. Ever! (She held onto the mic during her bows.) I'm
not sure how she left the stage. The curtain fell after what seemed like a
million curtain calls, accompanied by much adoring screaming, and that was
that. Dolly or not, she was freaking awesome! All glamour and all legend.
Mesmerizing. She played at the Queen's Theatre…a most appropriate name for the
venue, if you catch my drift. — at Queen's Theatre, London.
May,
1972. I have absolutely no recollection of this play at all. According to a web
source, Alpha Beta is "about a marriage
in terminal decline." Couldn't prove it by me. I'm certain the draw must
have been the dual casting of Albert Finney, best known for playing the randy
Tom Jones, and Rachel Roberts, a fine actress, but at the time probably most
noted for being the most recent ex-Mrs. Rex Harrison. Finney continues to act
to this day; Roberts tragically committed a rather gruesome suicide in 1980 at
age 53. Playwright E.A. Whitehead was reasonably popular at the time and was
the resident playwright at the Royal Court . This was his second play. There is
no Wikipedia entry on him; and an Internet source indicates his most recent
play was in 1977. Well, it was over forty years ago! - at the Apollo Theatre, London
June,
1972. Taking a break from live theatre, I managed to see a couple of movies
during my visit. To be truthful, I think it was primarily because I couldn't
find a Friday matinee and the second film had a late showing. Whatever the
case….
Film
1: The Music Lovers. Ken Russell's
sumptuous and over-the-top film about Tchaikovsky was, and remains, a rather
delicious bon-bon of sex, music, and really good scenery and costumes. Am I the
only one, but did everyone in that film seem a bit (or more than just a bit) on the pervy
side? The sequence with Glenda Jackson writhing naked on the floor of the train
compartment and Richard Chamberlain's horrified reaction to it remains one of
the most unforgettable and disturbing sequences on film. And the final visual
of Glenda Jackson looking out from the barred window of the insane asylum is
haunting. The theatre, a one-level house on Tottenham Court Road, was closed in
1976. - at the Berkeley Theatre, London
Film
2: Cabaret. What good is sitting
alone in your room, indeed. In London, Cabaret
was treated as a road-show film, with limited show times and reserved seating. The
Prince Charles, located in Leicester Square, still exists, but it's now a
repertory film house. My seat in the
Front Stalls was in the smoking section (an ashtray was conveniently provided
in the seat back in front of me) and that picture was a perfect one to enjoy a
cigarette or two. (I also had a G&T….civilized movie-going!). I digress.
Back then, major motion pictures, like Cabaret, had souvenir programs with bios and pictures,
just like their legit cousins. Now, I will say this only once. Cabaret the musical play and Cabaret the musical film are not the
same show. They are first-cousins at best, but definitely not the same. The
dramatic thrust is different, character treatments are very different, major
characters from the play are deleted or relegated to bit status in the film and
new characters added for the film, ditto with songs, etc. etc. It won a
crapload of Oscars and it's a brilliant film; I just prefer the stage version.
- at the Prince Charles Cinema, London
June,
1972. This musical version of Chaucer's classic didn't do well in New York, but
was a 2000-odd performance smash in London. When I saw this, it was in its
fifth year. Jessie Evans, the biggish name in the cast, was out that
performance. I remember being unimpressed with the show to the point of
boredom, but then, frankly, Chaucer's original didn't do it for me, either.
Pretty much a miss. - at the Phoenix Theatre, London
June,
1972. A French Ravenal, an Illinois native as Magnolia ("and introducing
Lorna Dallas as Magnolia"), a chorus of 38, 10 billed principals and a gorgeous
physical design made this production of the Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein II
classic a sight to see and hear. It was quite the spectacle and just
this side of being overproduced. Trust me on this…you haven't lived until
you've heard a group of British chorus folk trying to wrap their tongues around
a Southern drawl. I smiled a lot. Personally, I can take or leave Show Boat. The score is gorgeous and the
story has something to say, but there's just something about it that seems, I
don't know, flat. My reason for going was to see the late Kenneth Nelson, the
fine actor who originated roles in The
Fantasticks and The Boys in the Band.
He became an London expat after his last New York show, Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen failed rather spectacularly with lots
of press and talk about the power of the critics, specifically the New York Times critic, a debate that
continues to this day. He would have a successful career in the UK. He died in 1993. - at the Adelphi Theatre,
London
June,
1972. My debut week in London concluded with this tasty little thriller written
by novelist/screenwriter/playwright Francis Durbridge and starring Gerald
Harper, then a major UK telly star. Other names included Veronica Strong
(another TV name), Terrence Longdon, and a young Penelope Keith, who would
become a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2007. But look who's
also listed…."international stage and TV star" Rula Lenska of VO5
fame! In 1971, she was just another working actress. She wouldn't become a
United States TV personality until the late 70s. A quick read of her Wikipedia
entry indicates she's worked constantly, often in "B" stuff, but,
really, Rula, Celebrity Big Brother? Back to the play itself. While the details
escape me, I do remember this being a suspenseful, involving play and enjoying
it quite a lot. A suitable conclusion to a memorable visit. - at the Fortune
Theatre, London
Cheers for now. See a play or musical this week. As always, comments welcome!
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