|
Top Secret (play)
''Top Secret'' is a comedy play by Alan Melville which was first performed in 1949. It is a farce revolving around an ambassador. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Newcastle before transferring to the Winter Garden Theatre in London's West End where it ran for 21 performances between 19 October and 5 November 1949. The original West End cast included Tom Gill, Hugh Wakefield, Frederick Valk and Beryl Measor. It was not well-received, and was reportedly booed by audiences on its opening night. A review in ''The Stage ''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. It was founded in 1880. It contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at those wh ...'' considered it was too long and needed speeding up.Wearing p.471 Its short run was in contrast to Melville's other play of 1949, '' Castle in the Air'' which was a hit running for nearly 300 performances. Refer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alan Melville (writer)
Alan Melville (9 April 1910 – 24 December 1983) was an English broadcaster, writer, actor, raconteur, producer, playwright and wit. Biography Born William Melville Caverhill in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, England, he was educated in his home town and then a boarder at the Edinburgh Academy. Leaving school at 17, he started work in the family timber merchants as an apprentice joiner. At the age of 22, he entered an essay competition in ''John O'Leary's Weekly'' with an essay entitled ''My Perfect Holiday'' and won the first prize; a return trip to Canada (1934). Soon afterwards he sent the BBC North Region six short stories called ''The Adventures of the Pink Knight'' (1934), which were accepted and used on ''Children's Hour''. He was required to read the stories himself, his first professional engagement. He continued to write from the timber yard, his short stories, poems, manuscripts sometimes being accepted by various publishers. He wrote his first novel, a whodunit c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hugh Wakefield
Hugh Wakefield (10 November 1888 – 5 December 1971) was an English film actor, who played supporting roles. He was often seen wearing a monocle. Hugh Claude Wakefield was born in Wanstead, Essex. He also had a distinguished stage career, which began at the age of 11. ''City of Song'' (1931) was his first film. After completing 1954's ''The Million Pound Note'', Wakefield retired from film acting. He died 5 December 1971 in London aged 83. Stage Wakefield appeared in the original London productions of ''Between Friends'' (1930), '' Take a Chance'' (1931), ''Tea for Two'' (1938), '' Off the Record'' (1947), ''Top Secret'' (1949) and '' The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker'' (1955) . Personal life Hugh Wakefield served with the RAF during World War II, along with his '' Blithe Spirit'' co-star Rex Harrison. He was also an avid sportsman, particularly enjoying golf and tennis. His daughter, Margaret Diana (1933-2015), married the aristocratic jockey Gay Kindersley.Burke's Peerage, Ba ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Comedy Plays
Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term originated in ancient Greece: in Athenian democracy, the public opinion of voters was influenced by political satire performed by comic poets in theaters. The theatrical genre of Greek comedy can be described as a dramatic performance pitting two groups, ages, genders, or societies against each other in an amusing '' agon'' or conflict. Northrop Frye depicted these two opposing sides as a "Society of Youth" and a "Society of the Old". A revised view characterizes the essential agon of comedy as a struggle between a relatively powerless youth and the societal conventions posing obstacles to his hopes. In this struggle, the youth then becomes constrained by his lack of social authority, and is left with little choice but to resort to ruses wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1949 Plays
Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – Luis Muñoz Marín becomes the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico. * January 11 – The first "networked" television broadcasts take place, as KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania goes on the air, connecting east coast and mid-west programming in the United States. * January 16 – Şemsettin Günaltay forms the new government of Turkey. It is the 18th government, last One-party state, single party government of the Republican People's Party. * January 17 – The first Volkswagen Beetle, VW Type 1 to arrive in the United States, a 1948 model, is brought to New York City, New York by Dutch businessman Ben Pon Sr., Ben Pon. Unable to interest dealers or importers in the Volkswagen, Pon sells the sample car to pay his ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Castle In The Air (play)
''Castle in the Air'' is a comedy play by the British writer Alan Melville, which was originally performed in 1949. It premiered at the Coventry Hippodrome on 20 September 1949 before transferring to London's West End where it ran for 292 performances between 7 December 1949 and 17 August 1950, initially at the Adelphi Theatre before moving to the Savoy. The original London cast featured Jack Buchanan, William Kendall, Ewan Roberts, Coral Browne and Irene Manning. It was directed by Roy Rich. In 1952 it was adapted into a British film of the same title directed by Henry Cass and starring David Tomlinson, Helen Cherry and Margaret Rutherford Dame Margaret Taylor Rutherford, (11 May 1892 – 22 May 1972) was an English actress of stage, television and film. She came to national attention following World War II in the film adaptations of Noël Coward's '' Blithe Spirit'', and Osca ....Goble p.321 References Bibliography * Goble, Alan. ''The Complete Index to Literary ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Stage
''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. It was founded in 1880. It contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at those who work in theatre and the performing arts. History The first edition of ''The Stage'' was published (under the title ''The Stage Directory – a London and Provincial Theatrical Advertiser'') on 1 February 1880 at a cost of three old pence for twelve pages. Publication was monthly until 25 March 1881, when the first weekly edition was produced. At the same time, the name was shortened to ''The Stage'' and the publication numbering restarted at number 1. The publication was a joint venture between founding editor Charles Lionel Carson and business manager Maurice Comerford. It operated from offices opposite the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Carson, whose real name was Lionel Courtier-Dutton, was cited as the founder. His wife Emily Courtier ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Beryl Measor
Beryl Measor (22 April 1908 – 8 February 1965) was a British actress. She created roles in plays by Noël Coward and Terence Rattigan. In addition to her stage career she broadcast frequently on BBC radio and television, and appeared in several cinema films. Life and career Measor was born in Shanghai, China, on 22 April 1908, the daughter of Ernest Anthony Measor and his wife Mary, ''née'' Humphreys.Parker, Gaye and Herbert, p. 1669 She was educated at St Margaret's School, Bushey, before enrolling at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. She was a star pupil, winning the RADA Silver Medal in 1931. She made her first professional appearance on the stage at the Whitehall Theatre on 28 July 1931, walking-on in '' Take a Chance''. In 1931–22 she toured as Luella Carmody in ''Late Night Final''. From 1932 to 1934 she was a member of repertory companies in Worthing, Croydon, and Hull. From 1934 she appeared in West End productions, mostly of new plays, and at the Old ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frederick Valk
Frederick Valk (10 June 1895 – 23 July 1956) was a German-born Jewish stage and screen actor of Czech Jewish descent who fled to the United Kingdom in the late 1930s to escape Nazi persecution, and subsequently became a naturalised British citizen. Despite making his later career in the English-speaking world, Valk never attempted to shed his heavy accent in either his stage or film work, and it became a trademark, particularly in film where he was often the first choice for a role which called for a German or generic Central European accent. Stage career Valk made his first appearance on the London stage in 1939, going on to play in numerous productions of classic drama including leading roles in Shakespeare, with his performances as Shylock in ''The Merchant of Venice'' and in the title role of ''Othello'', attracting critical admiration. In 1946 he won the ''Ellen Terry Award'' for best actor for his performance in Fyodor Dostoyevsky's ''The Brothers Karamazov''. Valk also ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tom Gill (actor)
Tom Gill (26 July 1916 – 22 July 1971) was a British actor who was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, England. He made his stage debut in 1935, and his theatre work included the original production of Noël Coward's '' After the Ball'' at the Globe Theatre in 1954. Selected filmography * ''Midshipman Easy'' (1935) * ''The High Command'' (1937) * '' Meet Mr. Penny'' (1938) * ''Trunk Crime'' (1939) * ''Something in the City'' (1950) * ''Mister Drake's Duck'' (1951) * '' The Happy Family'' (1952) * ''Love in Pawn'' (1953) * '' The Limping Man'' (1953) * ''Jumping for Joy'' (1956) * ''Fun at St. Fanny's'' (1956) * '' Behind the Headlines'' (1956) * '' Carry On Admiral'' (1957) * '' After the Ball'' (1957) * '' Up the Creek'' (1958) * '' Blind Spot'' (1958) * ''Further Up the Creek'' (1958) * ''The Navy Lark'' (1959) * ''Carry On Constable'' (1960) *''The Fourth Square'' (1961) * '' Smokescreen'' (1964) * '' The Night Caller'' (1965) * ''The Mini-Affair ''The Mini-Affair ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Theatre Royal, Newcastle
The Theatre Royal is a historic theatre, a Grade I listed building situated on Grey Street in Newcastle upon Tyne. History The theatre was designed by local architects John and Benjamin Green as part of Richard Grainger's grand design for the centre of Newcastle, and was opened on 20 February 1837 with a performance of ''The Merchant of Venice''. One of the first managers here was Thomas Ternan who employed his wife, Frances Ternan as the main actress.Thomas Ternan John Simkin, Spartacus Educational, retrieved 19 January 2015 The shareholders of the Proprietors' Committee appointed lessees to manage and programme the theatre. The longest running individual lessee, before Ltd companies, was Edward D. Davis from 1845 to 1870 during which in 1867 the interior was redesigned by architect |
West End Theatre
West End theatre is mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres in and near the West End of London.Christopher Innes, "West End" in ''The Cambridge Guide to Theatre'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998), pp. 1194–1195, Along with New York City's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English-speaking world. Seeing a West End show is a common tourist activity in London. Famous screen actors, British and international alike, frequently appear on the London stage. There are a total of 39 theatres in the West End, with the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, opened in May 1663, the oldest theatre in London. The Savoy Theatre – built as a showcase for the popular series of comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan – was entirely lit by electricity in 1881. Opening in October 2022, @sohoplace is the first new West End theatre in 50 years. The Society of London Theatre (SOLT) announced ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major settlement for two millennia. The City of London, its ancient core and financial centre, was founded by the Romans as '' Londinium'' and retains its medieval boundaries.See also: Independent city § National capitals The City of Westminster, to the west of the City of London, has for centuries hosted the national government and parliament. Since the 19th century, the name "London" has also referred to the metropolis around this core, historically split between the counties of Middlesex, Essex, Surrey, Kent, and Hertfordshire, which largely comprises Greater London, governed by the Greater London Authority.The Greater London Authority consists of the Mayor of London and the London Assembly. The London Mayor is distinguished fr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
.jpg "Click for more on -> West End Theatre")
