‘After My Fashion’ was performed on Wednesday 27, Thursday 28, Friday 29, and Saturday 30 July, 1960, at the Theatre Royal.
| “After My Fashion’, Theatre Royal Wed 27, Thurs 28, Fri 29, Sat 30 July Cast (in order of appearance) JAMES TRENCHARD, a film producer..........................................DAVID RAINEY CHLOE GWYNNE, a screen writer...............................................DALLAS CALDER GEORGE PHILLIPS, a film director...............................................ALLAN ARCHER CHRISTINE STARCROSS, daughter of Lady Starcross...................KAYE TAYLOR ELLEN, a Scottish housekeeper...................................................MARY DICKSON LADY STARCROSS (Mary),the widow of Christian Starcross.......BETTY BROWN Mrs. SHIPMAN (Laura), widow of Dr. Shipman...........................GWEN EVANS Mrs. VENNING (Alice), widow of Guy Venning...........................SHIELA HEYWOOD Mrs. BENSON (Jean), formerly widow of John Halliday..............JOAN WHITE SIBYL EMERSON, fiancee of them late Rickey Campbell.............LESLEY WYER Producer…………………………………………………………MAX COOKE Stage Manager.................................................MICHAEL LILWELL Stage Assistants……………………………………………..FRANK STURGESS and MARY MARONEY Decor................................................................BETTINA SMEATON Set Construction…………………………………………….MICHAEL LILWELL , PETER SMEATON, BILL HOGAN, FRANK STURGESS Lighting and Sound Effects............................... BILL HOGAN Props.................................................................PHYL MARSH Prompt..............................................................BETH SANDIFORD Publicity............................................................ALAN SKIPPER Front of House..................................................DELL NOTT Make-up………………………………………………………….BETTINA SMEATON and TERRY CLARK Wardrobe..........................................................ALISON RYAN Hair Styles….......................................................MICHAEL NIELSEN ORCHESTRA Piano............... MAISIE WALKER, BRIAN TURNER Violins…………….RUBY BROWN, LILIAN BENSTEAD, NORMA O'DEA, ANITA WILSON, JOYCE KILMARTIN. Clarinet............HARRY NOTT Coronet ...........GEORGE PURCHASE ORCHESTRAL NUMBERS WILL INCLUDE: "Dawn of Freedom March" "Tesoro Mio" "Bird Songs at Eventide" "Hearts—Ease" "Bird of Love Divine" "Less Than the Dust" "By the Sleepy Lagoon" | |
| 1960 Review of ‘After My Fashion’ as published in the programme for ‘The Rainmaker’ in Sept 1960 CRITIQUE OF "AFTER MY FASHION" The set was very good, charming and tasteful. Rearrangement of the flowers would have suggested a time change between Act I and Act II, but it is a minor point. Dressing and make-up were very pleasing, and on the whole appropriate. I feel the reiterated coldness of the room might have induced Christine to wear something warmer in Act I, but she is the spartan type. The tempo of Act I was too slow. An attempt was made to speed the pace of the dialogue at the beginning of the scene to overcome the deficiencies of the playwright, but this merely resulted in loss of audibility. It is a difficult scene. There is little humour (apart from the inimitable Ellen) and little excitement to relieve a rather extended exposition, and the one moment of tension reveals, far too early, the direction of plot development. The fault is the writer's. Chloe underlines it as soon as Lady Starcross leaves the room. In view of Lady Starcross's twenty years of artistic hypocricy, I feel she should have handled it more smoothly. The contrast between her behaviour then and her behaviour in Act II is inconsistent. Extra business was needed to lift Act I, and some was used very effectively—Chloe's use of the mirror to titivate etc., Christine's rather awkward move in front of one guest, round a table, to reach a chair away from the tea-table, was not one of the better ones. And more were needed. Characters on the whole were well established and sustained. Apart from the very direct, honest Christine (played very sincerely), the characters of Act I are all rather affected people, and the development of some deliberate mannerisms would probably have helped that Act. This was better done in Act II where Eleen, Laura, Alice and Jean gave delightfully contrasting performances. Both Act II and Act III were very well handled both for humour and for contrasting dramatic tension. Especially triumphant were Sybil's telling of Rickey's story— which blotted out the rest of the stage very effectively for me-—and Mary's final curtain. Both Phillips and Chloe seemed a little bit glib—the effect is more natural if you pose to think for the right word now and then. Incidentally this helps vary the tempo. But the contrast between Phillip's youthful enthusiasm and idealism and Trenchard's mellow cynicism was convincing. In all, a good and enjoyable production of a mediocre play. WINIFRED SPARKES. |
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