Page 49 - Ritz Issue 50

Little Lord Fauntleroy
Raging Bull
RICHARD
THOMPSON
THEATRE
was spent, and how many people paid how much to see the show in each date. The results would make interesting, if not alarming reading.
Now out at Norwich, things ain't nearly as gloomy. You see, they have Dayglo Dick up there to make the Theatre Royal work. Dayglo Dick, as profit-conscious manager DICK CONDON has become known through his vivid poster displays, has turned in an indecent performance by generating box-office takings in excess of £I,000,000 during the last year. An amazing feat, falling audiences, and VAT, and the weather, and television, and everything adverse considered. This million-plus quid gives a trading profit of £55,594. A great deal of that comes, I'm sure, from DICK'S urgently (and personally) sold lottery.
For those who haven't yet visited the Norwich Theatre Royal, young DICK stands on a little podium surrounded by discreet signs advertising a lottery with "instant" prizes. He has the foyer smothered in speakers so everyone is aware of what's going on. The roar of ... "and there's a lady here just won fifty" in DICK's lilting Irish accent is difficult to resist. Fifty what, I hear you ask? (While it's possible to win £50, the minimum win when I was there was 50p: nice bit of Irish ambiguity.) But his brash selling and apparent knowledge of what people want does work. Perhaps what theatre really needs is more people- like DICK CONDON with the pzazz and enthusiasm to sell and then deliver.
On to lighter matters. I was delighted to see that perky NICOLA RUSSELL, from the Oxford Playhouse Company, moves into the vacant seat of American RUTH KAPLAN, the Voice of the RSC for so long. I'd rather got used to those cool transatlantic tones. I hear NICOLA doesn't brook any nonsense from "foreign" journalists either. So watch out, OSSIA
ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER and choreographer GILLIAN LYNNE took time out to repudiate the complaints of the few. But from what I've heard, the cattlemarket similes were fully justified. On the other hand, there were those foolish few (aren't there always?) who arrived for auditions woefully un- or underprepreared for the job. Why waste ev.eryone's time?
Fancy helping a good cause? What about the National Film School? This comes to mind as a result, really, of seeing the amazing presentation of ABEL GANCE's epic "Napoleon" - three screens, full orchestra, once in a lifetime experience - in London recently. (New York had three opportunities of seeing the entire film, with the American Symphony Orchestra at
Radio City Music Hall. The show lasted 41⁄2 hours). The National Film School have got a Charity Premiere at the Plaza Cinema on Thursday, 5 March. The film is ROBERT REDFORD's directorial debut: "Ordinary People". It stars DONALD SUTHERLAND and MARY TYLER MOORE, and it's a smash in New York. See it you can, support the National
Film School. (Why? Ed.) Write direct to them at Beaconsfield Studios, Station . Road, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire. Tickets £40, £20 and £10.
There's something completely different at the Warehouse Theatre. It's JONATHAN GEMS' play "Naked Robots", with TRUDIE STYLER, RAAD RA WI, CATHERINE HALL (very funny), and LYNDA MARCHAL. A cynical look at the pretensions of the young generation (it never changes, you know), it's worth the trip.
So is STANLEY PRICE's new play "Moving" at the Queen's Theatre. Starring PENELOPE KEITH, PETER JEFFREY and BARBARA FERRIS, it's improved immensely from when I saw it out of town. And PENNY is as wonderful as always.
'U') producedby NORMAN
ROSEMO T, directedby Jack Gold, screenplayby BLANCHE HANALIS, editor KEITH PALMER G.B.F.E., photographedby ARTHUR IBBEISON B.S.C., based on the novel 'Little Lord Fauntleroy'by FRANCIS HODGSON BURNETT, productiondesigner HERBERT WESTBROOK, music by ALLYN FERGUSON. Starring RICKY SCHRODER, ALEC GUINNESS,
ERIC PORTER, COLIN BLAKELEY, CONNIE BOOTH, RACHEL KEMPSON etc. etc. 103 mins long. Distributedby GTO. Opens on February
12 at the Classic Haymarket.
Forget FREDDIE BARTHOLOMEW's
performance as The Little Lord Fauntleroy in the 1936 version. For, wonderkid child star, RICKY SCHRODER, proving he wasn't just a flash in the pan in 'The Champ' gives a heart rending
performance as the saint-like little Lord. There wasn't a dry eye in the house, as
they would withdraw subsidy from 41 selected organisations. The announcement, and the effect it had on the victims of the cuts, was widely publicised.
Poor JACK EMERY and TIMOTHY WEST at the Old Vic Company have been putting their heads together with Administrator ANDREW LEIGH (a Wizard with the columns of digits) to see how they will pare their operation to fit a revenue reduced by some £300,000: the company's entire touring grant. But then the Old Vic is used to battling against unusual odds.
Their latest problem has been the unusual one of the disappearing leading actor. BARRY WOOLGAR, one of the stars of the Old Vic's production of "The Relapse", due to open on 22 January, decided he couldn't cope with the part and sent director MICHAEL SIMPSON a brief telegram: "Can't do Loveless now or ever. Gone away." Ominously, the telegram was sent from Heathrow. The Old Vic, n.ot
to revive PETER SHAFFER's "Amadeus" after PAUL SCHOFIELD leaves in the middle of the year. Now SIR PETER HALL has an outstanding proscenium stage production (which he did for New York), perhaps we will see this playing eight shows a week in the West End. Who knows? Rumour has it that PETER
HA LL's transfer ambitions could be directed rather more towards The Old Vic than the West End but, of course, this ugly rumour could, in no way, influence allocation of Arts Council Grants?
IAN McKELLEN is playing to packed houses on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre in "Amadeus", which looks set to run for ever. It isjoined on February.5th at the Plymouth Theatre by JANE LAPOTAIRE in PAM GEMS' "Piar'. only hope this marvellous piece of theatre receives an equally warm reception. "The Elephant Man" is still packing them in, but I would recommend more strongly "Morning's At Seven" at the Lyceum Theatre on 45th Street. CH RISTO PH ER
stifling our sobs in wads of Kleenex, we • unused to crises, cast around for a
The biggest theatrical Christmas prezzy
of them all came from the beleaguered Arts
Council, who announced to a stunned
nation of thespians that they would not all TRILLING (a name to make a theatre PR
be getting a stocking filler this year. Eh? hack tremble, I heard.) And talking of the Shaftesbury Theatre, too. Dear young Cuts? Is this young ROY SHAW'S idea of a RSC, great news that the amazing
seasonal joke, we wondered. But wait! Cuts was the wrong word. Amputations is more like it. The Council had decided that they
"Nicholas Nickleby" will return to the rep at the Aldwych later in the year. I would thing that over the river at the National
starlet GEM MA CRAVEN, increasingly disenchanted with co-star TOM CONTI in 'They're Playing Our Song", has decided to marry little FRAZER HINES. Nobody would have known if FRAZER 's mum hadn't shot her mouth off up there in Harrogate. Poor GEMMA.
Her mummy's far more discreet.
Now, discretion is something stunning LESLEY-ANNE DOWN knows little about. Currently ensconced at the Young Vic Theatre down in Waterloo (are there no depths ... ?), she's playing ELIZA in BERNARD SHA W's "Pygmalion" for DENISE COFFEY. She denies it's her first theatre exposure ("I played the Ludlow Festival, darling" she coos) and admits she sure as hell ain't doing the show for the money. See delectable DOWN if you've the time. She's very sweet. So HENRI says.
Mentioning Festivals reminds me of a little piece I glimpsed in Auntie's Telegraph the other day about the "first London International Festival of Theatre" this summer. How quickly are forgot the World Theatre Seasons at the Aldwych 1 Apparently, companies from seven countries are definitely booked to appear at such venues as the !CA, Round House, Royal Court and Cottesloe. Further investigation, however, proved that this gigantic festival is being planned, co- ordinated and run by two ex-Warwick
'LITTLELORDFAUNTLEROY'(Cert. mustsaveabout£1,200,000,and·todothis theywillnotbeabletoresistthetemptation
witnessed how the gorgeous, cute, sweet
(there aren't enough cloying adjectives in
the dictionary) little angel held his own
against his gout ridden grandfather, The postpone the opening night. They do get it WILLIAMS is at the end of his season of University students, ROSE BEWEND- Earl of Dorincourt, played by the ever
excellent ALEC GUINNESS. Although the film was shot in a few weeks flat, one would never know. Everything, ranging from the photography (ARTHUR 18BEISON) to the good all round acting looks way above average.
A lovely, but never mushy new version of FRANCES HODGSON BURNETT's classic story.
(H.R.H. The) Princess Anne who has agreed to attend The Royal Gala Charity Premiere will love it! ****
If you want to see JACK LEMMON beiting it out as a dying Broadway press agent, determined to get to know his estranged 21 year old son (ROBBY BENSON) before he dies, then BOB CLARK's 'Tribute' is for you.
If you're a sucker for sentimentality, even you will cringe with embarrassment when LEM MON bares his inner soul at the This Is Your Life' type finale.
It's a new twist on 'Love Story' but definitely worth seeing not only for
LEM MON's flawless penormance, but also for a chance to weep yourself stupid!
Out now at the Leicester Square Theatre. ****
***** Worth seeing, even in a tropical heatwave.
**** Worth seeing, just to boast you've seen it.
*** Worth seeing, so you can lightly rip it to shreds at dinner.
all!
The National Youth Theatre and a
"Charles Dickens" at the Century Theatre. I was severely disappointed in the much- praised MARK MEDOFF play "Children of a Lesser God" at the· Longacre. Better spend your money on tickets for the new musical comedy "Bring Back Birdie" at the Martin Beck Threatre. It stars DONALD O'CONNOR and CHITA
FENTON and LUCY NEAL, whose experience is rapidly increasing from very little, but whose enthusiasm is infectiously high. I hope they get it all together. It's all getting worryingly close ... •
replacement Loveless, found RICHARD KAY was willing to learn the part, and decided to cancel the last preview and
number of outstanding Fringe groups were
also hit by the cuts, total and final. They
can only apply for restoration of grant in
the following year. By that time many will
have gone under, and some will never rise
again. While it is certainly a sign of the
times - economies and all that- it seems RIVERA (well, if ANN MILLER and strange that the Council should decide to MICKY ROONEY can do it ... ) and opens announce the withdrawal of grants with no first week of February.
But not as worrying close as the plans announced for the ailing Phoenix Theatre. STEPHEN and FIONA KENDALL- LANE from St. Reatham, have boldly decided to turn the theatre into the London home of variety entertainment. Twice nightly, showgirls, band, no big star names, top price £5.50. Alarming, eh? STEPHEN and FIONA are confident their gamble will pay off. It opens on February 11 for an eight week season with "That's Showbiz!", featuring tap dancers THE CLARK BROTHERS, comedian KEN GOODWIN, magician KOVAR!, impressionist BOB BY DA VRO and singer SHUN! STAR (SHUN! who?). JOHN REDG RA VE, who used to be
director at the Plymouth Palace, is putting the show together. But without those big names ... ?
Now PAUL CHANNON, there's a big name: millionaire, works at Waterloo, now runs around as Minister for the Arts. Claims he doesn't want to be "a pale imitation" of predecessor NORMAN ST JOHN STEVAS. Who'd want to be? Who could be?
It's the season of awards: so watch out for the stories behind the stories, the ·tears behind the triumphs, the smiles to cover the disappointment. All that emotion. All that glamour?
prior warning or discussion with those affected.
I have always seen as an area of potential economies the extravagant touring programmes of the two major companies, the National and the Royal Shakespeare Company. While the Arts Council has a commitment to keeping major touring venues, such as the Bristol Hippodrome and Liverpool Empire open (there are many more), the cost of touring full-scale productions to the regions is simply out of proportion to their value. I'm not suggesting that major venues should be denied the major companies, but that the scale of these visits should be reduced. Simple settings and smaller companies, and perhaps (dare one say it?) a more definite emphasis on middle range touring dates.all over the country.
If you fancied seeing "Frankenstein", you're too late. l.t closed on its opening night leaving the backers with a $1,000,000 hangover. Nasty. JOHN CARRADINE will survive, even if the monster didn't.
"Best Little Whorehouse In Texas" is still running at the 46th Street Theatre. I can't imagine why. And how they'll fill the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, back in London, I just don't know. The script is pretty ripe, and the score is something else. I'm not one to knock shows before they open, rehearsals having only just started, but ...
CAMERON MACKINTOSH's
production of ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER's new musical "Cats" has run into trouble before they've even cast it. The auditions were apparently such a shambles that many of the (unlucky) ones wrote to their trade organ (The Stage) to complain. Poor organisation seemed to be at the bottom of it. Too many people in too short a time in too small a rehearsal space.
This big-scale touring is funded
separately. Sometimes, the Arts Council
even pays for the set, which then returns to
London for use in the base theatre. There
is, perhaps. a case for publishing the figures Producer CAMERON MACKINTOSH, for a big subsidised tour. Where the money director TREVOR NUNN, composer
REEVE (don't tell me you've forgotten Superman already) is great in "Fifth of July" at the New Apollo, and EM LYN
There's moving things happening at the
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