KIDDERMINSTER PLAYHOUSE
1946 - 1968 A Souvenir

History

Contents

GASTON, OSBORNE, MOORE 1952-1953

The amazingly high standard of Robert Gaston's repertory company was continued - and nothing was more amazing than his staging of Twelfth Night with a week's rehearsal. John Osborne was Malvolio, William Moore Sir Toby and Brenda Kaye Viola, with members of the Nonentities making up the numbers.

Osborne played lead after lead in his last season as an actor, in Dracula, Who Is Sylvia ? (for which Myra Barron returned), Rebecca and Figure of Fun, among others. Ronald Jarvis joined the company as scenic artist, with immediate success with The Rivals. William Moore played a long series of character parts, including the gangster in On the Spot, and Brenda Vernon brought out the handkerchiefs with Peg o' My Heart.

The 1952 season also included Will Any Gentleman?, It Won't Be a Stylish Marriage, Who Goes There?, Temple Folly, Two Dozen Red Roses and the final farce, Rookery Nook.

When the rep re-formed after the touring season new names included Patricia Borlee, Isabel Henderson, Donald Walker and Maitland Moss. The plays were Random Harvest, To Dorothy a Son, Autumn Harvest, The White Sheep of the Family, Johnny Belinda, The Circle, Born Yesterday, It's a Boy, After My Fashion, Love from a Stranger, Relative Values and a Coronation special, To See The Queen.

There was no new musical but the director wrote God Save the Queen, a playlet in which eight Queens of England watched on celestial television the crowning of the second Elizabeth.

The Nonentities' season opened with Little Lambs Eat Ivy, followed by His Excellency, in which new names were Michael Evers and Jack Robinson. The Christmas play was Toad of Toad Hall, with Kenneth Rose as Toad, Tom Trewin as Ratty, Len Reeves as Mole and Harry Purcell as Badger. Bonaventure followed and the last play was Ring Round the Moon, with Mary Dalley, now Prue Forrest in The Archers, as a delightful Isabelle and John Hunter excelling himself as the twin brothers.

Annie Get Your Gun was one of the great successes of the KAOS (later to be revived) and the Carpet Trades Society presented No, No, Nanette.

Touring plays included The Hollow, The Fur Coat, Clutterbuck, It's a Great Game, Charley's Uncle and Springtime for Henry.

The pantomime was Dick Whittington, the Sherry Brothers continued to pack the house on their last appearance before they vanished from the scene, the Imperial Opera Company remained an expensive prestige show, the Ballet Rambert and the Continental Ballet were here and so was the popular Northern Children's Theatre.

The Times took note that after taking its case to four courts in four years the society had finally secured exemption from rating. The Director said he hoped the council would not grudge the theatre the £l00 a year difference the decision made.

Dorothy Findon, a former Nonentity, joined the theatre as party organiser and John Pell became treasurer of the society.

Finance

Takings averaged £330 a week, the Nonentities' surplus was £l,273 and the Playhouse lost £3,365. The debt rose to £5,320 and the mortgage, paid off in 1951, had to be taken up again.

All through the year there were threats of closure unless business improved. Only three alternatives appeared possible: to go "amateur only" for a while, to increase the subscribers' list threefold and become a club theatre, or to obtain an increased subsidy. The third met with no response from the local authorities.