78/9

The Gentle Hook was one of those off the library shelf mysteries which all companies present and instantly forget. Old Times, another strange little piece by Pinter, was memorable, if only for being the shortest play in this record, running little more than an hour. No reservations about Toad of Toad Hall that Christmas. The famous four (remember Kenneth Rose, Tom Trewin, Len Reeves and Harry Purcell at the Playhouse 27 years earlier?) were Roger Parrott, Casewell, David Vale and Stan Barten and Mr. Toad held court for hordes of young admirers in the interval.

Table Manners in the New Year was the first of the Ayckbourn Norman Conquest plays, with Nino Pelopida as the irresistible Norman. The season's Shakespeare was the Taming of the Shrew, a clear account of the comedy directed towards a young audience.