Tuesday 1 December 2009

Saville Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue WC2 (now Odeon Covent Garden)

I inadvertantly split the next scene between shots, due to not paying attention properly. Two elegant Georgian ladies, possibly Sheridan's Rivals, waggle their fans, watched by a young man in a tricorn hat and greatcoat. A 'professor' leans against his Punch and Judy tent, where Punch stands gloating over the body of his wife Judy, who he has whacked for the fourth performance that day. Dog Toby in his ruff poses, and a one-man-band attracts an audience playing pan pipes and a drum, with his trumpet ready.
The next group are Romantics, consisting of a pair of medieval lovers singing, with a sinister gent behind sneering through his moustachios. A Cavalier is next, followed by a heavily hatted-and-coated man with a pistol. Is he a highwayman or an anarchist? Joseph Conrad had adapted The Secret Agent as a three-act play in the 1920s but it flopped.
I have this strong feeling that all these figures are portraits of actors in various roles, but I can't identify any of them. If anybody has any ideas, the comment box is right below....

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