The opening of the Complete Works of Shakespeare Festival at Stratford-upon-Avon prompted my recent trip to Britain, but the journey branched into an exploration of more theatrical connections, from David Garrick to Basil Rathbone and Sherlock Holmes, from Ivor Novello to the latest productions on the London stage. As each experience intertwined with the next, I found some surprising links.
For example, a visit to the Garrick Club reminded me that it was David Garrick who started the tradition of Shakespeare productions in Stratford. Then I learned that one actor whose career started in Stratford-upon-Avon was Basil Rathbone, who went on to play Sherlock Holmes dramas that were set in the moors. One of the Holmes stories took place at Bovey Castle on the edge of the moorish wasteland, so we scheduled a visit there.
Our trip conjured the ghosts of Bronte characters, as well as Conan Doyle personae, stalking those misty moors. In addition, a Noel Coward recording was playing in the castle room into which we were ushered. Theatrical apparitions from two generations filled the air.
At our hotel in London, we found a biography of Coward's friend and rival, Ivor Novello, on our night table and discovered that the leading composer of English musicals in the 1930s and 40s lived most of his life in that very building. The famous Strand Theatre, part of the Waldorf Hilton hotel complex, recently was renamed the Ivor Novello.
During a walk through Westminster Abbey, we saw the tomb of General John Burgoyne, who commanded British armies against the American revolutionaries. Then I discovered that he became a playwright after he retired from the army and his plays were produced by David Garrick. A widower in his 50s, Burgoyne fathered several children with Susan Caulfield, a singer.
Burgoyne's career as soldier and lover inspired George Bernard Shaw to create Arms and the Man, and Rodgers & Hart their 1925 musical, Dearest Enemy.
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Here's a travelogue so you can experience the ambience, at least vicariously.
We start at Stratford, situated, as its name says, upon the banks of the Avon River, 100 miles northwest of London. Modern and comfortable trains get you there faster than driving. I recommend that you contact BritRail at acprailnet.com or britrail.com. It's cheaper to buy a pass than to pay for individual trips, and more convenient too. You must buy those railpasses before you arrive in England.
Although Stratford has become a tourist destination, the town maintains a civilized and tranquil aura. Don't miss the various Shakespeare locales and especially Mary Arden's house and her next-door-neighbor's, whose furnishings and grounds are the most accurate resemblance to the Bard's time. She was Will Shakespeare's mother.
To get to her home, we drove through the Arden woods. His mother's family name and the forest of the same name were important to Will Shakespeare, and he used that sylvan area in his plays, As You Like It and A Midsummer Night's Dream. This local connection provides a strong argument against those who say someone other than Shakespeare wrote his plays.
The year-long celebration by the Royal Shakespeare Company includes all of Shakespeare's plays plus his poems, and contemporary responses to his works. Some productions are in the art-deco main house, constructed in 1932 with a traditional proscenium; others use the in-the-round Swan Theatre; and a 100-seat Cube is set for multi-media productions involving acrobatics, cartoons and video.
The two lead-off productions are Romeo and Juliet and Antony and Cleopatra. (See my reviews in the Criticopia section. Also see my separate story about the Festival in this Periodica section.)
The theaters are right on the bank of the Avon, with swans swimming by. Take a cruise, perhaps at twilight, offered by Bancroft Cruisers. The best meal in town is at the Edward Moon Restaurant -- named for an eccentric traveling chef in British Colonial days -- where I had their specialty of roasted shank of lamb. At 12 pounds (about $22) it's a bargain. You also can dine in the theater, at the attractive Quarto restaurant with a balcony overlooking the river. The most convenient lodging is at the Thistle Hotel, right across the street from the theater and a pleasant two-block walk from the church where Shakespeare is buried.
At Stratford, you are on the edge of the Cotswold region, which is best explored by car. Rentals are economical if you make arrangements in advance from outside the UK by contacting AutoEurope.com or 800-223-5555. You can motor around the rolling hills ("wold" means hill in Old English) and explore towns with such colorful names as Stow-on-the-Wold, Bourton-on-the-Water, Morton-in-Marsh and Broadway. Yes, Broadway, but the nights are not brighter there. These are small towns nestled amongst sheep farms and meadows. Many homes are made of unique yellow stone and have thatched roofs.
Stop for a cream tea -- where scones are topped with a form of whipped cream -- at the beautiful Wyck Hill House, then spend a night at the oldest inn in England, the Royalist, dating to 947 AD. It is a comfortable, 8-room, honey-colored hotel in Stow-on-the-Wold with its own restaurant. (Contact www.nichehotels.com)
While in the area, don't miss medieval pageantry at Warwick Castle and a look at how the upper crust lives at Blenheim Palace which is owned and still occupied by the Churchill family and is gorgeously decorated and landscaped. Cotswold Farm Park gives you a close-up look at rare breeds of sheep, while the Gloucestershire-Warwickshire Railway provides a relaxing trip through the hills in vintage rail cars.
I'm glad I made time to travel to Dartmoor National Park and Bovey Castle within the park. BritRail trains are ultra-modern and provide a very comfortable hour-and-a-half ride on a line that ends at Penzance, as in the Gilbert & Sullivan musical. Nearby is the seashore town of Plymouth, which for many years was represented in Parliament by Lady Astor. More about her later.
Bovey was the setting for the most famous Sherlock Holmes story, "The Hound of the Baskervilles," and the moors also are in the vicinity of the Bronte sisters. Emily Bronte described the area as "completely removed from the stir of society," and Arthur Conan Doyle painted a picture of a bleak place where people could sink into quicksand and perish.
But a wealthy member of the House of Lords built stately Bovey Castle in 1906, and it is run today as a posh retreat with every conceivable outdoor recreation on the grounds. I particularly liked the fly fishing, archery, golf, falconry and a visit to the shed where sloe gin is distilled from fresh berries. Most of these were new experiences for me, and the castle provides instructors.
The castle has a Ranger Program that guides children through these activities -- all except the distillery. Our 12-year-old loved his introduction to the outdoor life. One week he was singing and dancing in Cinderella at his school back home; the next week he was gathering eggs from the chickens before breakfast, fly fishing, driving a golf cart around the estate and learning how to shoot a pistol. The program is well-run, and by having such care for your kids, you can enjoy adult time alone.
It's a fascinating change of scenery, in a figurative as well as literal sense, from the urban life of London. The capital city is less than two hours distant but seems like a world away. I strongly recommend this getaway.
We were escorted on a tour of the desolate moors which are populated only by wild horses. There, on a lonely stretch, our guide pointed out the remnants of a powder mill where American and French war prisoners were forced to manufacture gunpowder. It was a form of slave labor being practiced by our civilized cousins a century-and-a-half before the Nazis. Accidental explosions took the lives of many young Americans. Mostly they were seamen captured during the War of 1812, and the discovery couldn't help but bring back memories of the British general, "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne. He romanced his enemies, not enslaved them. He also quit the army to make a life in the theater, and he died before the War of 1812.
Bovey now is operated by the English millionaire sportsman, Peter de Savary. Some guests enjoy elegant manor life in the mansion with its stained-glass windows, but my family was housed in a modern, multi-level cottage, where Noel Coward's 1932 record of "Something To Do With Spring" was playing when we entered. ("A feeling I can't express, a sort of lilt in the air," he crooned, rolling his r's.) The castle provides CDs and videos including, of course, a collection of Holmes films. The refrigerator is well-stocked so you can dine in privacy, or you can choose to be served gourmet meals in Bovey's main dining room. More information is at www.boveycastle.com.
Back in London, we checked in at the Draycott Hotel, a perfect choice. This is a boutique hotel, a charming town house in Kensington where we had a large room facing a private garden. Each room is named for a theatrical figure, and ours was dedicated to George Bernard Shaw. Afternoon tea is served in the parlor, hot chocolate is provided in the library, the Financial Times is placed at your bedroom door, and bottles of liquor are set out for your use on the honor system; you are asked to contribute some cost if you pour yourself more than a small one. I enjoyed the quiet and personal ambience. The Victoria and Albert Museum is in the neighborhood, and the Royal Court Theatre on Sloane Square is one block away.
That theater has encouraged "hard-hitting, uncompromising writers" to challenge and stimulate. In 1956, John Osborne's Look Back in Anger premiered at the Royal Court and is now considered the beginning of modern British drama. In 1969 the 60-seat Theatre Upstairs opened, one of the first black box studios opened by a large theater. Early productions include The Rocky Horror Show by Richard O'Brien, and Owners by a new writer, Caryl Churchill, who went on to write 17 plays for the Royal Court. The Philanthropist by Christopher Hampton and The Kitchen by Arnold Wesker started at the Royal Court and became staples of the British stage.
Some establishment celebrities occasionally played the Royal Court, such as John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson in David Storey's Home (1970) and Laurence Olivier in Ionesco's Rhinoceros (1960) directed by Orson Welles. The Royal Court celebrated its 50th anniversary in June 2006 with the premiere of Tom Stoppard's new play, Rock 'N' Roll, directed by Trevor Nunn.
Returning to London, we spent two nights at the Park Lane Hotel, close to theaters around Piccadilly Circus and to Baker Street, so I could continue on the trail of Sherlock Holmes.
Dubbed The Iron Lady of Piccadilly because of its solid construction (built between 1924 and 1927), the Park Lane has top-hatted doormen and large, finely-appointed rooms. Its ballroom and Palm Court are outstanding examples of Art Deco. After the Draycott however, the 307-room Park Lane seemed impersonal. The hotel's computers were down throughout our two-night stay, and the staff was understandably flustered. This is a fine location if you want to stroll through the parks, see the changing of guard at Buckingham Palace or visit historic private mansions. It's only a short walk to Piccadilly Circus, where we saw a striking production of Jerry Herman's Mack and Mabel. Right up the street is an excellent revival of Guys and Dolls. I also visited Sherlock Holmes' "residence" at 221b Baker Street, fascinatingly furnished to match what Conan Doyle invented. The play Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as rewritten by actor William Gillette, premiered in New York and became a huge hit in 1899. Basil Rathbone's Sherlock Holmes was famous in movies and on radio in the 1940s, and Rathbone later played the part on stage. Fritz Weaver portrayed Holmes in the musical Baker Street in 1965.
I conducted the last interview with Rathbone before his death. I remember him calling me "old boy" and telling me he was scared about the heart surgery he was about to undergo. Around the corner from Baker Street is Madame Tussaud's wax museum, which was jammed with people enjoying themselves more than I did. The emphasis is on pop celebrities.
Our last two nights in London were at the Waldorf Hilton, a stately hotel built in 1905 by one of the world's richest men, the American-British financier and publisher William Waldorf Astor. This is the most theatrically-connected of our hotels. When King Edward VII ordered eight acres of old buildings demolished to create the broad crescent of a new street called Aldwych, plans were made for two theaters with identical facades. They would be connected to a magnificent hotel, The Waldorf. The planners anticipated the idea of the Marriott Marquis by almost a century. The name Aldwych derives from the Old English eald and wic meaning "old outlying farm."
Its rooms are tastefully appointed and have spacious marble baths. The hotel's innovations in 1905 included a telephone and electric lights in every room. The pink Ladies Salon contained the latest in musical boxes with a large pile of metal discs, while the men's Smoking Room gave gents a place to congregate before donning capes and silk hats and picking up Gaiety Girls from the Gaiety Theatre across the street. (Gladys Cooper got her start as a Gaiety Girl in 1907.)
The plots of Gaiety shows were predictable. Noel Coward parodied them: "The leading lady cried with a breaking heart, "Play louder -- play louder. I want to dance and forget!" The Gaiety had some classy policies: there was no charge for programmes nor for checking cloaks. "One payment at the door clears everything," said the newspapers. What a shame that this innovation didn't take hold. (Unlike in the USA, every theater in London charges for programmes.)
William Waldorf Astor's son, Waldorf Astor, married a beautiful American named Nancy Langhorne, whose sister was a Gibson Girl model. Nancy Astor herself was the subject of one of John Singer Sargent's most seductive paintings. Astor, like his father, became a newspaper and magazine publisher and a viscount, while Lady Astor became the first female member of the House of Commons, elected from Plymouth in 1919.
It's amazing how she got re-elected for 25 years, because she was extremely impolitic in conversation. Winston Churchill once told Nancy Astor that a woman being in the Parliament was like one intruding on him in the bathroom, to which she retorted, "You're not handsome enough to have such fears." Once Lady Astor said to Churchill: "If you were my husband, I'd put arsenic in your coffee." Churchill replied: "Madam, if I were your husband, I'd drink it!"
The Astors became the subject of a Yip Harburg lyric in Finian's Rainbow: "When the Idle Poor Become the Idle Rich: You can't tell your butler from your Astor."
The couple hosted friends at their estate, Cliveden, and the so-called Cliveden Set included George Bernard Shaw, Charlie Chaplin, Lord Lothian, Lord Halifax and Neville Chamberlain. Critics accused the Cliveden Set of influencing the British government to appease Hitler during the build-up to World War II. Her version: "I have worked for the reversal of the policy of goading [Germany] and her rulers into restlessness by trying to keep them in a state of inferiority."
The Waldorf Theatre, opened in 1905, eventually changed its name to The Strand -- named for the street that runs from Trafalgar Square up to Aldwych. The name Strand comes from the Old English word for "river bank." Before the construction of the Embankment, the Strand ran directly next to the Thames. And now the house has been renamed for Ivor Novello. Footloose is playing there.
The Aldwych Theatre opened the same year, under the guidance of American impresario Charles Frohman, who was to drown in the 1915 sinking of the Lusitania by a German submarine. In its early days the Aldwych housed the first performance in England of Chekhov's play, The Cherry Orchard. The Aldwych recently revived The Cherry Orchard, with Judi Dench, but it currently houses the mundane Dancing in the Streets.
Fifteen West End theaters are within walking distance of our hotel, as is the Garrick Club. This impressive building, accessible by invitation only, is larger than any gentlemen's club I've seen anywhere. Its main staircase is dominated by a portrait of the actor David Garrick in costume as royalty, not by a picture of actual royalty. His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, is a member and sometimes comes to lunch (but not the day I was there). It is customary for members to seat themselves at a large table at the next open setting, so a simple actor may find himself alongside the queen's husband.
The exclusive club was established in 1831 as a place where "actors and men of refinement and education might meet on equal terms" for "easy intercourse between artists and patrons." Many of the great literary personalities of the Nineteenth Century were members of the Garrick, and the club was the scene of a famous quarrel between two of them, Dickens and Thackeray. The club's library possesses manuscripts, autographed letters and programs. The greatest treasure of the club is its collection of theatrical paintings and drawings, which includes unusually expressive pictures of celebrities such as Olivier, Coward and Leslie Howard. That their likenesses are so vivid is due, probably, to their being painted by other members who were their friends.
The American actor Edwin Forrest earned international infamy because of his anti-British comments, and his feud with the leading British performer of his era, William Macready. It turned violent in 1849 when 29 people were killed during a street fight between supporters of Forrest and Macready. So it's surprising to see that Forrest is the one and only American with a portrait hanging at the Garrick -- and prominently so, in its dining room.
The Garrick paintings illustrate the evolution of theatrical costuming, stage sets and portraiture. I was amused to see numerous paintings of Nell Gwyn, the actress who was King Charles II's mistress. The Garrick's librarian told me that some of them are inauthentic, but artists liked to find models who would pose fetchingly in imitation of Gwyn, and the gentlemen of the club asked to see these pictures hung on their walls. Theater memorabilia at the club includes jewelry, snuff boxes, swords, walking-sticks and David Garrick's powder puff and his chair from Drury Lane Theatre.
He was the greatest English actor of his time (1717 to 1779) and the friend of Diderot, Samuel Johnson and Oliver Goldsmith. Garrick produced the 200th anniversary celebration of Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon which revived popular interest in Shakespeare's dramas. He became the owner and manager of the Theatre Royal Drury Lane from 1747 to 1776, where The Producers is now ensconced.
A few blocks away are the theaters where I saw Jeremy Irons in Embers (an excellent night of classic drama) and The Woman in Black, a long-running melodrama that disappointed. (Adding these to Mack and Mabel, Guys and Dolls, two plays at the National, two at Stratford and two operas at Covent Garden makes a total of ten productions in a busy two weeks.)
Continuing our series of connections, I went to the National Gallery at Trafalgar Square, where a portrait by Sargent hung as part of an exhibition on American painters in Paris, thence to the Portrait Gallery next door to see several paintings of David Garrick. The best meal we had in London was a creative luncheon at the new National Dining Room inside the National Gallery. Three items to illustrate the chef's inventiveness: Spiced parsnip soup, warm watercress mousse and organic salmon with dill and orange. Ambience is casual, service extremely attentive, prices reasonable. And then you tour a fine series of exhibits, one of the world's great collections of European painting.
The Waldorf Hilton is only a five-minute walk from Covent Garden, the hub of activity in London. Mornings bring tourists to shop in the outdoor market. Afternoons bring mobs to ride a carousel and gawk at street performers. Evenings are centered around the operas on stage in the Royal Opera House. Late night is when mobs of young people line up for admittance to dance clubs. When there's a long production like Gotterdammerung, the opera audience will pour into the street around the time the kids are the noisiest, creating an interesting clash of cultures.
Proceeding down to the embankment of the Thames, you'll see three of London's biggest tourist attractions: The Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and the London Eye. Directly across the river is the National Theater, where I attended Mike Leigh's new play, Two Thousand Years, and the Peter Shaffer pageant, The Royal Hunt of the Sun.
The London Eye is an eye-opening experience; its half-hour "flights" lift you above the Thames and give you fine aerial views of the city. Bateaux London/Catamaran Cruisers runs pleasant boat rides down-river starting at the Embankment. The company's Elite cruise includes exclusive seating at the front of the boat, a three-course set menu, wine and mineral water. Other rides are available day and night, with food and drink or without.
The cruise takes you past the Tate Gallery and Saint Paul's, which I visited quickly during some rare free time, and the Globe Theatre, a replica of Shakespeare's original. My biggest disappointment on this trip is that the Globe wasn't having performances. Its season runs only from May to October because it is in the open air.
One other must is the British Museum, filled with statuary from ancient Egypt, Persia, Greece and Rome. In contrast to Ira Gershwin's lyric from "A Foggy Day," the British Museum has not lost its charm.
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