Showing 2 results

Flat 114, 24 John Islip Street, London, S.W.1. - Have seen a lot of Brian [?], who visited from Woburn, was very scatty; the [Joe] Orton play ['What the Butler Saw'] died a death the first night, with a restive audience, awful press except for Frank Marcus' review; 'Your Own Thing' flopped badly, Simon Gray's 'Dutch Uncle' is doing poorly, and [Georges] Feydeau's 'Cat Among the Pigeons', which 'Mr B' [Beaumont?] insisted on putting on has already cost £25,000 and they might never get it back, good only for Victor Spinetti; took 'wee Gordon'[?] to see '[The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie]', which he thought too long but loved Celia Johnston; is buying Gordon a house, doesn't want the Government to get anything when he dies; Binkie [Beaumont] is fiddling while the Globe burns; his friend Roger Stock questioned Gordon about his real estate agent and brought up the subject himself; quotes a nice letter from the Undertaker/publican/grocer Beat MacCarthy after he paid for his sister's tombstone.

Flat 114, 24 John Islip Street, London, S.W.1. - Remembers his visit to New England with Sir John [Gielgud] soon after 'that little foolishness by the Cancer Hospital', crossing the border from Canada with his heart beating so loudly he thought the border guard would hear it; lunched with Pinkie [Johnstone?] who told him Peter had been burgled; shares theatre news: John Osborne's 'Hotel in Amsterdam' has no progression and a great deal of talk but features a stunning performance by Paul [Scofield], didn't like the [Tom] Stoppard play at all ['The Real Inspector Hound'], Binkie [Beaumont] insisted on running 'I Can't Hear You'[?] which closes Saturday; they are still running the Ustinov play and 'The Importance [of being Earnest]'; is about to do a revival of 'Ring Round the Moon', but can't find a new play; are supposed to do Joe Orton's new play 'What the Butler Saw' but parties need to agree on cast and director; on 17 April he hit Franco, ending a humiliating four years; has decided to found SPCSOQ, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Silly Old Queens. In a postscript he notes it is 10 years since '5 Finger Exercise'.