Showing 25 results

He misses Peter, and describes his experience of heat as a tactile experience and as close as he'll get to communion; wonders if most Catholic countries are hot and if the weather explains Scottish Presbyterianism; discusses the effects of budget restrictions, the need to define mental illness and ethical guidelines for behavior modification treatments; discusses 'No Man's Land', admires John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson; Elizabeth [Cavendish?] is back and rested, and he deems regular breaks necessary for her; reacts to Peter's story of a group therapy session.

John Gielgud, 16 Cowley Street, S.W.1. - Thanks him for his good wishes [for 'The Ages of Man']; the notices are disappointing but hopes people will come and judge for themselves; has just read the two plays ['The Private Ear' and 'The Public Eye'?] and hopes they will be as successful as 'Five Finger Exercise'.

John Gielgud, 16 Cowley Street, London S.W.1. - Discusses casting for 'Five Finger Exercise': [Harry?] Lockart, James Hayter and John Perry's reaction; Brenda de Banzie has the play and is considering it; asks him to come see him after he is launched at the Globe with 'The Potting Shed'.

46th St. Theater, New York - Is glad to hear that 'Five Finger Exercise' is still going well despite 'the invalid' and Juliet [Mills]'s absence; is glad PS likes Peter Brook; is distressed to hear about Brian [?] showing him the letter about ['The Royal Hunt of the Sun']; he found the play discursive with too many characters and too slow in getting underway; opened ['The Ages of Man'] the night before, it has gotten rave reviews; had four days in Havana at Christmas; everyone talks of 'Five Finger Exercise', hopes to put it on there in September; sends his love.

W[est] H[ackhurst]. - 'How nice it will be to see [Gordon] Luce again; hopes to come over on Monday afternoon by the bus leaving Abinger Hammer at 3 pm and return by the 5.30 pm bus. The 'word "hope" recurs' as the buses may be full because of the bank holiday weekend. Will ring if he cannot get to the Shiffolds, 'and if I can't get away from you - I don't know!'.

Is just going to see Macbeth 'for the purpose of broadcasting on it to India'. Does not 'usually like Gielgud'.

Christmas card with a photograph of Gielgud on a deckchair at the beach, cigarette in mouth, marking a [script?].

West Watch, Ferry Drive, Wraysbury, Staines. - Is delighted to have Trevelyan's dialogue [see Trevelyan, "Translations from Horace, Juvenal & Montaigne: with two imaginary conversations" (1940)], which he would like to see 'circulated to all universities and schools'. The rucksack has arrived safely. Stephen [Waley] went off to Oxford 'chuckling at memories of [Trevelyan] reading Gogarty and trying to prevent [his] pyjama trousers from slipping down'. Has had no word from the War Office so is back at PEP [Political and Economic Planning] and busy writing a report, but would like to visit the Trevelyans soon; must also go to Joan [Allen?]. Met Geoffrey and his brother at the Old Vic recently; thought Gielgud magnificent as Lear in a fine production.

Christmas card, with a photograph of Gielgud in costume as Lord Raglan landing at the Crimea in 'Charge of the Light Brigade', with three other cast members, one of whom is carrying Gielgud through the surf.

Jonathan Croall, 66 Westfields Avenue, Barnes, London SW13 0AU - Following up on PS's suggestion that they meet in connection with his Gielgud book.

Thanks him for his letter, saw him sitting in the second row [of 'A Talent to Amuse'?]; the success is pleasant and exciting; invites him to join him for supper after a performance.

Sir John Gielgud, South Pavilion, Wotton-Underwood, Nr. Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire - Thanks him for the letter, notes the honour was unexpected, hopes PS will meet up with Brian [?] who will drive PS down to see him.

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 PS 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'.

John Gielgud, 16 Cowley Street, London S.W.1. - Encloses something [not present] he thinks Peter might like to answer himself; asks about the [triumph?] last night, whether his extravagance bore such swift fruit.

John Gielgud, 16 Cowley Street, London S.W.1. - Has had discussions with Timothy [O'Brien] about the set, is sorry Peter has been ill, suggests a meeting before the reading.

Music Box - Thanks him for 'Mr. Bulldog'; called Sir John [Gielgud] and was told by the gardner that he would be rising at 7 pm for a light supper; is on leave [from 'Amadeus'] for 8 shows, but is otherwise busy, an exacting discipline; walking with him was a great pleasure, his oratorio great great uncle was Vernon (George) Rigby, believes it a pity he didn't follow him.

551 Hudson Street, New York City.—Was delighted to hear from him. He often thinks of what he gained from him at Cambridge. Is sorry Smith is not continuing with his book on Shakespearian comedy, and urges him not to be hampered by a sense of incapacity. Is thinking of producing an edition of the best revenge tragedies, and of getting a PhD next year. Would like to return to Cambridge, but supposes it would be impossible, so is reluctantly considering Columbia and Yale. Is increasingly afflicted by the unhappiness and ugliness of life in America. The intellectual circles, typified by Partisan Review, are worst of all, and beyond this atmosphere is only ‘a horde of barking barbarians’. This deepening blackness, prefigured in Henry James’s American Scene, is likely to be accelerated in New York. [Henry] Luce is planning to launch a new literary quarterly with the intention of putting the little magazines out of print, while, according to one of the editors of the Dial Press, the publishing houses are planning to combine to push out the less successful books. William Empson, however, is having his collected poems published by Dial next season, having apparently ‘just got in under the ropes’. On top of all this the activities of the stage hands union have made decent theatre impossible. Still, he is in a better mood than usual, having just seen John Gielgud’s revival of The Importance of Being Earnest, in which Margaret Rutherford was wonderful. Asks for Aloysius’s address and thanks Smith for news of the other friars. At present all his time is leisure, but he will probably eventually be compelled to teach, in which case a PhD will be essential. Has not yet read Parker’s book on Calderón.

Hotel Esplanade Pty. Ltd., Perth, W.A. - Returns ['The Royal Hunt of the Sun'] and thanks him for letting him read it again, comments on it, especially the difficulties in acting and directing it, thinks if Dexter does it as brilliantly as 'Chips' and he gets two first actors, it will be a big success; is in Australia, finds the stage squeaks and the dance studio next door 'lends jazz combo accompaniments to my silvery efforts'; saw Jim Mossman before he left. A note at the top of the letter signed by John [Perry]: 'V. Rum here will write soon'.

Originally enclosing a cutting from the "Manchester Guardian" about the new Stockholm town hall. Just returned from Welcombe; Grandpapa and Grandmama seemed quite well. Wonders how the oak-tree caterpillars will cope with the current heavy rain. Is going North for the Lake Hunt next week; [Julian's cousin] George is coming for the first time; hopes to see the Bottomleys [Gordon and Emily] on the way, unless they have gone to the Hebrides as they thought of doing. Went to see "Romeo and Juliet" last week when he was in London; there was a very good Juliet [Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies]; the Romeo [John Gielgud] was 'at any rate a young man, which he is not always' and was 'moderately good', except that he 'cried and sobbed much too much' when banished; the others were all worse than another, and he left as soon as Juliet had taken her sleeping draught.

[Telegram sent to Peter Shaffer, Festival Theatre, Chichester] - Congratulates PS on the wonderful press [for 'The Royal Hunt of the Sun'] hopes to see the play before leaving for Hollywood.

Is pleased he is so happy and fulfilled and life with Paul is good; is glad he has created a partner for "Black Comedy", Sheila Hancock will be good as the fortune teller ["White Liars"]; discusses plays he's seen: "Joey, Joey" ("proving clowns are depraved and disagreeable"), "The Odd Couple" (Victor [Spinetti] was good, but doesn't like Neil Simon, who doesn't like women), "Lady Windermere" ("good entertainment), "Winter's Tale" ("almost impossible to sit through", Laurence Harvey and Diana Churchill are particularly bad; describes a dinner party at which John [Gielgud?] was "pouring out indiscretions like ectoplasm & very sweet".

Is feeling brighter now, after a low period; saw Peter's father, who was funny and sweet; saw "Phaedra" and found it surprisingly good, or at least Diana Rigg is; loved "Nashville" as well; went to see John Gielgud do a reading and visited Wotton House, "a fantasy of impracticality".

John Gielgud, Phoenix Theatre, W.C.2. - Thanks him for his first night telegram [for 'The Last Joke'?], is afraid opinion is divided but hopes people will want to come to judge for themselves; is delighted F.F.E. is doing well in New York and that Jessica [Tandy] is back.

John Gielgud, 16 Cowley Street, London S.W.1. - Saw 'Black Comedy' at long last, thought Maggie Smith brilliant, Bob Stephens, whom he didn't like in the Lope de Vega play, is excellent, thinks the characters should have exchanged trousers; Larry [Olivier] has approached him about going to the National, and discusses the Pirandello Henry IV which he has been told he should act; would like [Luchino] Visconti to direct it, not [Franco] Zeffirelli ('for obvious Othello reasons on my part!'), wonders if PS could adapt it, and suggests ways of doing it so that English audiences will like it; wonders what PS thinks of the idea; has to go to New York to do a small part in a film in November but will be in London until then.

18, Earls Terrace, London, W.8. - Exhausted by rehearsals for "Five Finger Exercise", describes working with John Gielgud, praises Brian Bedford.

18, Earls Terrace, London, W.8. - Busy with the play; asks for advice on visiting France with Fraser; John Gielgud doing his "theatrical nut".