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paralleljulieverse · 6 years

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It is common knowledge that Star! –– the spectacular 1968 Julie Andrews musical currently celebrating its 50th anniversary –– underwent substantial editing in the wake of its ill-fated US release. Dismayed by the film’s poor box-office and panicked by the rapid downturn in the domestic movie market, Fox executives ordered a series of increasingly drastic cuts to Star!, culminating in the film’s ignominious withdrawal from distribution in June 1969 and subsequent re-release four months later in a radically shortened, re-titled version as Those Were The Happy Times (formerly known as Star!) (Edwards 1993; Holston: 220-21). This sorry tale of post-release hatcheting is part of the historical legend of Star! and also part of its unjust reputation as “the H-bomb of musicals” (Kanfer: 78).

What is possibly less well-known is that Star! underwent select trimming before its release, as well. At the end of the film’s post-production in April 1968, director Robert Wise had assembled a working rough cut that was shown to studio personnel and test-screened with two preview audiences in Cleveland and Denver in early-May. The response was overwhelmingly positive. Of the 814 preview cards received, 633 rated the film “excellent”, 146 “good” and only 3 marked it “bad” (Edwards). Nevertheless, Wise and editor, William Reynolds, went back to make a number of further adjustments to the film ahead of its global premiere in London in July 1968. Much of this late-stage editing work was relatively minor –– pruning a shot here and there in order to tighten pacing –– but several short narrative scenes were also cut in their entirety.

None of this material was particularly significant and, given that the final roadshow release of Star! ended up with a marathon running time of 176 minutes –– enough to “test the patience of even those of us enamored with Andrews, musicals, and showbiz dramas” (Betancourt, 2014) –– the cuts were possibly all-to-the-good. Still, it is not difficult to see what these excised scenes were designed to achieve and, in some respects, their loss exacerbated problematic aspects of the film’s narrative complexion.

What follows is a brief catalogue of the major scenes dropped from Star! They are presented in order of where they originally occurred in narrative sequence. For the most part, details are taken from the final shooting version of the screenplay by William Fairchild, dated 25 January 1967, and augmented where possible with archival material.

A further sense of where and how these “lost scenes” functioned narratively is provided by the paperback novelization of Star! by Bob Thomas (1968). As discussed in a previous post, novelizations were a popular feature of film culture in the 1960s and 70s. Because they had to be written well in advance of a film’s release, novelizations were typically adapted from shooting scripts and rough cuts and, as with Bob Thomas’s adaptation of Star!, they frequently include narrative material that didn’t always make the final cut.

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Lost Scene 1: Gertie and the Singing Doughboys

Screenplay Scenes 35-36, 38 (filmed 19 September 1967, Stage 22, 20th Century-Fox Studios) This short sequence occurred immediately after Gertie makes her stagedoor flight from the disastrous Daffodil Girls music-hall performance in Swansea (“In My Garden of Joy”). In it, Gertie is shown hitching a ride with a military supplies lorry back to London in search of better opportunities. An establishing external shot (35) shows the lorry rumbling down a country road past a “London 34 miles” signpost, followed by an internal shot (36) of the driver’s cabin with Gertie sandwiched between two young soldiers in uniform, all singing a lively chorus of “Oh, It’s a Lovely War” (Fairchild: 25; Thomas: 26). In earlier versions of the screenplay, this short sequence was preceded by a number of additional scenes (33-34) showing Gertie working odd jobs and sleeping in a train station but these were dropped prior to production and never filmed. A further shot (38) that was filmed but subsequently cut during postproduction occurred in the ensuing scene where Gertie arrives in London and sneaks her way into the Lumley Court Theatre in the hope of auditioning for André Charlot. As she stops in the theatre alleyway, Gertie looks up at the poster advertising the new Charlot revue and whispers to herself “quietly but with complete confidence, ’…With Gertrude Lawrence!’” (Fairchild: 28).

While minor, this cut material clearly worked to underscore Gertie’s driving ambition and her determination to do whatever it takes to realise her dreams of stardom.

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Lost Scene 2: Gertie and Billie Carleton

Screenplay Scene 53 (filmed 29 April 1967, Stage 14, 20th Century-Fox Studios) This scene followed Gertie’s triumphant ‘understudy’ performance of “Burlington Bertie”. After the narrational newsreel footage detailing Armistice Day celebrations and the return of star Billie Carleton to the theatre, Billie is seen backstage surrounded by well-wishers from the troupe. Gertie appears from one of the dressing rooms and comes up to greet Billie with ‘star’ and ‘understudy’ indulging in affectionately bitchy repartee. Played with camp theatricality and lashings of “dahhhlings” and air kisses, the scene highlighted Gertie’s growing sense of hauteur and theatrical confidence, while emphasising her thwarted ambitions. It thus helped preface the later confrontation scene (55) between Gertie and first husband, Jack Roper where he complains, “ever since you’ve been put back in the chorus, it’s been nothing but belly-aching!” (Fairchild: 52).

Interestingly, this sequence between Gertie and Billie was the only sustained dialogue scene to feature Lynley Laurence, the actress who plays Billie Carleton in Star!. With its excision, Laurence’s role was reduced to a handful of mostly non-speaking scenes, though she would still receive a special featured screen credit in the final film.

As another interesting aside, the dialogue for the cut scene has Billie Carleton joke that Gertie likely wishes “I’d broken my neck”. The real-life Carleton did in fact die not long after the events depicted here. Following a gala ball at the Albert Hall to celebrate Armistice on 27 November 1918, Carleton returned to her suite at the Savoy Hotel where she was found dead the next day from a cocaine overdose. It was a huge scandal at the time that subsequently formed the basis for Noël Coward’s first hit play, The Vortex (1924) about drug abuse and sexual impropriety in English high society (Hoare: 37-39).

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Lost Scene 3: Gertie and Sir Anthony Go Boating

Screenplay Scene 61 (filmed 29 June, Regent’s Park, London; and 23-24 August 1967, Stage 21, and 8 September, Stage 22, 20th Century-Fox Studios) This was the first of several cut scenes detailing Gertie’s blossoming romance with Sir Anthony ‘Tony’ Spencer (Michael Craig) and, with it, her rise in social status. Immediately following their first dinner date where Gertie alternately titillates and shocks the assembled society guests with ribald theatre stories, Gertie and Tony go on a ‘date’ to the boating lake at Regent’s Park (Fairchild: 60-61). As the pair sit in the rowboat, Tony explains the history of the Park in florid detail as Gertie looks glum and distracted. “Words!”, she says dejectedly, “I look at things and all I can say is –– they’re nice!…You’ve got to teach me more words”, thus highlighting her recognition of the need for increased social sophistication. After a further exchange, Gertie moves in to give Tony a kiss when the rocking of the boat throws her into his arms.

The allusion in this scene to linguistic training sets up a marked Pygamalion / My Fair Lady dynamic with Tony cast as a Professor Higgins-type figure –– albeit, more “patient and kind and wonderful” –– who helps mentor Gertie in the ways of aristocratic high society. There is even a pointed reference in the dialogue to Gertie’s background as a Cockney. Traces of this dynamic remain in the final film, notably in the scene where Gertie arrives at Cesare’s in her new gown and, responding to a compliment about the dress, starts to say “It is rather nice…” when she catches Tony’s eye and quickly corrects herself, “…er…divine, isn’t it?” (Fairchild: 64).

This scene on the lake involved considerable strategic planning during filming. At the end of a one week period of location shooting in the south of France in June 1967, the production crew proceeded to London for the next stage of filming. Julie, however, flew back to Hollywood, ostensibly to start rehearsals for the big musical numbers, though there is some suggestion she needed to avoid entering the UK for tax purposes (Craig: 151; Land: 296). As a result, location shots on the lake at Regent’s Park had to be filmed using a double to stand in for Julie who sat in the boat with actor Michael Craig. London’s notoriously capricious weather added to the woes with the crew having to wait hours on the day of shooting till 5:00pm when “the sun burst forth long enough to permit the photographing of a brilliant scene”. All the while, “property master, Dennis Parrish, had to toss bread to ducks…to keep them within camera range ready when the time came” (Land: 334-35; also Heffernan: 30). This location footage was then intercut with later process shots of Julie and Michael Craig filmed in front of a blue-screen at Fox studios. Production accounts detail that studio filming for the scene occupied two full days on August 23 and 24 on Stage 21 (Edwards). Despite the work and effort, the dialogue component of the sequence was cut in its entirety and all that remained in the final release print is a few brief insert shots of Gertie and Tony in the rowboat.

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Lost Scene 4: Gertie Gets a Make-Over

Screenplay Scene 63 (filmed 11-13 and 18 September 1967, Stage 16, 20th Century-Fox Studios) Continuing the Pygmalion theme from the previous cut scene, this sequence detailed Gertie’s ongoing social metamorphosis as Tony takes her to the salon of couturier, Julian Brooke-Taylor (Fairchild: 63-64). Of all the cut scenes, this one was possibly the longest with an estimated running time of several minutes.

Here Gertie is introduced to the grand world of haute couture and the even grander character of Julian Brooke-Taylor. Described in the screenplay as “[t]hin, fortyish…not a homosexual, but rather asexual, always appearing elegantly weary but in fact full of creative energy” (Fairchild: 63), Brooke-Taylor was played by Scottish-born character actor, Monty (Monte) Landis. Today, Landis is best remembered for his cavalcade of cameo villains in the cult TV series The Monkees (1968) but he had a long career as a comic actor in theatre and film in both the UK and the US. Prior to Star!, Landis had a string of minor but memorable character cameos in films such as The Mouse That Roared (1959), Charade (1963) and Double Trouble (1967), as well as several popular TV series of the era including The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. (1966), Get Smart (1967) and Batman (1967). The latter series was filmed at 20th Century Fox studios at more or less the same time as Star! which is possibly how Landis secured his brief role in the film.

As detailed in the Fairchild screenplay (63-64) and Thomas novelization (50-51), the lengthy sequence starts with a mid-shot of Brooke-Taylor sitting on a Louis Quinze settee, “an expression of well-bred resignation on his face” (Fairchild: 63). As he spouts a humorously imperious monologue about being “the best couturier in London..many would say the whole of Europe”, the film cuts to a long shot of Gertie and Tony combing through hundreds of glamorous gowns in the gilt and marble salon, “dresses are everywhere –– in a large open wardrobe, draped on chairs and settees” (Fairchild: 63). Gertie picks up dress after dress, “considering it and then, as Tony shakes his head, rejecting it and adding it to the growing discard pile beside Julian” (ibid). All the while, Brooke-Taylor continues his waspish spiel:

“So who am I to complain, my dear Tony, when you invade my salon two hours after it is officially closed in order not to buy but merely to borrow. Please, please, do not for a moment imagine that you are imposing –– just feel completely free to treat me as you would any small, overworked dressmaker around the corner who runs up clever little numbers in her spare time after high tea…” (Fairchild: 63-64).

Finally, Tony finds the perfect dress –– the brilliant black and ruby beaded décolleté gown that Gertie wears to Cesare’s in the next scene. As he holds it up to Gertie, Brooke-Taylor stops mid-breath, “[h]is face lightens, [t]he artist in him beams whole-hearted approval and admiration,” “Ah!,” he purrs, “Yes!” (Fairchild: 64; Thomas: 51).

Other than highlighting Gertie’s continued social transformation, this scene also served to establish the context for Gertie’s subsequent employment as a salon model for Brooke-Taylor in the later fashion show sequence. Its omission from the final print of the film doesn’t cause a major logical inconsistency but it does weaken some of the backstory. From the way it is written, and given Landis’s theatrical comic style, one imagines that the scene would likely have had a ‘comic relief’ tenor not unlike that of the later fashion show where Cathleen Cordell provides such wonderfully humorous flourish as the affected salon vendeuse.

It’s unclear why the Brooke-Taylor sequence was dropped in its entirety. Production accounts show that more than two full days were spent shooting material for it from 11-13 September 1967 on Stage 16 at Fox Studios, with the fashion show filmed immediately after on the same set from 13-14 September (Edwards). Further retakes were ordered for 18 September which possibly suggests that Wise was unhappy with aspects of the scene as originally filmed/played. Maybe he remained unhappy, maybe the sequence felt out of keeping with surrounding material, or maybe Wise just wanted to reduce an already overlong first half? Either way, the visit to Julian Brooke-Taylor was consigned to the cutting room floor.

Monte Landis, the actor playing Brooke-Taylor, had a bit of an unfortunate run in 1967. At about the same time he filmed his dropped cameo for Star!, Landis also appeared as part of the original line-up for the TV pilot of Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In, but when the series was subsequently picked up by NBC for what would prove to be a six season run, Landis was let go and replaced by another British comedian (Erickson:108). There was some compensation for the actor when he secured his semi-recurring role as the resident villain in the second season of The Monkees (1968), which as suggested earlier remains his most famous work to this day. As detailed in his iMDB profile, Landis continued to secure intermittent TV work throughout the 70s with cameos in shows such as Hawaii Five-O (1971), Columbo (1971) and Police Woman (1973), as well as the odd big screen film like Myra Breckinridge (1970) and Young Frankenstein (1974). As late as the 80s and early 90s, Landis could still be seen popping up in the occasional episode of The Golden Girls (1987) or comedy film like Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985) and Heart Condition (1990).

In between these screen assignments, Landis seems to have done a good deal of live theatre. In an interesting “six degrees” moment, just a few months prior to his work on Star!, Landis appeared in a revival of Lady in the Dark at the Pasadena Playhouse –––– opposite Marni Nixon in the Gertrude Lawrence role, what’s more –– where he reportedly stopped the show with the comic “Tchaikovsky” number (“Monty Landis Draws”: 35). Landis also found something of a second career as a spiritualist in the 1970s hosting a weekly programme on a Southern California radio station devoted to the occult (Martin: S8). This interest in all things spiritual must have continued as the last press mention we’ve been able to find about Landis reports that, in 2007, he had retired to Palm Springs where he was teaching Kabbalah (Salkin: E1).

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Lost Scene 5: Gertie at St James Palace

Screenplay Scene 69 (filmed 29 May 1967, Lotos Club, New York City; and 1 July 1967, Westminster School, London ) This brief scene was the third of the excised episodes depicting Gertie’s social metamorphosis courtesy of Sir Anthony Spencer. Immediately following the newsreel insert profiling Gertie’s embrace of “the fads and the fashions of crazy postwar England of the early 20′s” –– doing the Charleston, hot air ballooning, awarding the prize at an auto car race –– and her ascent to royal social circles, this scene showed Gertie and Tony arriving at St James Palace. Resplendent in a fur-trimmed gold brocade cape, Gertie enters the Palace on the arm of Sir Tony looking every inch the princess when, falling back into mock Cockney, she whispers: “D’you think his Royal Highness would mind if I loosened me stays? They’re killing me” (Fairchild: 71).

The scene was clearly designed to highlight Gertie’s triumph in her new “role” as “the glittering darling of society” while remaining true to her irreverent working-class spirit. This theme –– along with the whole Pygmalion-esque subtext –– is explicit in Bob Thomas’s novelization:

“Under Tony’s tutelage, the girl from Clapham was becoming a lady. The metamorphosis was not always easy. Sometimes in the middle of a formal dinner Gertie uttered a cockneyism that sent the table into a roar of laughter. But she always laughed with the other guests –– Gertie never pretended to be anything she wasn’t. And she always listened carefully to Tony’s coaching afterward. He would point out where she said the wrong thing or used the wrong fork. As in the theatre, she learned her cues quickly and never repeated an error” (Thomas: 56).

Like the earlier rowboat scene, this one required a strategic blend of location and studio shooting. The bulk of the interior was filmed with Julie and Michael Craig on 29 May 1967 at the Lotos Club in New York City. Craig was still appearing on Broadway at the time in Pinter’s The Homecoming and this shoot was his very first piece of work for Star!. Additional footage of Gertie and Tony arriving at St James was filmed a few weeks later on 1 July at the Westminster School in London with Craig and a double to stand in for Julie (Edwards).

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Lost Scene 6: Cavalry to the Rescue

Screenplay Scene 86-88 (filmed 3 July 1967, Guards’ Parade, Whitehall, London) This bridging sequence occurred when Sir Anthony Spencer arrives to visit Gertie with his surprise proposal of marriage. Following a series of establishing shots of Tony riding with the Guards on ceremonial parade –– shots which remain in the final release print of the film –– the original sequence continued to show Tony arriving at Gertie’s London mews house. He dismounts from his horse and passes the bridle to his personal equerry, Corporal of Horse Cooper (Max Faulkner). As he walks towards the rear of the house, still in full regalia “his accoutrements clanking”, Tony passes Gertie’s maid Mary (Barbara Ogilvie) who is carrying a tray of tea and sugar to the guardsmen. The camera stays on Mary as she goes to the guardsmen and chats amicably with Cooper, telling him to feed sugar to the horses “[t]hen you can have your tea” (Fairchild: 82).

Other than the opportunity to further showcase the colourful pomp of the Royal Life Guards –– which, as detailed in an earlier post, had been strategically selected by Wise for the visual impact of their uniforms –– this scene also helped underscore the established intimacy of Gertie and Tony’s relationship. That Gertie’s maid should greet Sir Tony and his Corporal by name and come out prepared with a tray of tea for the brigade indicates that this not-so clandestine morning visit to Gertie via her back door was a routine arrangement for the two lovers.

The actor who appears as Corporal Cooper, Max Faulkner had a long career as a character player and stuntman in British film and TV, possibly best remembered for his work on the cult TV show, Doctor Who. The cutting of the sequence meant that Faulkner lost what little dialogue he had in the film, though he can still be seen riding alongside Michael Craig in the opening shot and reacting to Tony’s sneeze. He can also be seen later in the film in reprise footage of the Life Guards on parade, immediately prior to Gertie and Tony’s visit to the Lord Chamberlain. In this scene, which was filmed on location at the same time as the earlier sequence, Faulkner’s character is front and centre on screen bellowing a series of commands to the mounted Guardsmen. In the original screenplay this establishing shot is followed by an additional brief dialogue scene where Gertie passes the Guards on her way into the Lord Chamberlain’s office and greets Cooper by name (Scene 118). “Good morning Miss Lawrence. Nice to see you back,” the corporal says (Fairchild: 123). When Noel shoots Gertie a questioning look, she explains, “Well, I have been to St James Palace before.” “For heaven’s sake,” gasps Noel, “don’t mention that!” (Fairchild: 123).

While Max Faulkner at least made it into the final release print of Star!, Barbara Ogilvie in the part of Mary was less fortunate. With the excision of the dialogue portion of Sir Tony’s arrival at Gertie’s house, her role disappeared completely. A native Londoner, Ogilvie carved out a solid career playing character parts on UK TV, including a regular stint in the mid-70s on the long-running soap opera, Emmerdale. Possibly due to production logistics or possibly to help denote the passage of time, Gertie is given a different maid later in the film, Dorothy who is played by Matilda Canan.

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As stated at the outset, it is not difficult to understand why these various scenes were cut from Star! Their excision reduced an already over-long running time and arguably helped tighten pacing. Nevertheless, one can equally appreciate the intent behind these scenes and their role in furthering character and plot.

One of the most common criticisms made of Star! is that its episodic revue format works against optimal narrative development and, with it, audience identification. Squeezed into brief segments between the film’s mammoth musical performances, Gertie’s life is rendered via a series of epigrammatic highlights with a surfeit of information and dazzle, but not a lot of emotional depth. As Richard Schickel (1968) writes in a characteristic example of this critical complaint:

“William Fairchild’s Star! script, ranging over a [long] period of Gertrude Lawrence’s career, deals in types rather than people, romances rather than loves. It is always at a documentary distance from its subject and her world. Maybe she was unknowable, in the full biographical sense, but we must have the illusion of knowledge, a sense of motives more subtle and complex than we receive” (10).

Moreover, the fact that Star! is a theatrical revue style musical where the numbers are staged as semi-realist replications of Gertie’s theatrical performances, and not as organic expressions of character and narrative as is the case in an integrated ‘book’ musical, means that whatever sense we get of Gertie and her story can only really come from the bridging moments in-between. As director Robert Wise reflected in later years:

“People often ask me why [Star!] didn’t work…It’s hard to find answers. Maybe [audiences] just weren’t prepared to like Julie in the kind of character Gertie Lawrence was. Maybe we spent too much time on musical numbers and didn’t spend enough time digging into her character, getting the kind of contact of the audience with what made her tick. With The Sound of Music, we certainly made contact with the audience in terms of the relationship between Maria and the children and the Captain. The audience knew where everybody was coming from basically” (Leeman, 195).

It’s doubtful that the excised material profiled here would have made much of an appreciable difference in this regard. Like applying a band-aid to a gaping wound, the film’s narrative deficiencies required more substantial revisions than the inclusion of a couple of minor book scenes. Still, these scenes do at least gesture towards expanded character development and suggest several lines that might have been profitably mined in a more carefully structured narrative treatment.

Finally, it is not known if any of this edited material from Star! still exists. If it does, the chance of it seeing light of day is sadly remote. Cut footage from the Fox-Wise-Andrews megahit, The Sound of Music has never surfaced, suggesting a studio history of either outright junking or public embargo. Moreover, if the material were available, it would surely have been included as part of the comprehensively packaged laserdisc release that accompanied the film’s 25th anniversary in 1993. Still, hope springs eternal and maybe the ‘lost scenes of Star!’ will finally appear as part of that deluxe 50th Anniversary Blu-Ray release that we know just has to be round the corner!

Sources:

Betancourt, Manuel. “Robert Wise Centenary: Star! (1968).” The Film Experience. <http://thefilmexperience.net/blog/2014/9/9/robert-wise-centenary-star-1968.html>. 2014.

Craig, Michael. The Smallest Giant: An Actor’s Life. Sydney: Allen and Unwin, 2005.

Edwards, T.J. “The Saga of ‘Star!’”. Star! Special Edition LaserDisc. Beverley Hills, CA: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, 1993.

Erickson, Hal. ‘From Beautiful Downtown Burbank’: A Critical History of Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In. Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Co, 2000.

Fairchild, William. Star! Screenplay. Final version. 25 January, 1967.

Heffernan, Harold. “Squeaky Sound Stage Troubles ‘Star’.” Philadelphia Daily News. 18 August 1967: 30.

Hoare, Philip. Oscar Wilde’s Last Stand: Decadence, Conspiracy, and the Most Outrageous Trial of the Century. New York: Arcade Publishing, 1997.

Holston, Kim R. Movie Roadshows: A History and Filmography of Reserved-Seat Limited Showing, 1911-1973. Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Co, 2013.

Kanfer, Stefan. “Cinema: Quarter Chance.” Time. 96: 4. 27 July 1970: 78.

Land, Kevin. “Recreating Four Decades of Modern History for Star!”. American Cinematographer. 50: 3, March 1969: 294-266, 332-336.

Leeman, Sergio. Robert Wise on His Films: From Editing Room to Director’s Chair. Los Angeles: Silman-James Press, 1995.

Martin, Bob. “TeleVues: They Have the Spirit, It Says.” Independent Press-Telegram. 5 August 1973: S8.

“Monty Landis Draws Many Laughs in ‘Lady’”. Independent Star News. 15 January 1967: 35.

Salkin, Judith. “Building One’s Character.” The Desert Sun. 18 November 2007: E1.

Schickel, Richard. “Two Stars: One Glowing One Dim.” Life. 65: 19. 8 November 1968: 19.

Thomas, Bob. Star! New York: Bantam, 1968.

Images:

“70 mm cinema film strip” by Zigmej, CC BY-SA 3.0 [Adapted].

STAR!, 1968 [Laserdisc], R. Wise, Fox Video, 1993.

St Hilaire, Al. Photographic Contact Sheets for STAR! [Unpublished], 1967.

Twentieth Century Fox, STAR! Press Kit and Publicity Materials, 1968.

Special thanks to Hanne.

#julie andrews #Star!#star!50 #Robert Wise #gertrude lawrence #classic film #musical #lost scenes #film history #old hollywood #lynley laurence #monte landis #Twentieth Century Fox #William Fairchild #michael craig #max faulkner #barbara ogilvie

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50 Years Ago: 1969 in Rock Music | Best Classic Bands

50 Years Ago: 1969 in Rock Music

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What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think back to the music of 1969? Perhaps it’s Woodstock, the rock festival that still defines the very concept of the rock festival. Or maybe it’s one of the year’s many great albums—if you’re like us, you still listen to Tommy, Volunteers, The Band, Blind Faith, Led Zeppelin II and amazing debuts rom Santana and Crosby, Stills & Nash, as well as many others that were born in 1969.

Rock was still very exciting as the ’60s came to a close, with bands and artists from both America and across the Atlantic turning out some of their most memorable work. Talk about prolific: Creedence Clearwater Revival, a band that had just made its name known the year before, landed no less than three albums in the top 10 in 1969: Bayou Country, the #1 Green River and Willy and the Poor Boys. The Stones were on a roll, following up the previous year’s brilliant Beggars Banquet with the equally superb Let it Bleed—while saying goodbye to one member and adding a new one. The Beatles were beginning to wind down, but we didn’t know that at the time—when they released Abbey Road, we just took it for granted that they were once again evolving.

Although there was a whole new rock sound, a more mature, progressive approach that found its home on FM radio and in the ballrooms sprouting up around the country, AM radio hitmakers were also still grabbing our ears (and our wallets)—a look at the hit singles of the year reveals numerous gems by artists that never quite made that leap to hipville but whose contributions still find their way to our playlists.

We went back in time 50 years and compiled a chronological timeline of the year’s top events (including album releases) in rock music. Then we listed the bands that formed during that year, and those that called it quits. Finally, we compiled a list of the year’s top singles. Looking at it all now, we have to admit that we were all very lucky to have this music in our lives—and we still are!

1969 Music Timeline

Jan. 5—Creedence Clearwater Revival releases Bayou Country

Jan. 12—The self-titled debut album by Led Zeppelin is released

Jan. 13—The Beatles release the soundtrack for Yellow Submarine

Jan. 17—Dr. John releases Babylon, Iron Butterfly releases Ball, Aretha Franklin releases Soul ’69

Jan. 22—Neil Young releases his self-titled debut album

Jan. 30—The Beatles give their final public performance on the rooftop of the Apple building in London; on the same date, Moby Grape releases Moby Grape ’69

Jan. ?—Tommy James and the Shondells release Crimson & Clover, Donovan releases Greatest Hits, Fleetwood Mac releases English Rose, and Fairport Convention releases What We Did on Our Holidays

Watch Tommy James & the Shondell’s perform “Crimson & Clover”

Jan. ?—Three of the Beatles—John, George and Ringo—hire Allen Klein as their new manager; Paul does not sign on with the American Feb. ?—Paul McCartney hires the law firm of the father of his girlfriend, Linda Eastman, to represent him Feb. 5—Cream releases Goodbye

Listen to “Badge” from Cream’s Goodbye

Feb. 10—The Beach Boys release 20/20

Feb. 15—The Monkees release Instant Replay

Feb. 17—Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash record together in Nashville; the Temptations release Cloud Nine

Feb. 18—British singer Lulu and Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees are married

Feb. 21—Mary Hopkin releases Postcard

Feb. 22—Ten Years After releases Stonedhenge

Feb. ?—Jefferson Airplane releases Bless its Pointed Little Head, the Flying Burrito Brothers release The Gilded Palace of Sin, MC5 releases Kick Out the Jams

March 1—Jim Morrison of the Doors is arrested for allegedly exposing himself onstage in Miami

March 5—The Byrds release Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde

March 7—Genesis releases From Genesis to Revelation

March 12—Paul McCartney and Linda Eastman are married in London; on the same day, George Harrison and his wife Pattie are arrested for possession of hashish

March 14—Free releases Tons of Sobs

March 17—The Rascals release Freedom Suite

March 20—John Lennon and Yoko Ono are married in Gibraltar; several days later, during their honeymoon in Amsterdam, they stage a multi-day “bed-in” for peace

March 24—The Mothers of Invention release Mothermania

March 30—The Bee Gees release Odessa

March 31—Dusty Springfield releases Dusty in Memphis

Listen to “Son of a Preacher Man”

March ?—Steppenwolf releases At Your Birthday Party, 13th Floor Elevators release Bull of the Woods, Blue Cheer releases New! Improved!, James Brown releases Say It Loud (I’m Black and I’m Proud), Spooky Tooth releases Spooky Two, the Velvet Underground releases their self-titled album, the Guess Who releases Wheatfield Soul

April 1—The Beach Boys sue Capitol Records for unpaid royalties; on the same date, Nazz releases Nazz Nazz, and Leonard Cohen releases Songs From a Room

April 9—Bob Dylan releases Nashville Skyline

Watch Bob Dylan sing “I Threw It All Away” on The Johnny Cash Show

April 15—Al Green releases Green is Blues

April 20—At a free rock festival in Venice, Calif., audience members riot and more than 100 are arrested

April 21—The Mothers of Invention release Uncle Meat

April 22—The Who performs their rock opera Tommy in full for the first time, in the U.K.

Joe Cocker at Woodstock

April 23—Joe Cocker releases With a Little Help From My Friends

April 30—Marvin Gaye releases M.P.G.

April ?—The London cast recording of Hair is released, Bob Seger System releases Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man, Savoy Brown releases Blue Matter, Townes Van Zandt releases Our Mother the Mountain

May 1—Joni Mitchell releases Clouds

May 3—Sly and the Family Stone release their album Stand!; also on this date, Jimi Hendrix is arrested for heroin possession in Toronto

May 9—George Harrison releases Electronic Sound, John Lennon and Yoko Ono release Unfinished Music No. 2: Life With the Lions

Members of the Turtles hang at the White House with Tricia Nixon

May 10—The Turtles perform at the White House at the request of President Nixon’s daughter, Tricia

May 12—Muddy Waters releases After the Rain

May 14—Neil Young and Crazy Horse release Everybody Knows This is Nowhere

May 16—Phil Ochs releases Rehearsals for Retirement, Tyrannosaurus Rex releases Unicorn

May 19—Poco releases Pickin’ Up the Pieces

May 23—The Who releases Tommy

May 26—Diana Ross and the Supremes release Let the Sunshine In

May 29—Crosby, Stills and Nash release their self-titled debut album

June 2—John and Yoko stage another bed-in, this time in Montreal; they record “Give Peace a Chance” live there

June 4—Johnny Cash releases At San Quentin

June 6—Elton John releases Empty Sky

June 7—Blind Faith—featuring Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood and Ginger Baker, with bassist Ric Grech—performs for free in Hyde Park

June 11—Three Dog Night releases Suitable for Framing

June 13—Guitarist Mick Taylor joins the Rolling Stones; Pink Floyd releases More

June 16—Steve Miller Band releases Brave New World, Captain Beefheart releases Trout Mask Replica

June 20—The Grateful Dead releases Aoxomoxoa

June 21—Deep Purple releases their self-titled album

June 29—Bassist Noel Redding leaves the Jimi Hendrix Experience

June ?—The Jeff Beck Group releases Beck-Ola, Elvis Presley releases From Elvis in Memphis, Johnny Winter and Lee Michaels release self-titled albums, Alice Cooper releases Pretties for You, Procol Harum releases A Salty Dog

July 3—Rolling Stones co-founder Brian Jones is found dead in the swimming pool at his home in Sussex, England; Fairport Convention releases Unhalfbricking

July 4—The two-day Atlanta International Pop Festival begins in Georgia

July 5—The Rolling Stones perform a free concert in Hyde Park in London, both to pay tribute to Jones and introduce Taylor; Cass Elliot releases Bubblegum, Lemonade, and…Something for Mama

July 10—Tim Buckley releases Happy Sad July 14—The Film Easy Rider is released, featuring music by the Byrds, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Steppenwolf and others

July 19—The Doors release The Soft Parade

Columbia Records had quite the artist roster, as seen in this 1969 industry ad

July 25—Yes releases Yes

July 29—The Byrds’ Preflyte is released

July 31—Elvis Presley makes his first live concert appearance in years, in Las Vegas; the residency lasts through August

July ?—Moby Grape releases Truly Fine Citizen, Country Joe and the Fish release Here We Go Again, Leslie West releases Mountain, Delaney and Bonnie release The Original Delaney & Bonnie & Friends

Aug. 1—The Atlantic City Pop Festival begins in New Jersey, through the 3rd; also on this date, Jethro Tull releases Stand Up and the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band releases Tadpoles

Aug. 5—The Stooges release their self-titled debut

Listen to “Atlantis” from Barabajagal

Aug. 15—The Woodstock Music and Arts Fair begins in Bethel, N.Y., drawing an estimated 400,000; it ends on the morning of the 18th

Watch: Richie Havens opens Woodstock

Aug. 29—Stevie Wonder releases My Cherie Amour and Jack Bruce releases Songs for a Tailor

Aug. 30—The Isle of Wight Festival is held in the U.K., featuring Bob Dylan, the Band, the Who and many others

Aug. ?—Humble Pie releases As Safe As Yesterday Is, Blind Faith releases their self-titled (and only) album, Boz Scaggs releases his self-titled album, Love releases Four Sail, Muddy Waters releases Fathers and Sons, Harry Nilsson releases Harry, Grand Funk Railroad releases On Time, Santana releases their self-titled debut and Ten Years After releases Ssssh

Sept. 1—Nick Drake releases Five Leaves Left

Sept. 11—Janis Joplin releases her first solo album, I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama!

Sept. 13—John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band perform at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival, also featuring Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and others

Sept. 19—Fleetwood Mac’s Then Play On is released

Sept. 22—The Band releases their self-titled second album. Read our Album Rewind review here.

Sept. 23—Isaac Hayes releases Hot Buttered Soul, the Temptations release Puzzle People, Diana Ross and the Supremes release Together

Sept. 24—Deep Purple performs at the Royal Albert Hall in London with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Laura Nyro’s New York Tendaberry is released

Sept. 26—The Beatles release Abbey Road

Sept. ?—The Guess Who releases Canned Wheat, the Nice releases The Nice, the Flamin’ Groovies release Supersnazz, the Bob Seger System releases Noah, Savoy Brown releases A Step Further

Oct. 1—The Monkees release The Monkees Present

Oct. 9—The Carpenters release Ticket to Ride

Oct. 10—The Kinks release Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire), Frank Zappa releases Hot Rats, King Crimson releases In the Court of the Crimson King

Oct. 14—Diana Ross and the Supremes release their final single, “Someday We’ll Be Together,” which becomes the last #1 hit of the ’60s; Elvis Presley releases Elvis in Person at the International Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada

Oct. 16—Three Dog Night releases Captured Live at the Forum

Oct. 20—John Lennon and Yoko Ono release Wedding Album

Oct. 22—Led Zeppelin releases their second album, simply titled Led Zeppelin II

Oct. 27—Johnny Winter releases Second Winter

Watch Johnny Winter at Woodstock

Oct. ?—Pentangle releases Basket of Light, Spirit releases Clear, Free releases their self-titled album, the Turtles release Turtle Soup, Tom Jones releases Live in Las Vegas

Nov. 1—Elvis Presley hits #1 for the first time in seven years, with “Suspicious Minds”

Watch the King perform the hit in 1970

Nov. 2—Creedence Clearwater Revival releases their third album of the year, Willy and the Poor Boys

Nov. 4—The Allman Brothers Band releases their self-titled album, David Bowie releases his self-titled album

Nov. 10—The Byrds release The Ballad of Easy Rider, the Grateful Dead release Live/Dead

Nov. 21—The Moody Blues release To Our Children’s Children’s Children

Nov. 24—Tim Buckley releases Blue Afternoon

Nov. ?—The Hollies release Hollies Sing Hollies, the Bonzo Dog Band releases Keynsham, Joe Cocker releases his self-titled album, Manfred Mann Chapter Three and Mott the Hoople also release self-titled albums, Steppenwolf releases Monster, Rod Stewart releases The Rod Stewart Album, Humble Pie releases Town and Country, Jefferson Airplane releases Volunteers, the Steve Miller Band releases Your Saving Grace

Dec. 5—The Rolling Stones release Let It Bleed. Read our Album Rewind review here.

Watch a 2003 live version of the title track from Let It Bleed

Dec. 6—The ill-fated free concert at California’s Altamont Speedway, starring the Rolling Stones and others, leads to a murder and other violent acts; on the same day, the Jackson 5 release their debut album, Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5

Dec. 12—The Plastic Ono Band (with John and Yoko) releases Live Peace in Toronto 1969

Dec. 29—Grand Funk Railroad releases Grand Funk

More 1969 albums, release dates unknown:

Mike Bloomfield—It’s Not Killing Me

The Climax Blues Band—The Climax Blues Band

The Fugs—The Belle of Avenue A

The Good Rats—The Good Rats

Norman Greenbaum—Spirit in the Sky

The Hollies—The Hollies Sing Dylan

Howlin’ Wolf—The Howlin’ Wolf Album

Isley Brothers—Live at Yankee Stadium

Jackie Lomax—Is This What You Want

Watch John Mayall live in 1969

Pacific Gas & Electric—Pacific Gas & Electric

Peanut Butter Conspiracy—For Children of All Ages

Rare Earth—Get Ready

Jerry Jeff Walker—Driftin’ Way of Life

The Youngbloods—Elephant Mountain

Warren Zevon—Wanted Dead or Alive

Bands that formed in 1969 (alphabetically) The Allman Brothers Band, April Wine, Atomic Rooster, Badfinger, Brinsley Schwarz, Brownsville Station, the Carpenters, Crazy Horse, Curved Air, Eggs Over Easy, Faces, Fanny, Focus, Hall and Oates, Hawkwind, Head East, Hot Chocolate, Humble Pie, Judas Priest, Juicy Lucy, Kraftwerk, Lighthouse, Little Feat, Mountain, Mungo Jerry, Nektar, New Riders of the Purple Sage, New Seekers, Osibisa, Pink Fairies, Plastic Ono Band, Popol Vuh, Redbone, Renaissance, the Residents, Seals and Crofts, Sha Na Na, Steel Mill, Steeleye Span, Stone the Crows, Supertramp, Thin Lizzy, Thunderclap Newman, Toe Fat, Tucky Buzard, War, Tony Williams Lifetime, Wishbone Ash, ZZ Top Bands that broke up in 1969 (alphabetically) The Action, Amen Corner, American Breed, Ars Nova, Beacon Street Union, Beau Brummels, Eric Burdon and the Animals, Dick and Dee Dee, Dillard and Clark, Dino, Desi and Billy, the Easybeats, Frumious Bandersnatch, H.P. Lovecraft, the Jeff Beck Group, the Left Banke, the Lemon Pipers, the Lovin’ Spoonful, Manfred Mann, the Merry-Go-Round, the Mojo Men, the Music Machine, the Paupers, Spanky and Our Gang, the Spencer Davis Group, Ultimate Spinach

And finally, a selection of the year’s hit singles (alphabetically by artist)…

The Archies—“Sugar Sugar”

The Beach Boys—“I Can Hear Music,” “Break Away”

The Beatles—“Get Back,” “The Ballad of John and Yoko,” “Something”/“Come Together”

The Bee Gees—“I Started a Joke”

Blood, Sweat and Tears—“Spinning Wheel,” “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy”

Booker T. and the MG’s—“Time is Tight,” “Hang ’Em High”

David Bowie—“Space Oddity”

Watch the video for the rare early version of “Space Oddity”

The Box Tops—“Soul Deep”

The Brooklyn Bridge—“Worst That Could Happen”

James Brown—“Mother Popcorn, Pt. 1”

Jerry Butler—“Only the Strong Survive”

Glen Campbell—“Galveston”

Johnny Cash—“A Boy Named Sue”

Checkmates Ltd.—“Black Pearl”

Lou Christie—“I’m Gonna Make You Love Me”

Classics IV—“Traces”

The Cowsills—“Hair”

Crazy Elephant—“Gimme Gimme Good Lovin’”

Cream—“Badge”

Creedence Clearwater Revival—“Bad Moon Rising,” “Proud Mary,” “Green River”

Crosby, Stills and Nash—“Suite: Judy Blue Eyes”

The Cuff Links—“Tracy”

Sammy Davis Jr.—“I’ve Gotta Be Me”

Tyrone Davis—“Can I Change Your Mind”

Desmond Dekker and the Aces—“Israelites”

Jackie DeShannon—“Put a Little Love in Your Heart”

Neil Diamond—“Sweet Caroline”

Bob Dylan—“Lay Lady Lay”

The 5th Dimension—“Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In,” “Wedding Bell Blues,” “Workin’ on a Groovy Thing”

Fleetwood Mac—“Oh Well”

The Flying Machine—“Smile a Little Smile for Me”

The Foundations—“Build Me Up Buttercup”

Friends of Distinction—“Grazing in the Grass”

Marvin Gaye—“I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” “Too Busy Thinking About My Baby”

The Grass Roots—“I’d Wait a Million Years”

Edwin Hawkins Singers—“Oh Happy Day”

Jimi Hendrix Experience—“Stone Free”/“If Six Was Nine”

The Hollies—“He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother,” “Sorry Suzanne”

Mary Hopkin—“Goodbye”

The Isley Brothers—“It’s Your Thing”

Jay and the Americans—“This Magic Moment”

Tommy James and the Shondells—“Crimson and Clover,” “Crystal Blue Persuasion,” “Sweet Cherry Wine”

Tom Jones—“I’ll Never Fall in Love Again”

Janis Joplin—“Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)”

Led Zeppelin—“Whole Lotta Love”

Mercy—“Love Can Make You Happy”

The Monkees—“Listen to the Band”

Nilsson—“Everybody’s Talkin’”

Oliver—“Good Morning Starshine,” “Jean”

Peter, Paul and Mary—“Leaving on a Jet Plane”

Elvis Presley—“In the Ghetto,” “Suspicious Minds”

Billy Preston—“That’s the Way God Planned It”

Gary Puckett and the Union Gap—“This Girl is a Woman Now”

Lou Rawls—“Your Good Thing (Is About to End)”

Tommy Roe—“Dizzy”

Kenny Rogers and the First Edition—“Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town”

The Rolling Stones—“Honky Tonk Women”

Diana Ross and the Supremes—“I’m Gonna Make You Love Me,” “I’m Livin’ in Shame,” “Love Child,” “Someday We’ll Be Together”

David Ruffin—“My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)”

Bob Seger System—“Ramblin’, Gamblin’ Man”

Simon and Garfunkel—“The Boxer”

Frank Sinatra—“My Way”

Sly and the Family Stone—“Everyday People,” “Hot Fun in the Summertime”

Smith—“Baby It’s You”

Joe South—“Games People Play”

Spiral Starecase—“More Today Than Yesterday”

Dusty Springfield—“Son of a Preacher Man”

Edwin Starr—“Twenty-Five Miles”

Ray Stevens—“Gitarzan”

The Temptations—“Cloud Nine,” “I Can’t Get Next to You,” “Runaway Child, Running Wild”

B.J. Thomas—“Hooked on a Feeling,” “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head”

Three Dog Night—“Easy to Be Hard,” “One”

Thunderclap Newman—“Something in the Air”

The Turtles—“You Showed Me”

The Ventures—“Hawaii Five-O”

Jr. Walker and the All Stars—“What Does it Take (To Win Your Love)”

Dionne Warwick—“This Girl’s In Love With You”

Tony Joe White—“Polk Salad Annie”

The Winstons—“Color Him Father”

Stevie Wonder—“For Once in My Life,” “My Cherie Amour,” “Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday”

Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band—“Do Your Thing”

The Youngbloods—“Get Together”

Zager & Evans—“In the Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)”

The Zombies—”Time of the Season”

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esperanza53d-blog · 7 years

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Individual Fieri Reviews Chicago's Famous Customer, The White Royal residence Grill.

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londontheatre · 7 years

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With She Loves Me currently running at its home base, Travesties and David Baddiel: My Family Not the Sitcom taking up residence in the West End, and Funny Girl in rehearsals ahead of a major national tour, the Menier Chocolate Factory today announces full casting for their major new revival of Terence Rattigan’s Love in Idleness. Trevor Nunn directs Eve Best (Olivia Brown), Edward Bluemel (Michael Brown), Helen George (Diana Fletcher), Anthony Head (Sir John Fletcher), Vivienne Rochester (Miss Dell) and Helen Sloane (Polton/Celia Wentworth). The production opens on 20th March, with previews from 9th March, and is running until 29th April.

Returning from Canada after a four-year absence during the war, eighteen-year-old Michael is full of youthful ideology and leftist leanings. But he is shocked to find his widowed mother Olivia is now the mistress of cabinet minister Sir John Fletcher, enjoying a comfortable society life. When Michael and John clash, sparks fly and relationships are tested as everyone learns some difficult lessons in love.

This new production sees Nunn return to Rattigan, following the huge success of Flare Path, with another of the playwright’s trio of ‘war plays’, which also includes While the Sun Shines.

Nunn will follow Love and Idleness with Lettice and Lovage opening on 17th May, with previews from 4 May, and completing its run on 8th July.

Terence Rattigan’s (1911– 1977) major works include The Deep Blue Sea, The Browning Version, Separate Tables, French without Tears and The Winslow Boy.

Eve Best is playing Olivia Brown. Her theatre credits in London include Hedda Gabler (Almeida Theatre / Duke of York’s – Olivier Award for Best Actress, Evening Standard Award for Best Actress),

Antony and Cleopatra, Much Ado About Nothing, Macbeth (Shakespeare’s Globe),The Duchess of Malfi, A Moon for the Misbegotten (The Old Vic), As You Like It (RSC/Sheffield Crucible), Le Misanthrope (Chichester Minerva), Mourning Becomes Electra (Critics’ Circle Award for Best Actress), The Coast of Utopia, Three Sisters, The Cherry Orchard and The Heiress (all National Theatre), and ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore(Young Vic – London Evening Standard Award and Critics’ Circle Award for Best Newcomer). Her theatre work on Broadway includes Harold Pinter’s Old Times and The Homecoming (Tony Award nomination for Best Actress) and A Moon for the Misbegotten (Tony Award nomination for Best Actress, Drama Desk and Outer Critics’ Circle Awards for Best Actress). For television, her work includes Lucky Man, Nurse Jackie, The Honourable Woman, Life in Squares, The Shadow Line, Shackleton and Prime Suspect; and for film, The King’s Speech. She made her directorial debut with Macbeth at Shakespeare’s Globe in 2013. This is her third collaboration with Trevor Nunn following The Cherry Orchard and The Coast of Utopia.

Edward Bluemel plays Michael Brown. His theatre credits include Animal, Longing, Strange Orchestra, The Winter’s Tale (Richard Burton Theatre Company), Mercury Fur (Company of Sirens). His television credits include The Halcyon. His film credits include The Commuter, Access All Areas.

Helen George plays Diana Fletcher. Her theatre includes After Miss Julie (Theatre Royal Bath and UK tour), The Hotel Plays: The Pink Bedroom (Defibrillator Theatre), A Christmas Fair, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Milton Rooms), By Jeeves (Landor Theatre), The Woman in White (Palace Theatre) and Company. For television, her work includes Call the Midwife, Red Dwarf, Over to Bill, Dark Matters, Hotel Babylon II, Gatecrasher Summer Sound System; and for film, Scar Tissue, The Child, The Three Musketeers, 7Lives.

Anthony Head plays Sir John Fletcher. His theatre includes Ticking (Trafalgar Studios), Six Degrees of Separation (The Old Vic), The Tempest (New Huntington Theatre), Otherwise Engaged (Criterion) Peter Pan, Pirates of Penzance (Savoy Theatre), The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Duke of York’s), Rope (Wyndham’s), Chess (Prince Edward), Yonadab, The Prince of Homburg (National Theatre) and Patriot for Me (Chichester Festival). For television his work include Still Star-Crossed, Guilt, Drunk History, Harmony, Dominion, Galavant, The Selection, Warehouse 13, Dancing on the Edge, Free Agents, Sold, The Invisibles, Sensitive Skin, Dr Who, Persuasion, Hotel Babylon, Rose and Maloney, My Family, Monarch of the Glen, MIT, New Tricks, Little Britain, Reversals, Manchild, Spooks, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Love in a Cold Climate; and for film, A Street Cat Named Bob, Despite the Falling Snow, Flying Home, Convenience, Percy Jackson: The Sea of Monsters, Ghost Rider – Spirit of Vengeance, The Iron Lady, The Great Ghost Rescue, Repo! The Genetic Opera, Sweeny Todd and The Tourist.

Vivienne Rochester plays Miss Dell. Her theatre work includes The Magna Carta Plays (Salisbury Playhouse), Singing Stones (Arcola Theatre), The Women’s Spring (The Roundhouse), Twelfth Night (Leicester Haymarket, Belgrade Coventry), Tamburlaine (British Council Tour), Hobson’s Choice (Birmingham Rep), Electra (Shaw Theatre), Sir Thomas Moore (Shaw Theatre), Restoration, Macbeth, The Balcony, Kissing the Pope and The Rover (Royal Shakespeare Company), and A Mouthful of Birds (Royal Court, Birmingham Rep). For television Little White Lies, Men of the Month and Window of Vulnerability.

Helen Sloane returns to the Menier Chocolate Factory to play Polton/Celia Wentworth – she previously appeared in A Little Night Music (also West End). Her other theatre credits include London Road, 50th Anniversary Gala, Anything Goes and Love’s Labour’s Lost (National Theatre), Flowers for Mrs Harris, My Fair Lady and Me and My Girl (Crucible Theatre, Sheffield), Two Cities (Salisbury Playhouse), Enter the Guardsman (Donmar Warehouse), Strife, Way Upstream, The Gondoliers and The Waterbabies (Chichester Festival Theatre), To Kill a Mockingbird (Royal Exchange Manchester), and The Sound of Music, Acorn Antiques, Spend Spend Spend, Martin Guerre, Les Miserables and The Woman in Black (West End). For television, her work includes Maigret, Black Mirror, Home Fires, Call the Midwife, Parade’s End, Dancing on the Edge and Home Again; and for film, The Danish Girl, The Tale of Tales, London Road, Mr Turner, The Theory of Everything, Les Miserables, Broken and Season of the Witch.

From 1968 to 1986, Trevor Nunn was the youngest ever Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, directing over thirty productions, including most of the Shakespeare canon, as well as Nicholas Nickleby and Les Misérables. From 1997 to 2003, he was Artistic Director of the National Theatre, where his productions included Troilus and Cressida, Oklahoma!, The Merchant of Venice, Summerfolk, My Fair Lady, A Streetcar Named Desire, Anything Goes and Love’s Labour’s Lost. He has directed the world premières of Tom Stoppard’s plays Arcadia, The Coast of Utopia and Rock n Roll; and of Cats, Sunset Boulevard, Starlight Express and Aspects of Love by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Other theatre includes Timon of Athens, Skellig (Young Vic); The Lady From The Sea (Almeida Theatre); Hamlet, Richard II, Inherit the Wind (The Old Vic), A Little Night Music (Menier Chocolate Factory, West End and Broadway), Cyrano de Bergerac, Kiss Me Kate (Chichester Festival Theatre); Heartbreak House, Flare Path, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, The Tempest (Theatre Royal, Haymarket); Scenes from a Marriage (Coventry & St James), All That Fall (Jermyn Street & New York); A Chorus of Disapproval and Relative Values (West End). Work for television includes Antony and Cleopatra, The Comedy of Errors, Macbeth, Three Sisters, Othello, The Merchant of Venice and King Lear, and on film, Hedda, Lady Jane and Twelfth Night.

Designs are by Stephen Brimson-Lewis; with lighting design by Paul Pyant; sound design by Gregory Clarke, and projections by Duncan McLean.

Listings Information Menier Chocolate Factory 53 Southwark Street, London, SE1 1RU Terence Rattigan’s LOVE IN IDLENESS 9th March – 29 April Press night: 20th March

http://ift.tt/2kjMURh LondonTheatre1.com

#IFTTT #LondonTheatre1.com

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