London Theatre Ends 1960 In Good Health

Press, Volume C, Issue 29402, 3 January 1961, Page 14

London Theatre Ends 1960 In Good Health

(From the London Correspondent of "The Press"!

LONDON, December 14. It has been a remarkable week In London theatre: important new productions, new records established, important decisions announced or effected that can greatly influence the theatre's future. This week, newsworthy and notable as it has been, is just another good sign of a healthy state of affairs. A few days after Agatha Christie’s persistently successful mystery melodrama, "The Mousetrap,” celebrated its eighth anniversary (3414 performances), another West End show became two years old. The American musical, “West Side Story,” entered its third year at Her Majesty’s. This brilliant show is laced with the most energetic and hazardous dancing to be seen in London. The youthful corps de ballet hurls itself through eight performances a week of more or less traditional, modern, and jive varieties of the dance, with some strenuous gang Warfare thrown in.

Her Majesty’s has had a doctor in constant attendance to

take care of sprains and other occasional mishaps. A week earlier, "The Amorous Prawn” entered its second year at the Saville Theatre. This makes seven shows which have run for at least a year and five which have been on for more than two years. West End theatre can seldom have been more successful than it is today. Excluding “The Mousetrap,” which unfairly distorts the position because of its marathon run, and excluding the limited repertory seasons, the average run for the remaining 25 theatres is now 10 months. Theatre experts say that this has never been equalled. There has been news for Gilbert and Sullivan enthusiasts who once again get a Christmas season of savoy operas in London, before the expiry next December of the copyrights. The news is that it will not be the last season under the control of G. and S. devotees of the old school.

Earlier this year. Miss Bridget D’Oyle Carte formed the D’Oyle Carte Opera Trust, and this week she announced that the had given the trust £30.000 in cash, all the remaining rights, costumes, scenery, orchestra parts, prompt books and the benefit of all contracts. All this is worth about £150,000 to the trustees and they have announced their hopes for a Christinas season next year at the traditional home of ths operas, the Savoy Theatre. The “Guardian'S" London Letter pondered whether public loyalty would replace the legs! sanctions which have kept the operas sacrosanct for so many years. “Is there a chilling pros-

pect." asked the “Guardian." "of stupendous, tremendous, Clnoramatie, stereophonic versions to blind and deafen the young who have never had to strain their ears to catch the words of Tit Willow* from the back of the church hall, In limping but loving amateur productions?" In this same week, the Government has promised a decision on the long awaited and much debated National Theatre. The idea of a National Theatre has been strongly promoted for many years and the London County Council, in its replanning of the long neglected South Bank of the Thames after the Festival of Britain in 1948, has designated a site for a National Theatre building. The architect, Mr Brian O’Rorke, has prepared plane for a proposed theatre; the Joint Council of the National Theatre, in whose hands ■ the burden of planning, exploring and promoting currently rests, has its proposals for a company. At last, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, freshly acquainted with the latest revisions of the council's scheme, has promised to Sve a Treasury decision early in e New Year.

About the nearest things to a National Theatre at present are the Old Vic in London and Shakespeare Memorial Theatre at

Stratford-upon-Avon. The Memorial Theatre, already enjoying the most successful season in its history, opened its new London home, the Aldwych Theatre, on December 15. Stratford and Mr Prince Littler, the managing director of Stoll Theatres, Ltd, which owns the Aldwych. have spent £75.000 preparing it for Stratford productions. The first play is “The Duchess of Main,” last revived in London 15 years ago. This branch of the theatre in London was inspired by Stratford's brilliant young director, Peter Hall. He is directing two of the five plays being prepared for the first London season. “Ondine" and "First Night." The cinema in the West End has also enjoyed a rather notable week. The Empire Leicester Square celebrated the beginning of a second year showing "Ben Hur." Across Ha gigantic screen (52ft by 22ft) the supar-col osasl. bloody, and furious chariot race has thundered 589 times before capacity houses. Mora than 900,000 people have seen the film in London alone.

Rome has also offered themes for two movies which opened on consecutive nights last week Success is inevitable. “Spertacus ” produced by and starring Kirk has the mre-fira ingrediente of ancient Roman decadence, villainy, sex, spectacle. violence, Pafrician cynicism, a big of highly competent actors and a brilliant director. From modern Rome comes the controversial “La Vita" assured of success by a big cast of competent actors, a elever director, patrician cynicism, dehav'