Curtain Up!

Curtain Up!

Louise Gold starred as one of the performers, at the Minerva Theatre, Chichester, on Sunday 7 September 2003, show started at 7:30pm

Production was to raise funds of The Chichester Festival Theatre’s new Senheiser System (to enable members of the audience with hearing and visual impairments to fully enjoy performances)

Cast

Desmond Barrit

Alicia Davies

Louise Gold

Philip Quast

Production Team

Devised by - Desmond Barrit

Pianist - Daniel Jackson

Running Order

Act 1

OVERTURE: “It’s Showbiz” Medley - played by Daniel Jackson

Comedy Tonight (Stephen Sondheim) - sung by The Company

This is a Theatre (A.P Herbert) - ?

Theatre (Nicholas Smith) - ?

On the Building of the Festival Theatre (Doris May Alford) - ?

At the Theatre (Rachael Field) - ?

THE AUDIENCE

The Audience at the Royal Court (P.G Wodehouse) - performed by Desmond Barrit

Chocolates (Guy Boas) - performed by Louise Gold

The Boy I Love is Up in the Gallery (George Ware) - sung by Alicia Davies

To the Lady Behind Me At The Theatre (Punch 1948) - performed by Philip Quast

The Queue (Guy Boas) - ?

The Audience (Guy Boas) - ?

Charge of the Late Brigade (Herbert Farjeon) - performed by The Company

THE ACTORS

Actors (Anon) - ?

The Repertory Actor (Guy Boas) - ?

The Boy Actor (Noel Coward) - ?

Her Voice (Oliver Herford) - ?

Epitaph for an Actor in the TV Age (Nicholas Smith) - ?

Mrs Worthington (Noel Coward) - sung by Desmond Barrit

Walk Ons (Julie Lumsden) - ?

Deep Throat (Jo Anderson) - performed by Louise Gold

My Mother Doesn’t Know I’m on the Stage (Billy Bennett) - performed by Desmond Barrit

American Student Actors (Stephen Surry) - performed by Philip Quast

Act 2

ENTRACTE

THE PERFORMANCE

Stools (Martin Charnin) - ?

Giving Notes (Victoria Wood) - performed by Louise Gold, with Philip Quast and the audience

Funny Without Being Vulgar (Harry Brett) - performed by Desmond Barrit

The Prompter (Albert Chevalier) - ?

THE CRITICS

The Critic (Guy Boas) - ?

THE BARD

Anecdotage (Derek Nimmo) - ?

I Was Here (Flaherty & Ahrens) - sung by Philip Quast

I’m in the RSC (Jack Klaff) - performed by Desmond Barrit

Quoting Shakespeare (Bernard Levin) - ?

When I Read Shakespeare (D.H. Lawrence) - ?

Essentials to Shakespeare (Elizabeth Jennings) - ?

They All Want to Play Hamlet (Carl Sandbirg) - ?

The Death of Romeo and Juliet (Anon) - performed by Philip Quast

Hamlet (Stanley J Sharpless) - ?

BACKSTAGE

Touring Days (Noel Coward) - ?

A Touch of the Memoirs (Donald Sinden) - ?

Train Call (Donald Wolfit) - ?

Superstitions (Jonathan Field) - ?

I Should have been Knighted (Diana Whelan) - performed by Desmond Barrit

Broadway Baby (Stephen Sondheim) - sung by Louise Gold

THE CURTAIN CALL

Our Revels Now Have Ended (William Shakespeare) - ?

Exit Nonie (W S Christian) - ?

The Play is Done (William M Thackeray) - ?

Epilogue To ‘Midsummer Nights Dream’ (William Shakespeare) - ?

Jill Parry has kindly written a review of Curtain Up! please click here to read it.

All four members of the cast had been appearing at Chichester in the Chichester Festival Theatre’s 2003 ensemble over the last six months in productions in The Chichester Festival Theatre’s ‘Main House’.

Desmond Barrit had been appearing as Shylock in The Merchant Of Venice, and, Sorin in The Seagull

Alicia Davies had been appearing as Casilda in The Gondoliers, Stephina in The Merchant Of Venice, and, Mary Jane/ Poppy - a Water Baby in The Water Babies

Louise Gold had been appearing as The Duchess Of Plaza Toro in The Gondoliers, and, The Irishwoman/ Mrs Bedonebyasyoudid / Mrs Doasyouwouldbedoneby in The Water Babies

Philip Quast had been appearing as Antonio in The Merchant Of Venice, and, Trigorin in The Seagull

Just over a week earlier Desmond Barrit, Louise Gold, and, Philip Quast had appeared in the Final Chic Cabaret 2003, where Phillip Quast also sang I Was Here.

Louise Gold and Desmond Barrit returned to Chichester the following December to host the Christmas Concerts 2003

Louise Gold has previously appeared at Chichester in Noel/Cole: Let’s Do It and The Cherry Orchard, and returned to appear in Gypsy.

Some of the pieces presented in the show were almost certainly already very familiar to some of the performers. For example:

Louise Gold had previously sung Comedy Tonight in Side By Side By Sondheim and The Regent’s Park 70^th Anniversary Gala. She has gone on to sing a very different version of it in a late night FUNdraising special featuring The Company Of Mary Poppins.

Ms Gold might also be supposed to have some familiarity with Broadway Baby, although there doesn’t appear to be any note of her having sung it before herself, she was in a few shows where other people (Bonnie Langford, Maria Friedman, Liz Robertson, and, Joan Savage) sang it, namely: Sondheim At The Barbican, Side By Side By Sondehim, Side By Side By Sondheim 25^th Anniversary Gala, and, Follies.

The Chichester Festival Theatre complex itself has previously echoed to the sound of the song Mrs Worthington when Peter Greenwell performed it in Noel/Cole: Let’s Do It.

This is a show about actors, and it is of course performed by actors, with a wealth of experience.

For example be noted that three of them, Desmond Barrit, Louise Gold, and, Philip Quast have all been in the RSC. (In Louise’s case actually at Chichester in The Cherry Orchard).

Louise Gold happens to have had some connection with the world of amateur dramatics (thanks to her parents both being members of Unity Theatre) and indeed her mother has actually directed amateur theatre (starting with a Leonard Irwin play, The Wages Of Eve at Unity Theatre). Over thirty years later, Louise herself was roped into appearing with the Fall Out group.

Alicia Davies’s previous credits include The Regent’s Park 70^th Anniversary Gala.

Louise Gold and Desmond Barrit had previously starred together in Du Barry Was A Lady (2001 Production). They went on to appear together in Flaunt It 2008.

Philip Quast has gone on to take part in Shopping With The Stars 2008, and, Shopping With The Stars 2009. His recording credits include 100 Hits Musicals.

Critics Comments

Links about Curtain Up

Philip Quast forum, very informative thread about Curtain Up!: http://pub25.bravenet.com/forum/show.php?usernum=2098859878

Philip Quast fan-site, page about Curtain Up!: http://www.allthingsquast.info/stage/plays/curtainup.htm (please note, when my computer tries to access this site is crashes, but the webmaster assures me no one else seems to have experienced this problem)

Text for Giving Notes: http://www2.prestel.co.uk/cello/GivingNotes/htm

Muppet Central Interview with Louise Gold (she mentions her parents’ involvement with amateur theatre): http://www.muppetcentral.com/articles/interviews/gold.shtml

TheatreNow.Com interview with Louise Gold about Follies (she mentions her parents’ involvement with amateur theatre): http://www.theatrenow.com/asp/link.htm?news.asp?art=3430&cat=1