No 4 -- March 1976 Edited by Michael Walters
EXTRACT OF LETTER PROM DAVID SKELLY (Co. Meath. Ireland), dated 22 February 1976.
Your account of "Utopia" at the R.F.H. was interesting and your approach to John Reed - as well as that of most of your correspondents - isn't as generous as many of the general public would think. I prefer Kenneth Sandford to Reed, still I think the latter is not as black as you paint him. Whenever I see him his professionalism strikes me, he is, I think, very careful to detail and a good comedy actor. In the "Tête-à-tête" series of cassette tapes with Peggy Ann Jones he speaks quite freely of his acting and stepping out of character. He feels that the audience is with the people on stage and when the comedy numbers come up he can step out of character, knowing that the audience is with him. Of course you have seen him far more often than I have, I suppose the more one sees of him, the more easily one could tire of him. One habit of Reed's aggravates me, namely his receiving of an entrance clap. I noticed in "Ruddigore" that he made his entrance and then paused, clearly expecting (if not demanding) a round of applause. I feel that if he receives it Ken Sandford ought to, as well as John Ayldon and even Meston Reid, because they all deserve it as much as John Reed. Sandford - like Ronnie Barker - is a master in the art of timing. I noticed this in Act 2 of "Ruddigore" last December when during the scene with Mad Margaret a lady's loud laugh was heard in the front stalls. Sandford looked straight into the stalls, and of course got a response from the whole house. The same sort of thing happened during the scene with Dick Dauntless and was very funny. Also, he melodramatised the dialogue in Act 1 and played it far more strongly than I have seen before. Both Reed and Sandford - and the Company as a whole - pay an extraordinary amount of attention to detail and this, I think is the strength of their productions. This is why such a lot is lost when amateur Societies - like the Rathmines and Rathgar Musical Society - do the operas. Not enough attention is given to Gilbert. Also, for a travelling orchestra the D'Oyly Carte orchestra is excellent.
I am glad to hear you enjoyed "The Black Mikado". Sullivan, I'm sure, sounds quite nice when up-dated. I do hope the Operas will not become the "exclusive property" of devotees; I feel that this is happening. The general standard of entertainment is falling, most films and modern plays being in very low taste. This may sound very prudish, but I am disheartened at what is passing for family entertainment. G & S is honest-to-goodness clean fun, and it's a pity that more people do not go to the operas. I suppose they will never be as popular as they were during the twenties, thirties, forties, fifties and early sixties, alas. I wish I could get to the Company more often.
Now some interesting facts about Trinity College and G & S and Ireland. Although the library in Trinity College, Dublin, is a copyright library, it does not take free copies of "The Savoyard" or the "G & S Journal" During my first week I was taken round the different sections of the Library. When I was in Official Publications I noticed a copy of "The Times" of April 10th, 1880 which was open at a page on which I saw the heading "H. M. S. PINAFORE at Dublin Castle". The review praised that "nautical nonsense'' in glowing terms. If I remember rightly it was produced in the presence of either Queen Victoria or the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Unfortunately I didn't have time to read the whole thing through...
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