A Night at the Operetta
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Of the many doors opened to me during my time at King Edward's, Aston the most memorable is the introduction it gave me to the operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan.
Although the 'School Record' claimed it to be a 'first' the production of the 'Mikado' in November, 1952 was actually a revival, according to my AOE father, of an earlier tradition of such works.
This was launched by the powerful combination of Geoff ('Curly') Price, a languages master and the music master, Francis Mace. 'Curly', we understood, had been a leading light in his undergraduate days in the Oxford University Dramatic Society and was thus well qualified to take up the role of producer. There was no contest for the job of musical director - Francis Mace was established in everyone's eyes as the extremely talented hub of the school's musical activities.
Although such a project, however lavish, can include only a relatively small proportion of a school as large as Aston (at that time around 650 pupils) it seemed as if everyone was involved. Even I attended two rehearsals of the 'off stage' chorus. But it seemed a lot of hard work just to stand in the corridor outside Big School and sing your heart out for no recognition - so I quit! Thus ended my brief musical career, though as a thespian I was later to shine as the clown in Christopher Marlowe's 'Dr Faustus' (according to some members of staff an inspired piece of casting!).
The Art department beavered away at producing the scenery under the enthusiastic supervision of Alec(?) Pearson, the art master. Only on the opening night was a woeful gaff noticed by dear old 'Billy' Chivers, the physics master. With his eye for scientific detail he spotted that the painting of Mount Fujiyama was in error. In that way I learned that the angle at the summit of a volcano is always 110°. He even did the calculations to prove this during a lesson the next day! (This was something I was to remember and regurgitate, many years later, to the great astonishment of fellow walkers on the Canary Island of La Gomera.) But it was too late, and Aston's production took place in front of a geologically improbable Fujiyama!
The Art department's enthusiasm was matched by that of the cast: Clive Wearing as a very dramatic Katisha but - perhaps best of all - Les Woodhall as Yum-Yum, one of the 'three little maids'. Mike Reading tells me that he (Pitti-Sing) and Howard Wearing (Peep-Bo) were the other two.
I don't think anyone present the same night as me (it ran for a week) will ever forget the first appearance of the three little maids for their world famous song of the same name. They were greeted with an explosion of laughter from the mainly adult audience, for which they were obviously unprepared. Some of Les Woodhall's contemporaries understood why. We knew that Les was an enthusiastic footballer in a Rugby playing school. He and his fellow 'maids' had killed time until their presence on stage was called for by playing football on the long corridor outside Big School where, in those far-off days, such productions were held. The effect of this on their chrysanthemum decorated wigs was evident for all to see!
'The Mikado' himself does not make an appearance until well into act two and I will never forget Colin Tyson in the part. An excellent history master, his being cast in this unlikely role was awaited with eager anticipation by the whole school. Although he wasn't the world's best singer his imperial scowl was a masterpiece, not least because we never saw it in the classroom. When we questioned him about it later he confessed that his face ached for days after 'The Mikado' had become just another memory in the kaleidoscope that was the school's multifarious activities.
All the traditional encores were called for with great acclaim by the audience, led by my father and his AOE mates at the back of Big School. To my mother's great relief she and I were sitting near the front, where no connection would be made with the boisterous souls at the back! From our vantage point, however, we were able to appreciate the Headmaster's later comments about the 'long arm' of Francis Mace who, with his right hand, played the grand piano and with his left conducted both the tiny but effective orchestra and the on stage chorus and principals.
Strangely, no photographs* were taken of this significant event in the school's life, but no matter - the pictures in my memory are even better. Sadly, Clive Wearing is now very ill and requires 24 hour nursing care. Perhaps even sadder, his brother Howard has made it clear that he doesn't wish to be reminded of his glory days.
For some of the detail which time had erased I am indebted to an article in the 'School Record' of 1953 and its author Malcolm Cormack (now of Virginia, USA).
The following year they did 'Pirates of Penzance', but somehow that initial zest and excitement was missing. Perhaps even that long ago 'attention deficit syndrome' was making itself felt! First Francis Mace left, then 'Curly' Price. They were succeeded by Tony Cooke and Gordon Doble respectively. Each talented in his own way, somehow they failed (in their December, 1956 production of 'H.M.S. Pinafore') to achieve the same levels of enthusiasm in either their cast or audiences. Some of the reasons for this were apparent even to a bystander like me, but in those days you did not voice schoolboy opinions!
My love of G & S thus established, in later life I saw productions of 'Iolanthe' by the Dunlop Rubber Company's Operatic Society, and 'Ruddigore' by the doyen of such companies - D'Oyly Carte. Whilst the latter was memorable for its midnight scene in which all the Murgatroyd ancestors step down from their portraits, and for all the other attempts at 'The Mikado' that I have seen or heard, nothing for me can ever outshine those timeless performances by Les Woodhall, Colin Tyson, Mike Reading and the brothers Clive and Howard Wearing. I am only too aware that many others took leading roles, but it is this select group who remain with me to this day.
*Postscripts
In November, 2004 Les Woodhall stumbled on this web page. This is what he wrote:
"Originally, Clive Wearing was to sing Yum Yum, but his voice was breaking and, as you record, he eventually sang Katisha - and very well, too. (So sad to hear that he is so ill). Howard Wearing - cast to play Peep Bo - was in 1 Beta - as was I. One day, in a music lesson, Francis Mace (actually, I don't recall him being called Frank) wanted to rehearse the 'Three Little Maids' number and, in a fit of desperation, asked if anybody in the class knew the top line. My (late) sister was a pupil at KEGS Handsworth and sang a lot there - and at home, too, where I must have subconsciously picked up (roughly) the words and tune. So I volunteered. The rest, as the saying goes, is history!
You mention that no photos were taken of the event. Oh yes they were! I checked and found a set of smallish black and white photos in an old album. I ought to be able to scan them and email them to you if you would like them. There is also a big glossy photo that appeared in the Birmingham Mail, as it was then. One performance was actually recorded (on reel-to-reel tape), but, when I was in Third Year Sixth, Mr Brandon told me that the tape had been wiped! Rats!
As you say, the following year we did 'Pirates', and that, too, had consequences much later on. And I also have a set of photos of that show. I sang in the chorus for 'Pinafore', my voice having broken by then."
In November 2005 Peter Clay (member of the 'Mikado' chorus) gave me copies of the document that many of the cast signed. Here it is:
Autographs on the left hand page above are: (Ton?)y Cattell; Ronald Edward Collett 3B; David Alexander Darby; D Davies; J Daw; J Henderson; J A Law (1st Violin); A E Lewis (Pish Tush); Francis S Mace; Peter O'Brien (Ko Ko); C G Pearce; Michael J Reading (Pitti Sing): Ian Roberts (Ko Ko's slave); P Russell; M Smart; Malcolm P Wates (Nanki Poo); H Wearing (Peep Bo); R Weaver; Andrew Wilson (1st Violinist).
And on the right hand page: J M Blease; P Booth; T J Deeming; R B Flowers; L C Garland; Michael Guest ("Props"); N Hester; (Illegible) 2B (soppy soprano); David Kimber; Malcolm B Miller (Honorary Prompter); Neil Murray; Derek W Rainsford; C N Tomlinson (Pooh-Bah); John F Wakelin; C Wearing (Katisha); H Weetman; Maurice Whitehouse; Les H Woodhall (Yum Yum), plus three illegibles!