What’s old is new again
When we got back from our trip and started digging through the mail and messages, I found an eagerly anticipated package from the University of Glasgow’s Special Collections. Ordered in June, it contained three CDs of scanned photographs, programs, and newspaper articles from two early Northanger Abbey stage plays. Both plays are very difficult to find, even in university libraries, and as several excellent NA stage plays have been published in the past few years, these two are unlikely to be performed.
One program was from Thea Holme’s play, a fairly straightforward interpretation, with some nice production notes about the book, characters, sets, and costumes. Which reminds me, some day I should post her costume suggestions to accompany the illustrations.
The most, and best, goodies were from two performances of Constance Cox’s play, an over-the-top approach to the novel, which is very funny despite its inaccuracies. The University of Glasgow’s materials include photos from a performance at the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh (but no cast list or other explanatory text) and a program and several press cuttings from the Dundee Repertory Theatre (but no photographs). Also, a “negative” was listed in the collection, but I found out this was actually a collection of 57 unlabeled negatives from the Royal Lyceum performance. Sadly, at £5 per print, it wasn’t possible to order a set of the negatives, so for now the contents of those images must remain a mystery. A history of the acting company from the Royal Lyceum turns up in UK used book stores from time to time, so if it’s reasonably priced I may buy one in hopes of matching names to faces.
The photos are great fun — this play is another entry in Ye Merrie Olde Puffie Sleeve category of adaptations (best seen in the 1940 Garson/Olivier Pride and Prejudice) where both the costumes and the storyline have been altered to suit the sensibilities of the audience. Given the play’s departures from the novel (its guilty pleasures include Henry Tilney beating up John Thorpe) it would have been a hoot to see performed.
A stage adaptation by Lynn Marie Macy, originally performed in 2000 and recipient of an Off-Off Broadway Award, will be returning to the New York City stage this fall (scroll down to Theater Ten Ten). Rumor has it this play will be published later this year as well. I hope to be able to see it in November, especially in the company of fellow Northanger Abbey fans.
