... FOR as long as one cares to remember the work, of Gilbert and Sullivan has. apart from the D'Oyly Carte, been presented by amateur companies with hearty gusto and moderate finesse. There can be few who Have not joined in the fun on one side or the other of the foot lights, cherishing memories of harmonious music and worthy witticisms of an individual style which has no equal. One therefore ...

... RICHARD MARKS, designer for ihe Liverpool Repertory Com pany, has excelled himself in the boiuifuHy s'.agcd and dressed pro duction of Glad Tidings, an American comedy by Edward Mably, presented on Tuesday last, at (he Liverpool Playhouse. The whole spirit of ihe play is gay and exhilarating, with wedJ- clched and well pUived charactci studies. Taking place on (he terrace of Steve Whitney's ...

... by John Montgomery CASTING has started for The Password is Courage, which Andrew and Virginia Stone will produce and direct on location for MGM and Boreham Wood. Production begins February 12 on this true story about the courage of a prisoner of war in Germany. The atones are casting tne picture mcni- selves. The report that Connie Francis will arrive in April for a Metro musical is ...

... BERYL REID, heading the cast of Leonard Schach's revue, Something New, is the biggest box-office draw in Johannesburg. Following up her success at the Hofmeyr Theatre, Cape Town, she is now appearing at the Playhouse with John Boulter. Valerie Miller, Francois Swart, Eatelie Kohler and Ron Shelton as supporting company, and the dance trio of Janice Fellows-Smith. Jimmy BeH and Lucille ...

... 'Love's Labour's Lost' FOLLOWING the slovenly misrepresentation of Henry IV at the Assembly Hall last week, the Bristol Old Vic production of Love's Labour's Lost came to the Edinburgh Lyceum on August 25 as a heart-warming reminder of just how effective a Shakespearean comedy can be when staged with understanding and intelligence. The verbal wit and visual humour are kept bubbling along ...

... 'A Man and a Circus Ring' A PRIZE for originality is deserved by the Theatre Group of the Royal College of Art, London, for eschewing the church halls of Edinburgh and performing their contribution to the Festival Fringe, A Man and a Circus Ring, in a maruuee disguised as a circus tent. The show, which opened on August 18, is an entertaining and noisy frolic with a serious core, an aspect ...

... Marlene Dietrich MARLENE DIETRICH, the incomparable artist, casts a magic spell on audiences at the Lyceum this week, holding them entranced for sixty-five exciting minutes From the moment the celebrated figure appears on stage, a slender sheath of shimmering gold, we are completely captivated by every teasing note and gesture, as she weaves her dazzling way through a programme of eighteen ...

... 'The House of The Dead' LAST Friday evening saw the fifth and last production in the Prague Opera Season at the King's, Edinburgh, the British premifcre of Janacek's The House of the Dead. Written in 1928 to his own libretto adapted from Dostoevsky's Journal from the House of the Dead the work is a powerful evocation of the liv ing death of a prison camp in Siberia. Almost without plot, the ...

... 'Two Plays' TWO one-act plays by the Polish author Slawomir Mrozek, were presented at the Traverse Theatre. Edinburgh, on August 28. The Party in its original language may have held some deep significance for Polish audiences, but it must be admitted that most of the audience at the Traverse at the opening performance seemed somewhat puzzled. Three young men noisily burst into a room, ...

... by John Montgomery DIRECTOR JOHN GOLD is to make The Harp that Once lor Columbia Pictures, with Nicol Williamson starring. jJIKMAN COHEN is to star Ldith Evans in Crooks and Coronets the first of two l>!ms which he will produce for Warner Brothers-Seven Ails. Jim O'Con- nolly will direct his own screen play. IYANNY KAYE and Terence Stamp are lo co-star in Felinni's IV! m The Satyricon of ...

... STAGE fighting, especially with swords, has been an important aspect of theatre production, at certain periods being dealt with by selected experts to ensure accuracy as well as dramatic effect. Today, stage fighting production or arrangement has become something of an art in itself. For the amateur, youth or school company, though the professional too may find it of interest, the latest ...

... Rock Circus, 30 minutes, French subtitles THIS was a rock concert in a circus setting in the studio. Performances and music were good and the de signer particularly caught the eye. He used motor bikes and an Ameri can car with lighting and effects that were very imaginative. Producer and director had worked out a very good balance of material for what could have otherwise been a non-televisual ...