... Orton sets farce about sex in mental home by Peter Hepple WAS the talent of Joe Orton wayward and too idiosyncratic to be of lasting value, or would he, had he lived, have been in the forefront of the theatre of the seventies? What the Butler Saw, which opened at the Queen's on March 5, does not answer the question, yet in a sense it enables us to give a qualified yes to both halves of ...

... THE SPARKLING revival by Sadler's Wells Opera of Die Fledermaus brings glitter and gaiety back to the Coliseum. This stylish production has all that a superb musical should have in abundance--with glorious Strauss melodies sung by super voices. Of course members of this par ticular Wells cast are past masters in the field of operetta and give per formances of case and elegance which could ...

... HOW BROPHY Made Good by David Hare, which was presented on Thursday last, by the Portable Theatre, at the Oval Studio Theatre, despite a muddle of Socialist politics, is a surprisingly vital and impressive piece of work. The book upon which the action is hung is a David Frost type television personality, Brophy. and the play follows his career, or the demise of it as seen through the eyes ...

... Ashton's abstract magic THREE ASHTON ballets were danced by the Royal Ballet at Covent Garden on Thursday last--Monotones, The Dream and Enigma Variations. For me the Trois Gymno- p6dies of the abstract Mono tones was sheer magic, danced by Vyvyan Lorrayne, Anthony Dowetl and Robert Mead. Here are three exquisite creatures, in spired and inspiring, enchanted and enchanting, dancing ...

... Nilsson's masterly Elektra GREEK TRAGEDY, the source and inspiration of numerous plays over the centuries, also inspired Richard Strauss to write one of his greatest operas. Elektra, to a libretto by Hofmannsthal which condenses the tragedy down to its essence. Such a powerful work needs a singer of considerable vocal stamina and an interpretative skill beyond the normal demands of opera, ...

... Good opportunity is missed in Stiffkey Scandals of 1932' by R. B. MARRIOTT WHAT A PITY that the opportunity of creating a good, fascinating London musical has been missed in The Stiffkey Scandals of 1932, which opened at the Queen's last Thursday. It is hot often, I think, that such a true storv. of Stiffkev's wavward rec tor, offers itself so readily to treatment as a musical, as a serious ...

... The dance puppets of Alwin Nickolais by ERIC JOHNS THE DANCE THEATRE of Alwin Nikolais, who made their London d6but at Sadler's Wells on Monday, consists of a troupe of ten dancers who owe their entire artistic existence to Alwin Nikolais. He creates their choreography; he stages their dances; he designs their cos tumes; he composes his own sound scores; and is responsible for all stage ...

... Looking to the future LAMP Liaison of Actors, Managements and Playwrights staged Conscience Factor, a new play by Robin Eddison, adapted and directed by Douglas Blake, in the Welsh Congregational Chapel Hall, Chelsea, on June 12. It is set in the next cen tury and we are not very sur prised to learn that England suf fered financial collapse in the nineteen-seventies. Building of private ...

... Grandeur in Garden 'Orfeo ed Euridice ' TRANSFORMING the beautiful, but largely undramatic, music of Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice into a modern opcratic experience is a daunting task for a producer, and the co-ordina- tion of music, ddcor, dance and actine in the new Roval Onera production of this work is a triumph for John Copley. Mon day evening's performance at Covent Garden, the first ...

... Return of Hermione Gingold in 'Highly Confidential' by R. B. MARRIOTT HERMIONE GINGOLD has returned to the London stage at the Cambridge in Robert Tanich's comedy-farce Highly Confidential, a vehicle for the star in that it provides her with the opportunity to be witty with a line every few minutes and to exploit her popular party per sonality. But it is a thtin play, the thinness having ...

... Festival Ballet at the Coliseum by ERIC JOHNS LONDON'S FESTIVAL Ballet have moved into the Coliseum while the Sadler's Wells Opera are on holiday and it is a joy to see this troupe of dedicated and disciplined artists dancing on a wide and deep sitage which allows the public to appreciate and enjoy their productions under ideal conditions. The opening night triple bill, on June 18, was well ...

... In defence of Scots light entertainment shows ALTHOUGH what little I saw of BBC-l't recent Show of the North series struck me a: being pretty mediocre stuff, 1 must spring to the defence of the Scots, if only to allay doubt that they are incapable of staging light entertainment at all. I think part of the trouble is that they are so self-conscious of being Scottish that they feel that it is ...