... The Orphan GREENWICH THE ORPHAN was written circa 1678, when Orway was 26 years old, some four years before his best-known play, Venice Preserved. This superb production almost disguised the poverty of Otway's linguistic achievement but points up to the strength latent in The Orphan's dramatic structure, which blazes out in two scenes of extraordin ary power. An old nobleman, Acasto ...

... The Boys in Autumn NEW YORK THE BOYS in Autumn, the final play of the official Broadway season, is a mystery. There is no mystery in the plot; indeed there is no plot, just a rambling dialogue between George C. Scott and John Cullum as an ageing Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer meeting for the first tune since their boyhood. There is not much mystery about why Bernard Sabath wrote the play; ...

... Cuckoo GUILDFORD EMLYN Williams is back again direct ing fellow actors after many years working on his one man shows based on Charles Dickens and Dylan Thomas. His return could hardly be more wel come, for not only did he bring his great sense of theatre back to the boards but he also graced them with Cuckoo, a play he wrote 30 years ago. Dust settled on the script after Williams was advised ...

... Cork gets new Arts Council post A FORMER Lord Mayor of London has been appointed the new vice- chairman of the Arts Council. Sir Kenneth Cork's new post was announced this week by the Arts Council executive. He succeeds Mar- ghanita Laski as deputy to chairman, Sir William Rees-Mogg. Cork, a chartered accountant, was chairman of the Royal Shakespeare Company for 10 years. He joined the Arts ...

... East of Aldgate Pump CANAL CAFE EASTEND Theatre Company's production of this small-scale musical has both charm and verve and must be an ideal choice for Cafe Theatre, in London as elsewhere. The company of nine, led by the indomitable cockney survivor, Ethel (Millie Kicve) and husband Arthur (Frank Scantori) are ably supported by a young cast, and there are attractive, hummable songs from Ron ...

... Heyday KING'S HEAD WITH HEYDAY Herbert Appleman has fairly and squarely invaded Boy Friend territory, even to the extent of describing it as a new musical of the twenties. But it is based on a story by Ring Lardner, a charming tale, of no particular relevance, about an 18-year- old girl who can't say no - to the promise of marriage, that is for this, being 1926, is all in the best ...

... Looking For The World CARDIFF THE CONTRAST between Greece as the cradle of democracy and Western culture and the realities of the country under the totalitarian regime of the Colonels in the late sixties provides the background to this powerful and thought-provoking new play by Cardiff dramatist Dick Edwards. Looking For The World depicts a Welsh trade unionist and socialist coun cillor ...

... Girlfriends OLDHAM A BRAND new British musical is always news, particularly when it is written by an award-winning composer. What is surprising, though highly commendable, is that Howard Goodall chose to launch the premiere of his new work at the Oldham Coliseum, marking a mini-coup for the theatre which has already won an award for local spon sorship. Goodall won an Ivor Novello award in ...

... GOVERNMENT MAY BE FORCED TO GRANT ARTS VAT EXEMPTION BRITISH theatre could be caught in a tax trap unless the Government responds to calls to lift the burden of VAT. The warning has come from the National Campaign for the Arts which has just published figures showing that the arts will pay more in VAT than they receive in Government subsidy this year. The National Campaign's drive on VAT comes ...

... England snubs festival NEITHER England nor Wales will be represented at the music and drama programme of the Common wealth Arts Festival being staged in Edinburgh in July during the Com monwealth Games. Festival co-ordinator Robert Atkins said he had hoped to resolve the problem but will be reporting to his committee that England can't go to the expense of sending a company up the road while ...

... The 21st Movement Descends RIVERSIDE YOUNG as he is, Michael Clark is already spawning a new wave of creativity, if we are to judge from the programme at Riverside extravagantly entitled The 21st Movement Descends. But though undoubtedly owing much in outlook to Clark, what its initiators Ellen van Schuylenburch and Leslie Bryant have in common is that their work based on classicism sent ...

... Faust RIVERSIDE I REMEMBER hearing Micha Bergese say that he wanted to give audiencs something that would stretch them and convince them that dance was not a simplistic medium, that it had something of philosophical importance and social relevance to say. It is hard, though, to relate these intentions to Faust, which his company Mantis presented at Riverside last week. Episodes piled up into a ...