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Much Ado About Nothing

Here’s another one of Roger’s articles. This one is from tomorrow’s bulletin. Enjoy.

Among the Georgian architectural gems of our hometown was the mid-nineteenth century edifice known as the Theatre Royal. As young children we entered it principally as the venue for Pantomime and other seasonal forms of young folk’s entertainment. During school years we lined up to attend performances of Shakespeare and other worthy dramatic events. Particularly joyous occasions were those when we sat enthralled through presentations of the Savoy Operas by Gilbert and Sullivan. In a drab part of the city the Theatre Royal was a place of enchantment. The interior, small and intimate by adult standards, seemed as luxurious as one imagined Covent Garden to be. The upholstery and curtains were deep crimson. The décor was a soft cream with gold tracery embellishing the balconies and surrounding the fittings. The box seats seemed exquisite from the cheaper rows of seats, and the dome, to a child, appeared magnificent with its colourful and accurate portraits of the great composers. Being in that theatre was an uplifting experience and the productions transported you to other realms otherwise inaccessible. On a wet afternoon it was like paradise. Great actors had trod the boards of the Theatre Royal, even Olivier, on nationwide tours of Australia, and the sight and sound of Robert Graves reading his poetry to a full audience afforded one of the most memorable evenings of one’s early life. He was a figure of great splendour as he recited his verse so melodiously, expressively, sometimes softly, but always audibly. Tall, tanned, silver-maned, dressed in a brown suit, adorned with a purple tie the great man kept us all attentive to his voice and transfixed by his presence in a small remote theatre almost at the edge of the world where you would never expect to see him. In a sense the theatre was a display of aesthetic and creative glory, the magnificence of tasteful architecture and design, the power of drama, the beauty of music, the immense skill and versatility of gifted performers. The theatre took you beyond the limits of your own living room, the every day world, and the scope of perception within your own mind.