An Old Codger Remembers The 60’s – The Production Blog

11 February 2011

“Can you spare half a crown guv?.”

You would not think being surrounded by a stage management team of young ladies would be so depressing.

This weekend we fit up the production of Relatively Speaking and it’s not the challenge of trying to achieve a seamless scene change from grotty flat interior into a garden with willow trees and grand vistas that’s depressing.

Neither is it that this Ayckbourn classic is not funny, Orla (the Director) has returned to us and done yet another brilliant job.

The reason I feel like Eeyore is the play is set in 1967 – what a great year that was, we had just won the World Cup and the Beatles were in their heyday, frocks were all floaty and everything was psychedelic.

The Stage Management team, as eager as ever with their period research, are not on Google or in the archive but keep popping into see me with “was Bobby Moore the James Bond” WHAT NO!!! And what are the Small Faces.

The worst was “what is £7/6” as they drop a pile of coins on my desk and I automatically pick up a couple of “Half Crowns” a “Two Bob Bit” and a “Tanner”.

Now if you are reading this without a bemused expression and know what all of the above is, you are in for a treat on the 4th March. When we have an Audience with Alan Titchmarsh whose latest book “When I was a Nipper” will leave you with a rosy glow of memories of games of conkers and telly that stopped at night with a little white dot.

But do come and see Relatively Speaking check how good you memories are with mine and see if I have resisted the temptation to say to the team “Of course they would have had an Ipod.”

What? No, the Torrey Canyon is not in America!

Lawrence – Production Manager