Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 1993 - 27

premises. In 1950 rhe play represenred a
ing above and rhe clear evening sky overraday's Royal Shakespeare Company and
rriumphal display of English culrure on
head, rhe specracle on rhe flrsr nighr was
rhe Royal Narional Thearre.
rhe Conrinen r. Three scene designs and
impressive and unforgerrable," reponed
The goals rhar Gielgud aimed for, as
rhe reviewer for Theatre World (1939).
rhree souvenir posrcards give glimpses of
Margarer Harris recalled, were goals
Only rwo reviews and some producrion
an orherwise undocumenred producrion.
Morley shared: ro make comforrable periIn 1958, for rheir lasr Hamlet, Morley
photographs by Howard Cosrer record
od cosrumes rhar expressed rhe personaliry
pulled our all rhe srops. Commanding rhe
rhe producrion.
of each characrer, rhar helped ro creare
In 1950, rhe Old Vic Company rook
full resources of rhe Shakespeare Memorial
beauriful and powerful images onsrage,
Thearre in Srrarford-upon-Avon, rhen
irs Hamlet ro Elsinore. Hugh Hunr had
and, ever pracrical, rhar kepr wirhin a
direcred rhe London producrion. For rhe
widely recognized as rhe world's premiere
modesr budger and wirhin a shon producElsinore producrion, Morley were
Shakespeare rhearre, Morley enjoyed
rion schedule. Equally imponanr was rhe
ample if nor unlimired rime and
design of a serring rhar ar once
budger ro realize rheir designs. In rhe
evoked rhe play's dark armosphere
casr were box-office luminaries:
and permi rred rhe scenes ro flow
Rather than four unique
Michael Redgrave as Hamler, Mark
one inro rhe nexr wirh a minimum
interpretations of "Hamlet." the
Dignam as Claudius, young
of delay for ser changes.
Dororhy
Turin as Ophelia, and rhe
Nor only was Gielgud's perforMotley productions are actually
popular Googie Wirhers as
mance recognized as deflnirive for
four versions Of their essential
Gerrrude. Glen Byam Shaw (1904irs rime, rhe acclaim for rhe design
86)
who direcred rhe producrion
and rhe sraging was equally raprurinterpretation adapted to fit.
was also anisric direcror of the rheous. "An ideal performance ... free
arre. He had played Laenes in rhe
of physical impedimenr," reponed
1934 and Horario in 1939. ow,
rhe London Times, 15 November
wirh a srare-of-rhe-an srage, a srar1934, conrinuing: "Morley's sersrudded casr, and rhe Morley
ring is, in mosr scenes, beauriful if
designers, he mounred a producrion
examined, and has rhe supreme
virrually unhanlpered by limirarions
vinue of submirring irself ro rhe
of rhearre resources, personnel, or
play." The prod ucrion's success
budget. The producrion rhar
wirh rhe crirics and ar rhe box
emerged, documenred by the direcoffice confirmed rhe ralenrs of rhe
[Or's careful promprbook and nores
enrire company, rhe designers no
as well as by full press coverage and
less rhan rhe acrors. Surviving are
rhe designers' skerches, rewards
many of Morley's cosrume skerchscrurinyas a disrillarion of a process
es, some working drawings of rhe
thar spanned four decades.
sers, a sroryboard showing Claud"Morley's serrings are incompaius ar prayer, and rheir copy of rhe
rabIe," wrore Rosemary Anne
ew Temple edirion of play wirh
Sisson in rhe StratfOrd-upon-AvolI
rhe curs marked. (See Figures 1, 4,
Herald (6 June 1958); "rhe rail, sil5, and 6.) Taken togerher rhese
vered columns give an ennobling
record a fully successful realizarion
majesty. The Coun scene blazes
of rhe play.
wirh richness and color. This is nor
In 1939, shorrly before war
a Hamlet acred our on some indefbroke our, Gielgud re-sraged his
inire plarform. Insread, we move
Hamlet ar rhe Lyceum Thearre and
inrimarely abour rhe rooms and
rhen rook rhar producrion ro
barrlemenrs of rhe Casrle, never
Kronborg Casrle, Elsinore.
aware of ingenuiry, bur consranrly
Morley's cosrumes, changed here
warmed and sarisfled wirh beaury
and rhere ro accommodare changes
in rhe casr, remained essenrially rhe Figure 3. Costume rendering for Gertrude (Googie and propriery." A definirive
Hamlet for rhe 1950s, rhis producsame. The courryard of rhe casrle, Withers). 1958.
rion endures as a landmark, hearan 18rh-cenrury neoclassical srruckening back ro rhar earlier producrure, formed a permanenr backrion of 1934.
drop. "The ser was a plarform wirh
broughr in ro design rhe ser, nor an
a skeleral srrucrure of arches wirh huge
II
banners hung on rhe rhree sides of rhe
inspired effon, Margarer Harris rememacring area," recalled Margarer Harris.
bered, bur "jusr somerhing [ faked up our
orley's approach was ro
Wirhin rhis simple, permanenr ser,
of whar he had so rhar ir would work
suggesr rhe period of rhe
Morley provided rhrones for rhe king and
ourdoors." nremarkble in irs design,
play rarher rhan ro reprequeen. Scene changes were swifr and simrhis producrion differed mosr signiflcanrsenr ir. For inspirarion, rhe
ple-a shifr from a privare inrerior ro a
Iy from rhe earlier Elsinore producrion in
designers rurned ro rhe
coun scene signalled by rhe sounding of
rhe ambiance surrounding ir. In 1939 rhe
painrings of Lucas Cranach in 1934, ro
rrumpers and an unfurling of rhe banners.
rhrear of war hung over rhe producrion.
German warships were in rhe harbor and
Di.irer in 1958. In each of rhese rwo
In rhe evenr windy nighrs made rhe banmajor producrions rhey srrove for srylisric
rhe company refused to perform unril
ners flap noisily; rhey had ro be s[l'apped
consisrency. Undernearh seeming differdown. "\Xfirh rhe grey casrle walls rowerNazi flags were removed from rhe

TD&T

1993 SUMMER

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 1993