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John Hall (English playwright)

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John Hall in 1960

John Clifford Hall (26 June 1925 – 25 March 2001) was an English playwright who wrote over thirty plays for theatre, television and radio.[1][2]: 232 

Biography

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Hall was educated at Queens College, Oxford,[3][4] where he studied under C. S. Lewis. Study for his MA was interrupted by service in the RNVR.  For this he studied Japanese and worked in Intelligence at Bletchley Park.[5][6]

His first produced play World Behind Your Back, was in collaboration with actor William Eedle, at the Mercury Theatre in London in 1952.[7][8]

Albert Finney starred in one of his most successful plays The Lizard on the Rock, at Birmingham Repertory Theatre[9]: dust jacket [10][11][12][13][14] of which Michael Billington wrote: 'Above all, I remember him [Finney] in The Lizard on the Rock by John Hall, which required him to be shot at point-blank range in the stomach: as he suddenly crumpled, uttering cat-like cries, the critic Kenneth Tynan in The Observer described it as "the best fall since Feuillère", who was then queen of the French stage'.[15]

The cover of The Lizard on the Rock, published by Methuen

The Lizard on the Rock was well-received.[16][17][18] It is a story based around '...an industrialist – a Senator – who is prospecting for water...'[14] '...in the Western Australian desert... the central character [is] outwardly a man of success and power, but faced with the collapse of his achievements...'[11] and the realisation that 'Life cannot depend upon "the blandishments of power; the blind man groping among the useless treasure.'"[2]: 34 [9]: 22 

Sir John Gielgud was quoted as saying that the play contained 'a great deal of power and originality'.[9]: dust jacket  and the playwright Christopher Fry wrote: 'Mr Hall's mind is his own; what he has to say is his own...'[9]: dust jacket  The review in The Stage for the Birmingham production of the play read: 'an interesting journey through a variety of tense scenes, each peopled with characters that might in turn be the focal point of the play themselves... Mr. Hall... gives them an aura pregnant with possibilities.'[10] The International Theatre Annual described the blank verse in The Lizard on the Rock as 'Eliotesque'.[2]: 35 

Hall wrote his play Exit, Joe, Running influenced by 'the marked contrasts of life at Oxford... and Keele [Universities]... The leading character – within a few months of leaving academia – writes a paper titled "39 Reasons Why University Is No Good"'.[19]

Hall considered the most important playwrights of the 1960s were '...Harold Pinter, Christopher Fry, Robert Bolt, John Arden, John Osborne, Arnold Wesker, Peter Schaeffer and Charles Wood'.[1] He was influenced by Christopher Fry during the resurrection of verse drama, and by Anton Chekhov. One of his own favourite plays was Everly, which never got beyond a rehearsed reading.[1] Wrang-Gaites, written for his sons to enjoy,[20]: 3  was originally performed by the York Theatre Royal Activists in 1973[20]: 5  and was later set to music at Chichester University.[21] Of Wrang-Gaites, playwright Christopher Fry wrote: 'It is as though the traditional Mummer's Play of St George and the Dragon had spread and ramified and leapt into the twentieth century.'[20]: 7 

Works

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Stage plays

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  • 1957    The Strangers  –  Bristol Old Vic[4][22][14]
  • 1957    The Lizard on the Rock[11] –  With Albert Finney (Augsberg theatre and Birmingham repertory company)[23]
  • 1958    The Holiday  –  No 1 tour with Sylvia Syms, Sian Phillips and Peter O’Toole
  • 1959    The Net  –  Harrogate Opera House
  • 1959    A Pennyworth of Love   –  Northampton Rep. theatre
  • 1962    The Lizard on the Rock[24][25][26]  –  tour and London Phoenix theatre with Sian Phillips, John Laurie and Harry Andrews[27]
  • 1963    I, John Brown[28][29]  –  with Sir Ian McKellen, Ipswich Arts theatre
  • 1965    Convolvulus[30]  –  Theatre Royal, Windsor
  • 1966    The Little Woman  –  Traverse theatre, Edinburgh[31]
  • 1973    Bondi's Dream  –  Pool Theatre, Edinburgh
  • 1973    Alva the Widow  –  Netherbow, Edinburgh
  • 1974    Grass and Sky  –  Strathclyde University theatre group
  • 1976    Skin and Bones  –  Aberdeen University
  • 1976    Wrang-Gaites  –  York and Aberdeen student productions
  • 1977    Everly  –  workshop production for Scottish society of playwrights
  • 1978    Any Horse looks Fast Going Past Trees  –  Lyceum. Edinburgh

Television plays

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  • 1961    The Break-Up, starring Rosalie Crutchley and James Donald  –  Play of the Week, ITV
  • 1963    The Swindler  –  Armchair theatre, ABC TV
  • 1964    Exit Joe, Running,[32] starring Tim Preece  –  Armchair theatre, ABC TV
  • 1984    Movie Queen,[33] with Toyah Willcox and Annie Ross –  HTV
  • 1985    Child Marlene[34]  –  BBC2, Thirty Minute Theatre
  • 1986    The Proposal  –  ITV, Love Story series

Radio plays

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  • 1982    Chrissie  –  Radio 4
  • 1983    Jackie  –  Radio 4, Saturday Night theatre
  • 1985    The Gaudy[35][36]  –  Radio 3
  • 1985    In the Venn Country[37][38]  –  Radio 4
  • 1986    Breakfast at Mother Brown's  –  Radio 4          
  • 1987    The Bridge[39]  –  Radio 4
  • 1988    The Little House[40]  –  Radio 3
  • 1989    The Wedding of Jackie[41]  –  Radio 4

References

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  1. ^ a b c Ransom, Harry H. (Summer 1967). "British Drama in the Sixties – A Note from London". The Texas Quarterly. 10 (2): 15 – via Book.
  2. ^ a b c Hobson, Harold (1958). International Theatre Annual No. 3. London: John Calder (Ltd).
  3. ^
    Certicate of MA from Oxford University, John Hall
  4. ^ a b "UoB Calmview5: Search results". calmview.bham.ac.uk. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  5. ^ Statement of Service, Royal Naval Service Records John Clifford HALL DOB: 26 June 1925, Saltford, Somerset Official service number: JX 679401. Promoted to Officer in the RNVR: 03-03-44 Date of commencement of service: 3 November 1943 Date and cause of discharge: 30 December 1946. Released in Clas "A". Rank or Rating held: Ordinary Seaman, Temporary Midshipman, Temporary Acting Sub-Lieutenant, Temporary Sub-Lieutenant Source: Departmental Records Ministry of Defence Bourne Avenue Hayes Middlesex UB3 1RF Accessed 29 May 1997
  6. ^ "John Hall: An Inventory of His Collection at the Harry Ransom Center". norman.hrc.utexas.edu. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  7. ^ "Review: World Behind Your Back". The Stage, London. 10 July 1952. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  8. ^ Wearing, J. P. (2014). The London Stage 1950–1959: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel. London: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 698.
  9. ^ a b c d Hall, John (1956). The Lizard on the Rock. London: Methuen & Co. Ltd.
  10. ^ a b "The Lizard On The Rock, Review". The Stage. 18 July 1957. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  11. ^ a b c "REPERTORY: THREE WORLD PREMIERES FOR BIRMINGHAM". The Stage. 24 January 1957. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  12. ^ V&A Images. "Albert Finney, Rosamund Hall, Lizard on the Rock". V&A Images.
  13. ^ "Production of Lizard on the Rock | Theatricalia". theatricalia.com. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  14. ^ a b c FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT (10 July 1957). "John Hall's The Lizard on The Rock at Birmingham Rep". The Times (London). p. 5. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  15. ^ Billington, Michael (29 January 2020). "A tribute to the four great theatre talents we lost in 2019". Country Life. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  16. ^ Gibbs, Patrick (10 July 1957). "New Play of Scope & Power". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  17. ^ The Stage (18 July 1957). "The Lizard on the Rock". The Stage. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  18. ^ N.S. (11 July 1957). "The Lizard on the Rock, John Hall's Tragedy". The Manchester Guardian. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  19. ^ White, Leonard (2003). Armchair theatre : the lost years. Tiverton: Kelly Publications. ISBN 1-903053-18-8. OCLC 53030738.
  20. ^ a b c Hall, John (1973). Wrang-Gaites. Kirkhill, Dyce.: The Lizard Press.
  21. ^ Pierce, Parker (27 November 2017). "Painted musical representation and mnemonics". CIM04 Conference on Interdisciplinary Musicology: 102.
  22. ^ "Programme for 'The Strangers' by John Hall". Mercury Theatre. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  23. ^ "John Hall's The Lizard on the Rock at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, photo Lisel Haas. England, 1957 | V&A Images". V & A Images. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  24. ^ "Phillips, Siân 1934– | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  25. ^ "Schedule – BBC Programme Index". BBC. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  26. ^ "Dalzell & Beresford Ltd – Dame Siân Phillips". dalzellandberesford.com. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  27. ^ The Times correspondent (19 May 1962). "Mr. John Hall's Play For The Phoenix". The Times (London). p. 4. Retrieved 15 May 2022. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  28. ^ "I, JOHN BROWN with Ian McKellen". mckellen.com. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  29. ^ "Sir Ian McKellen | Stage | Plays |Theatre | Ipswich". mckellen.com. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  30. ^ "Production of Convolvulus | Theatricalia". theatricalia.com. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  31. ^ Cordelia Oliver (12 September 1966). "THE LITTLE WOMAN at the Traverse, Scotland". The Guardian. p. 7.
  32. ^ "Exit Joe – Running (1964)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  33. ^ "Movie Queen, Toyah Willcox". Toyah.net.
  34. ^ "Child Marlene (1967)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 7 April 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  35. ^ "Schedule – BBC Programme Index". BBC. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  36. ^ "BBC Radio Drama, Radio 3 , 1985,DIVERSITY website". suttonelms.org.uk. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  37. ^ "radio plays drama,bbc,The Monday Play, DIVERSITY website". suttonelms.org.uk. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  38. ^ "Schedule – BBC Programme Index". BBC. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  39. ^ Gillard, David (16–22 January 1988). "Hear This! Radio Highlights with David Gillard (Pg 14)". Radio Times 16–22 January 1988.
  40. ^ "radio plays drama,bbc,Alec Reid, DIVERSITY website". suttonelms.org.uk. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  41. ^ "radio plays 1990,bbc,radio drama,DIVERSITY WEBSITE,english,british,uk,classic". suttonelms.org.uk. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
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