News
NEWS 13/5/13
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Merrily We Roll Along Theatre Offer and Review
Invited by Caro Newling (House 3, 1970-1975) a group of ORs led by Sasha Glynn (House 1, 1980-87) went to the Harold Pinter Theatre in London to see Merrily We Roll Along, which turned out to be more of a prediction than a title. The word Merrily was very aptly chosen, although presumably if they’d written it about churches they’d have used Verily or about vampires, Scarily.
It was totally brilliant. An enormous amount of energy radiated from the stage, each actor a tiny volcano of activity. These superbly talented tiny Vesuvii delivered perfectly timed, pithy dialogue awash with wit, sang brilliantly and danced with brio. Our national obesity problem would melt if everyone was required to perform Merrily once a night. The nation would be healthier whilst smelling of 70’s perfume and tap-shoe leather.
Sondheim music is a little like riding a bucking bronco, taking enormous leaps, sudden turns, lateral leaps, shaking brains out of apathy, keeping one gaspingly alert at all times. In many musicals, songs occur at the oddest places. Disaster; he’s died, tralalalala. Oh, I love you so much, doo-wapadooda-doo-wapwap. In Merrily, bursting into song blended in totally naturally, punctuating the story beautifully, creating enormous fun and energy, melding superbly into the plot.
The story tracks three friends’ journey backwards in time from when they've ended up living unhappily ever after. Living life backwards means untangling problems, re-creating hope as wrinkles and life baggage evaporate. In my case this would also mean losing the cat, four children and finally becoming unmarried. Thinking about it, there are definite advantages to this system, although I’d be sorry to lose my wrinkles as I've laughed a great deal to earn them. One look at my face is living proof that there is not a portrait of me somewhere ageing rapidly.
It felt fun, if a little unusual, to be watching a play to see if it ultimately had a happy beginning. As the story reversed through life, some of the clothes from 1970s looked embarrassingly familiar. Through rose coloured nostalgia, even flares and waistcoats seemed attractive, totally groovy really, although perhaps this was a product of a musical happy-high.
Grab a night out, go and see it, hum along, laugh, empathise, enjoy; sit back and roll along, merrily.
Alison Gardiner (House 3, 1969-1975)
Ticket Offer for ORA and Friends of Roedean
· Save up to a Third off ticket prices using these promotional codes
· Valid for the limited period 12 week run
Older news
28/02/12
Old Roedeanians filmed for BBC TV series 'The Great British Countryside'
Julia Bradbury and a camera crew from current BBC TV Series 'The Great British Countryside' spent the day filming at Roedean in October last year, where they also interviewed two Old Roedeanians.
The episode they were filming focused on the soft chalk of the Sussex South Downs and Julia discovered the tunnel through the chalk leading from Roedean to the beach below.
She also met two ‘old girls’, Pam Dodsworth (Underwood, No.1, 1934-37) and Renee Wilkin (Garrett, No.4, 1939-42), who remembered the tunnel from their schooldays in the 1930s, and recalled its use as an air raid shelter.
You can view the clip filmed at Roedean here.
The episode about the South Downs will be shown on BBC1 on Thursday 1st March.
Announcements
12/05/13
Some sad news about the sudden and unexpected deaths of two relatively young ORs - Suzanne Ferris (No. 1, 1974-77) and Margaret Davis (Shepherd, No. 4, 1966-67). Our thoughts are with all their family members but particularly those with links to Roedean; Noelle Mack (Ferris, No. 1, 1972-78, Suzanne's sister), Caroline Fairclough (Latta, No. 4, 1959-64, Margaret's cousin), Katharine Latta (Newbolt, No. 4, 1934-39, Margaret's aunt) and Jeff Davis (Head of History at Roedean, Margaret's brother-in-law).
