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Professor John Morton |
Theatre company to stage a comeback
SINCE it lost its Canonbury venue in a legal dispute eight years ago, the Tower Theatre has been fighting for a home.
Now it is set to come in from the cold in style – on the site of England’s oldest theatre.
Excavations on the future premises in Curtain Road near Old Street have revealed the foundations of The Theatre, a legendary playhouse long considered lost by historians.
John Morton, a retired cognitive psychologist and UCL professor who directs and acts with the “full-time non-professional” company, told me the company still requires £3million in funds to make the theatre a reality.
A production of Hamlet, in which Professor Morton plays Polonius, is currently drawing the crowds at the Theatro Technis in Mornington Crescent.
Next week, in a further effort to bolster the coffers, the theatre company will take the show to Paris for an open-air run in the Bois de Boulogne.
Now in its 17th year, the company’s Paris tour was initiatied by a French grand-dame with a love of all things English.
Not content with a “Shakespeare garden” containing every flower mentioned in the Bard’s plays, she approached the Tower to perform his work.
Professor Morton, 75, who lives in Dartmouth Park, told me: “Every year we do a Shakespeare and take it to Paris. We try to think of it as a holiday, but it’s pretty hard work.
“I think we’re the busiest non-professional company, certainly in the UK.”
Hamlet is at Theatro Technis, Crowndale Road, until May 23.
Not all MPs are on make
ACCORDING to Simon Jenkins’ column in yesterday’s (Wednesday) Guardian the nation has spent the week lying on the floor, legs wagging in the air, over the hilarious – macabre – tale of MPs on the make.
But there are exceptions, and one of them is an old friend, Luton MP Kelvin Hopkins.
I have known Hopkins since the 1980s when he was a senior press figure at the Euston HQ of the public union Unison. His expenses were revealed admittedly in the Daily Telegraph, but as an exemplary tale.
Hopkins claimed just £36.45p for food bills in the entire time since 2005.
His total claim for extra allowances last year was just £1,242, including some overnight hotel stays.
He lives in Luton and commutes daily by train to and from his job in Parliament.
I would expect this probity from a man who proudly regards himself as a socialist in the old-fashioned sense.
Hetty and Gill are making difference
THIS is the third time I have written about that great old lady Hetty Bower in the past few months.
But I can hardly be blamed if you consider she is now well into her 104th year, and is still bobbing up at demonstrations in favour of peace.
Wonder woman Hetty was spotted in Trafalgar Square supporting a campaign by another inspirational woman, Gill Hicks, who survived the 7/7 Tube bombings, nearly died several times, and had both legs amputated.
Far from harbouring resentment against terrorists or Muslims, Gill has worked tirelessly for peace, forming an organisation called M.A.D. (Make a Difference).
That wonderful old stager Hetty, who has been working for peace since 1923, first met Gill last year and they have since become firm friends.
Naturally, if you can say that of a woman who is still making public waves at nearly 104, Hetty could be found alongside Gill on Friday.
Later, in a BBC TV interview Gill said she was particularly honoured to have been standing next to Hetty . Later, Hetty, who lives in Highgate, told me: “I am full of enthusiasm and respect for those who have suffered and still work for peace. Their bravery and determination encourage me to carry on!”
Carry on! As I said, what a woman!
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Big Al! Old pal recalls how writer packed a punch
JUST before our first books and authors day opened on Saturday I met – for the first time – Al Alvarez, poet, writer on dreams and the oil industry, as well as writer extraordinaire on poker.
Alvarez, who lives in Hampstead, had just got out of his car in Dartmouth Park. A guest speaker at the New Journal book fair, Alvarez, now in his late 70s, looked fresh and perky – he had just finished his daily dip at the men’s pond on the Heath .
Shortly afterwards, Alvarez had a pleasant surprise – he met Michael Mustill who had heard of the book fair and wanted to say hello. And why not, because Mustill – once a QC who held a post as Lord of Appeal – went to the same school and hadn’t seen his old friend for decades.
“Al was short, but tough as anything back then,” revealed Mustill who celebrated his 78th birthday on Sunday. “He was hard as nails and in the boxing ring, he had a terrific punch. He was known throughout the school for that.”
Well, Mr Mustill, I can confirm that Alvarez is fit and strong – not only because of his swim on the Heath, but by the firmness of his handshake!
The Press not stopped yet
WHAT struck me as I settled into a seat at the Press Gazette’s annual wards ceremony on Friday was how the whole hoo-ha about the demise of regional papers has been greatly exaggerated.
I and my colleagues were guests of the public service union Unison and we were up for a couple of gongs (sadly, we came home empty-handed).
But while there has been much discussion of late about the death of the local paper, I was heartened at seeing the talent and passion on display at the Grosvenor hotel.
It struck me that local papers can come unstuck when they fall into the ownership of massive media companies, who snap up titles and then cut costs to preserve high profits destined for shareholders.
Staff are laid off, others leave, and that is when quality drops.
I further mused that fortunately the New Journal is still an independent paper – perhaps the only one of its kind in Britain – and one with an editorial team who care about their patch.
That does not sound like the death knell for a local paper to me. |
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