Emlyn Williams' Visit to Flintshire to perform as Charles Dickens Programme Cover"

Tivoli, Brunswick Road, Buckley

May 1952

PROGRAMME COVER TEXT

Emlyn Williams'

Visit to Flintshire

19^th May - 28^th May, 1952

Charles Dickens

Price Sixpence

*************

There were ten performances in Flintshire. The final one being in Buckley on Wednesday, 28th May at 7 p.m.

PROGRAMME TEXT

PERFORMANCE IN FLINTSHIRE BY EMLYN WILLIAMS

AS CHARLES DICKENS

MONDAY, 9^TH MAY 7.15 P.M.HOLYWELL

TUESDAY, 20^TH MAY 7.15 P.M.HOLYWELL

WEDNESDAY, 20^TH MAY 7 P.M.PAVILION THEATRE, RHYL

THURSDAY, 22^ND MAY 2.30 AND 7 P.M.PAVILION THEATRE, RHYL

FRIDAY, 23^RD MAY 7 P.M.MOLD

SATURDAY, 24^TH MAY 7 P.M.MOLD

MONDAY, 26^TH MAY 2 P.M.HAWARDEN

MONDAY, 26^TH MAY 7 P.M. SHOTTON

TUESDAY, 27^TH MAY 7. P.M. SHOTTON

WEDNESDAY, 28^TH MAY 7 P.M.BUCKLEY

EMLYN WILLIAMS AS CHARLES DICKENS

Giving a solo performance of scenes from the famous novels and stories

"MOVING IN SOCIETY"

Scenes from "OUR MUTUAL FRIEND" (1866)

"PAUL"

Scenes from "DOMBEY AND SON" (1848)

INTERVAL

"MR. BOB SAWYER GIVES A BACHELOR PARTY"

An Episode from "PICKWICK PAPERS" (1837)

"THE SIGNALMAN"

A Ghost Story from "CHRISTMAS STORIES" (1866)

INTERVAL

"MR. CHOPS"

A Story from "CHRISTMAS STORIES" (1858)

"THE FANCY BALL"

An Episode from "A TALE OF TWO CITIES" (1859)

I THE NATURE OF THE PERFORMANCE

On December 27^th, 1853, CHARLES DICKENS (at the height of his international fame as a novelist) ventured on something quite new: he gave, in Birmingham, a public 'reading' of one of his own stories. This turned out to be an historic occasion, opening up an extraordinary second career for the great writer: spread over seventeen years, the 'Readings' were each more sensationally successful than the last. The word is put into inverted commas because nothing could have been less like a reading than Dickens' solo presentation; he knew every scene by heart, and he gave untrammelled dramatic performance.

EMLYN WILLIAMS, as a child, stumbled on a copy of 'David Copperfield'; and Dickens has been, ever since, his cherished author. It is well known that attempts to transfer the Dickens flavor to the theatre, via a play, can be fraught with insuperable difficulties. For years it has been Emlyn Williams' ambition to share - with a theatre audience - the immense theatrical richness of Dickens through the medium of the 'Solo Performance'.

For over a year he prepared what seemed a peculiarly ambitious and bizarre project: a two-and-a-half hour performance (including two intervals) as Charles Dickens 'giving a Solo Performance of Scenes from the Famous Novels and Stories'. This performance was first presented publicly at Cambridge in July of last year, then in Brighton in October, then at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, London, on October 29^th, for two weeks. Its success in London was immediate; ' the audience found itself - to its own surprise - laughing as loudly and as freely as at the latest farce, and as tense and silent (in the dramatic passages) as at the latest 'thriller'. The success was so startling that the performance was transferred to the Criterion for three weeks, then to the Duchess Theatre for six (a record for a one man show): at this last theatre the proceeds went to the Actors' Orphanage. Then followed immediately an equal successful two-month run at the Golden Theatre, New York, whence Mr. Williams flew direct to Geneva, last month, to give a special charity performance (of the same complete programme) in Switzerland.

II THE ADAPTATIONS.

The scenes have been adapted by Mr. Williams from the books named; in doing so, he thought it only fair to go on the assumption that his audience know nothing beforehand of the book, or have forgotten all they once knew; he felt that if (beforehand, in the adaptation) he could make the performance acceptable to an audience strange to Dickens, then there was a chance of coaxing such an audience to lift down from their book shelves what they had possibly thought of as a ponderous classic, and to turn its pages for the first time, with the feeling that they were about to explore a wonderful new world.

III THE DESK.

The piece of furniture at which Emlyn Williams stands, as Charles Dickens, is an exact replica of the 'Reading desk' which was used by Dickens for his performances and which may now be seen at the Dickens House, 48, Doughty Street, London, W.C.1. Carefully designed by Dickens it is a cunningly simple affair, with a raised rest for the left arm, and a low ledge for the water-glass and the inevitable white gloves - as inevitable as the red geranium in the button hole.

EMLYN WILLIAMS

Mr. Williams, as actor, playwright or director (often in all three capacities simultaneously) has served the British theatre with conspicuous success for twenty years: his professional record is so well known in his native Wales that his audience here may be more anxious to read details of his early life in Flintshire. He was born George Emlyn Williams at Penyffordd, near Mostyn, on the 26^th November, 1905, the son of Richard Williams (of Ffynnongroew) and Mary Williams (of Tryddyn, near Mold), his father being at that time the village greengrocer, having previously been a stoker on S.S.Luciania and a miner at Point-of-Ayr. Three months later, the family moved to the White Lion Inn, Glanrafon, where his father was innkeeper for nine years, and which (years later) was to form the background of Emlyn Williams' comedy 'The Druid's Rest'; during this time 'George Emlyn' attended first Talacre Convent, and then Picton Council School. In 1915 the family moved to Mainstone Cottage, Berthengam, and for a year the boy attended Trelogan Council School, as a pupil of B.S.Fidler, aquiring (in 1916) a scholarship of £4 per annum to Holywell County School (headmaster J.M.Edwards - one of his teachers, Miss Dorothy Swinnerton is now headmistress); his main language up to this moment had been Welsh.

In 1917 the family moved to 314a High Street, Connah's Quay, George Emlyn continuing to attend Holywell County School; he was to be also, for some years, a member of the Welsh Wesleyan Chapel at Connah's Quay. At the age of fifteen he was sent by his schoolmistress, Miss S.G.Cooke, for a term at the Ecole-Primaire-Superieure at Saint Julien-en-Genevois (France); as a result of this, at the age of seventeen he acquired a scholarship (in French) to Christ Church, Oxford; later, in his famous play 'The Corn is Green', he based the leading character on Miss Cooke - a part played on the stage by Sybil Thorndike and Ethel Barrymore, and on the screen by Bette Davis.

Once at the University, he discovered the theatre by means of the Dramatic society - and realised at once that it was to dominate his life. His most recent contact with his native country was when (in 1948-49) he wrote, directed and acted in the film 'The Last Days of Dolwyn', made near Dolgelley with Dame Edith Evans and a cast almost exclusively Welsh: this was the first time the Welsh language was ever spoken in a major British picture. In 1949, at Bangor, Mr. Williams was invested with an honorary LL.D. by the Duke of Edinburgh, with the Prime Minister and Princess Elizabeth participating. He has during the past year starred in two films, 'Another Man's Poison' with Bette Davis, and 'Ivanhoe' with Robert Taylor, Joan Fontaine and Elizabeth Taylor. He is married, has two sons.

Author: Anon

Emlyn Williams' Visit to Flintshire to perform as Charles Dickens Programme Cover"

Tivoli, Brunswick Road, Buckley

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