The Tempest
Design
1962 (designed)
1962 (designed)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Design by Leslie Hurry for a swan-shaped chariot for Juno in Shakespeare's <i>The Tempest,</i> produced by Oliver Neville for the Old Vic Theatre, London, 1962.
Leslie Hurry (1909-1978) trained at the Royal Academy and during the 1930s became known as a surrealist painter. A one-man show in London in 1942 was seen by the theatre director, Michael Benthall, who recommended Hurry to the dancer and choreographer, Robert Helpmann, then planning a ballet based on Shakespeare's Hamlet. The success of his designs set Hurry on a second career as one of the most distinguished theatre designers of his generation. He designed operas, ballets and plays, notably Swan Lake for the Sadler's Wells Ballet in 1943, a production which stayed in the repertoire for thirty years; Venice Preserv'd for Peter Brook (1953); the Ring Cycle at Covent Garden (1954), and Troilus and Cressida at Stratford for Peter Hall (1960), famous for being staged in a sand pit.
This production of The Tempest opened on 29 May 1962. The Tatler complained that Hurry's set for The Tempest was deliberately hideous: "it is meant to be ironical, a mockery of the enchanted isle idea." Phillip Hope-Wallace in The Guardian 30 May 1962 described it as a dull "dun-coloured foreshaw."
Although the set was not much admired in the 1962 production of The Tempest the masque in which the goddess Juno (played by Patricia Jessel or Anna Barry) arrived in her swan-shaped chariot made some amends. It included a back-projected rainbow and drifting clouds. The music for the unusually elaborate masque was composed by Michael Tippett.
Leslie Hurry (1909-1978) trained at the Royal Academy and during the 1930s became known as a surrealist painter. A one-man show in London in 1942 was seen by the theatre director, Michael Benthall, who recommended Hurry to the dancer and choreographer, Robert Helpmann, then planning a ballet based on Shakespeare's Hamlet. The success of his designs set Hurry on a second career as one of the most distinguished theatre designers of his generation. He designed operas, ballets and plays, notably Swan Lake for the Sadler's Wells Ballet in 1943, a production which stayed in the repertoire for thirty years; Venice Preserv'd for Peter Brook (1953); the Ring Cycle at Covent Garden (1954), and Troilus and Cressida at Stratford for Peter Hall (1960), famous for being staged in a sand pit.
This production of The Tempest opened on 29 May 1962. The Tatler complained that Hurry's set for The Tempest was deliberately hideous: "it is meant to be ironical, a mockery of the enchanted isle idea." Phillip Hope-Wallace in The Guardian 30 May 1962 described it as a dull "dun-coloured foreshaw."
Although the set was not much admired in the 1962 production of The Tempest the masque in which the goddess Juno (played by Patricia Jessel or Anna Barry) arrived in her swan-shaped chariot made some amends. It included a back-projected rainbow and drifting clouds. The music for the unusually elaborate masque was composed by Michael Tippett.
Object details
Category | |
Object type | |
Title | The Tempest (assigned by artist) |
Materials and techniques | Ink and pencil on paper |
Brief description | Design by Leslie Hurry for a swan-shaped chariot for Juno in Shakespeare's The Tempest, produced by Oliver Neville for the Old Vic Theatre, London, 1962 |
Physical description | Design by Leslie Hurry in ink and pencil on paper. The design is for a swan-shaped chariot for Juno in Shakespeare's The Tempest, produced by Oliver Neville for the Old Vic Theatre, London, 1962. The design features the chariot with details picked out in gold and smaller sketches alongside it. On the reverse is a pencil sketch of a figure in profile with long hair. |
Dimensions |
|
Marks and inscriptions |
|
Credit line | Given by Mrs Caro Rathbone |
Literary reference | The Tempest |
Summary | Design by Leslie Hurry for a swan-shaped chariot for Juno in Shakespeare's <i>The Tempest,</i> produced by Oliver Neville for the Old Vic Theatre, London, 1962. Leslie Hurry (1909-1978) trained at the Royal Academy and during the 1930s became known as a surrealist painter. A one-man show in London in 1942 was seen by the theatre director, Michael Benthall, who recommended Hurry to the dancer and choreographer, Robert Helpmann, then planning a ballet based on Shakespeare's Hamlet. The success of his designs set Hurry on a second career as one of the most distinguished theatre designers of his generation. He designed operas, ballets and plays, notably Swan Lake for the Sadler's Wells Ballet in 1943, a production which stayed in the repertoire for thirty years; Venice Preserv'd for Peter Brook (1953); the Ring Cycle at Covent Garden (1954), and Troilus and Cressida at Stratford for Peter Hall (1960), famous for being staged in a sand pit. This production of The Tempest opened on 29 May 1962. The Tatler complained that Hurry's set for The Tempest was deliberately hideous: "it is meant to be ironical, a mockery of the enchanted isle idea." Phillip Hope-Wallace in The Guardian 30 May 1962 described it as a dull "dun-coloured foreshaw." Although the set was not much admired in the 1962 production of The Tempest the masque in which the goddess Juno (played by Patricia Jessel or Anna Barry) arrived in her swan-shaped chariot made some amends. It included a back-projected rainbow and drifting clouds. The music for the unusually elaborate masque was composed by Michael Tippett. |
Collection | |
Accession number | S.2297-2014 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
Record created | November 26, 2014 |
Record URL |
Download as: JSON