Robinson Crusoe
Set Design
1957 (designed)
1957 (designed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Design for a Frontcloth, created for Robinson Crusoe, London Palladium, 1957.
In 1947, Val Parnell took over the management of the London Palladium, one of the largest theatres in Britain. Under Parnell, the Palladium presented large-scale spectacular pantomimes until 1987 and became known as the Home of Pantomime due to its lavish productions featuring the biggest celebrity names of the time.
Robinson Crusoe was the West End’s only pantomime in 1957 and ran until 5th April 1958 starring comics Arthur Askey as Big Hearted Martha and Tommy Cooper as Abu.
The show’s scenary, designed by Edward Delany, achieved great praise, with the Daily Telegraph describing it as “lavish and glittering” and the Observer commenting that “magnificent and ever-changing splendours hold the eye.”
The production cost £40,000 to stage and is reported by the [Manchester] Guardian as having drawn “noises of pleasure” from the audience as scenes such as the Port of Panama, Davy Jones’ Locker, The Belly of a Whale and the Island of Juan Fernandez were revealed.
In 1947, Val Parnell took over the management of the London Palladium, one of the largest theatres in Britain. Under Parnell, the Palladium presented large-scale spectacular pantomimes until 1987 and became known as the Home of Pantomime due to its lavish productions featuring the biggest celebrity names of the time.
Robinson Crusoe was the West End’s only pantomime in 1957 and ran until 5th April 1958 starring comics Arthur Askey as Big Hearted Martha and Tommy Cooper as Abu.
The show’s scenary, designed by Edward Delany, achieved great praise, with the Daily Telegraph describing it as “lavish and glittering” and the Observer commenting that “magnificent and ever-changing splendours hold the eye.”
The production cost £40,000 to stage and is reported by the [Manchester] Guardian as having drawn “noises of pleasure” from the audience as scenes such as the Port of Panama, Davy Jones’ Locker, The Belly of a Whale and the Island of Juan Fernandez were revealed.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Robinson Crusoe (popular title) |
| Materials and techniques | Gouache and watercolour on paper. |
| Brief description | Design for a Frontcloth, created for Robinson Crusoe, London Palladium, 1957 |
| Physical description | Gouache and watercolour on card design for a Frontcloth, created for Robinson Crusoe, London Palladium, 1957. The Frontcloth features a foreground dominated by the swathed fabric of a pair of crimson curtains, trimmed with gold fringing and tassels. A tall wooden ship, the sails furled, and positioned in the midst of an ocean is visible in the background. The foreground of the image is filled with a checked pattern of alternating green and yellow squares, a large anchor is positioned at the front right side of the image, and a male figure, reclining back on his elbow, is visible just in front of the ship. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions |
|
| Credit line | Given by Roger Fox |
| Summary | Design for a Frontcloth, created for Robinson Crusoe, London Palladium, 1957. In 1947, Val Parnell took over the management of the London Palladium, one of the largest theatres in Britain. Under Parnell, the Palladium presented large-scale spectacular pantomimes until 1987 and became known as the Home of Pantomime due to its lavish productions featuring the biggest celebrity names of the time. Robinson Crusoe was the West End’s only pantomime in 1957 and ran until 5th April 1958 starring comics Arthur Askey as Big Hearted Martha and Tommy Cooper as Abu. The show’s scenary, designed by Edward Delany, achieved great praise, with the Daily Telegraph describing it as “lavish and glittering” and the Observer commenting that “magnificent and ever-changing splendours hold the eye.” The production cost £40,000 to stage and is reported by the [Manchester] Guardian as having drawn “noises of pleasure” from the audience as scenes such as the Port of Panama, Davy Jones’ Locker, The Belly of a Whale and the Island of Juan Fernandez were revealed. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.314-2015 |
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 | March 24, 2015 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSON
