Not currently on display at the V&A

Dick Whittington

Set Design
ca. 1993 (Drawn)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Set design for the "London" frontcloth. The design depicts a panorama of London seen from a hill on the south side of the River Thames during "medieval" times. The view includes the towers of Southwark Cathedral, old London Bridge, the old city of London, and the old St. Paul's Cathedral. Above the scene fly two angels holding trumpets and framing a large banner with "LONDON" written on it. Unsigned by the artist.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleDick Whittington (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Pencil and gouache on card
Brief description
Set design by Hugh Durrant probably for the "London" frontcloth in "Dick Whittington", Birmingham Hippodrome, 1993.
Physical description
Set design for the "London" frontcloth. The design depicts a panorama of London seen from a hill on the south side of the River Thames during "medieval" times. The view includes the towers of Southwark Cathedral, old London Bridge, the old city of London, and the old St. Paul's Cathedral. Above the scene fly two angels holding trumpets and framing a large banner with "LONDON" written on it. Unsigned by the artist.
Dimensions
  • Height: 286mm
  • Width: 593mm
The design consists of two pieces of card taped together on the reverse.
Production typeUnique
Marks and inscriptions
' SCALE ? ' (Textual information; On reverse lower right hand side.; handwriting; pencil; Durrant, Hugh)
Credit line
Given by Hugh Durrant
Object history
This set design by Hugh Durrant is part of a group of designs donated to the Theatre Museum by the artist in 1994. The undated design was probably executed for a production of the pantomime "Dick Whittington" performed at the Birmingham Hippodrome on 22nd December 1993. The show was directed by Carole Todd, and the lighting was designed by Andrew Gardner. The cast included Lesley Joseph as Fairy Bow Bells, John Nettles as King Rat, Rosemarie Ford as Dick, Jeffrey Holland as Ada the Cook, and Wayne Sleep as Tommy the Cat.

The production was filmed for inclusion in the National Video Archive of Stage Performance at the Theatre Museum in February 1994 (Catalogue numbers 94/04/V/9001 and 94/04/V/9002 ). These designs were partly acquired as a compliment to the film with the aim of recording the creative progress from the designer's drawings to their realisation on stage.

Historical significance: An excellent example of late 20th century set design for pantomime, which is currently poorly represented in the Theatre Museum Collection.
Production
Reason For Production: Commission
Subjects depicted
Places depicted
Literary referenceDick Whittington
Collection
Accession number
S.777-2001

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Record createdNovember 13, 2001
Record URL
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