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Richard Briers in Relatively Speaking
Sommerlad, Gilbert, born 1904 - died 1976 - Enlarge image
Richard Briers in Relatively Speaking
- Object:
Caricature
- Place of origin:
Oxford, England (made)
- Date:
18 March 1967 (dated)
- Artist/Maker:
Sommerlad, Gilbert, born 1904 - died 1976 (artist)
- Materials and Techniques:
Pencil, pen and ink, watercolour and wash on paper
- Credit Line:
Given by Michael Sommerlad
- Museum number:
S.134:9-2002
- Gallery location:
In Storage
This caricature shows Richard Briers (b.1934) as Greg in Relatively Speaking by Alan Ayckbourn, at the Oxford New Theatre in March 1967. It was drawn by Gilbert Sommerlad (1904-1976), a rehearsal pianist and orchestral violinist at the Brighton Theatre Royal from 1932 until 1936, and at the Oxford New Theatre from 1936 for over forty years. Sommerlad sketched the stars on stage when he wasn't needed in the orchestra pit, compiling the sketches in a series of albums.
Richard Briers, perhaps best known for his role as the well-meaning self-sufficiency enthusiast Tom Good in the 1975 television sitcom The Good Life, first appeared in the West End in 1958 in the play Gilt and Gingerbread. He has appeared in many works by Alan Ayckbourn on the stage and television, and in classical roles, some with Kenneth Branagh's Renaissance Theatre Company. In 2003 Richard Briers was honoured with a CBE.
