Alec Clunes as Orsino in Twelfth Night
Caricature
16 October 1950 (dated)
16 October 1950 (dated)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Pencil and watercolour caricature by Gilbert Sommerlad (1904-1976) of Alec Clunes as Orsino in Twelfth Night, Old Vic Company, 1950.
Gilbert Sommerlad (1904–1976), a professional pianist and violinist, began his career in Brighton as an accompanist at local cinemas and theatres, and in 1936 moved to the recently built New Theatre at Oxford, where his brother Roy, also a musician, was already working. Gilbert Sommerlad was an orchestral violinist and rehearsal pianist at the New Theatre for over 40 years and, when not required in the orchestra pit, he occupied himself by sketching the performers, becoming well known in the profession as a caricaturist. His sketches, a total of 441, many signed by their subjects, were mounted in six albums which his son donated to the V&A in 2001.
The Old Vic company’s production of Twelfth Night visited Oxford in October 1950, prior to its staging in London. The Old Vic theatre had suffered bomb damage in 1941 and remained derelict until 1950 when it was restored in time for the 1951 Festival of Britain. It reopened on 14 November with a gala performance of the Twelfth Night seen by Sommerlad. Peggy Ashcroft played Viola with Roger Livesey as Sir Toby, Alec Clunes as Orsino and Paul Rogers as Malvolio.
Alec Clunes (1912-1970) was an actor, manager and director. Noted for his Shakespearean roles, he first appeared with the Old Vic Company in the 1930s, acted at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in the 1930s and 1950s, and was Hastings in Laurence Olivier's 1955 film of Richard III. In 1959 he took over the part of Henry Higgins from Rex Harrison in the original West End production of My Fair Lady. His Orsino was praised ('a Duke with an exquisite ear for verse', said the Evening News (15 November 1950)), though Harold Hobson, reviewing the play for the Sunday Times (19 November 1950) feared that Roger Furse's setting placed the character in reduced circumstances, since it appeared that he had 'been compelled to leave his palace and take an unobtrusive middle-class house on the water-front.'
Gilbert Sommerlad (1904–1976), a professional pianist and violinist, began his career in Brighton as an accompanist at local cinemas and theatres, and in 1936 moved to the recently built New Theatre at Oxford, where his brother Roy, also a musician, was already working. Gilbert Sommerlad was an orchestral violinist and rehearsal pianist at the New Theatre for over 40 years and, when not required in the orchestra pit, he occupied himself by sketching the performers, becoming well known in the profession as a caricaturist. His sketches, a total of 441, many signed by their subjects, were mounted in six albums which his son donated to the V&A in 2001.
The Old Vic company’s production of Twelfth Night visited Oxford in October 1950, prior to its staging in London. The Old Vic theatre had suffered bomb damage in 1941 and remained derelict until 1950 when it was restored in time for the 1951 Festival of Britain. It reopened on 14 November with a gala performance of the Twelfth Night seen by Sommerlad. Peggy Ashcroft played Viola with Roger Livesey as Sir Toby, Alec Clunes as Orsino and Paul Rogers as Malvolio.
Alec Clunes (1912-1970) was an actor, manager and director. Noted for his Shakespearean roles, he first appeared with the Old Vic Company in the 1930s, acted at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in the 1930s and 1950s, and was Hastings in Laurence Olivier's 1955 film of Richard III. In 1959 he took over the part of Henry Higgins from Rex Harrison in the original West End production of My Fair Lady. His Orsino was praised ('a Duke with an exquisite ear for verse', said the Evening News (15 November 1950)), though Harold Hobson, reviewing the play for the Sunday Times (19 November 1950) feared that Roger Furse's setting placed the character in reduced circumstances, since it appeared that he had 'been compelled to leave his palace and take an unobtrusive middle-class house on the water-front.'
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Alec Clunes as Orsino in <i>Twelfth Night</i> (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Pencil and watercolour on paper |
| Brief description | Pencil and watercolour caricature by Gilbert Sommerlad (1904-1976) of Alec Clunes as Orsino in Twelfth Night, Old Vic Company, 1950 |
| Physical description | Pencil and watercolour caricature of Alec Clunes as Orsino in Twelfth Night. From a hard-backed sketch book containing caricatures of theatrical performers and entertainers drawn by Gilbert Sommerlad. Full-length drawing of a brown-haired man with a small beard and thin moustaches, wearing a red doublet with apricot sleeves, grey breeches, and a tan over-robe. Dated 16.10.50 by the artist and signed by Alec Clunes. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | 'Alec Clunes' (Subject's signature in ink) |
| Credit line | Given by Michael Sommerlad |
| Object history | Gilbert Sommerlad was a member of the resident orchestra at the New Theatre, Oxford when he drew this caricature. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Literary reference | <i>Twelfth Night</i> |
| Summary | Pencil and watercolour caricature by Gilbert Sommerlad (1904-1976) of Alec Clunes as Orsino in Twelfth Night, Old Vic Company, 1950. Gilbert Sommerlad (1904–1976), a professional pianist and violinist, began his career in Brighton as an accompanist at local cinemas and theatres, and in 1936 moved to the recently built New Theatre at Oxford, where his brother Roy, also a musician, was already working. Gilbert Sommerlad was an orchestral violinist and rehearsal pianist at the New Theatre for over 40 years and, when not required in the orchestra pit, he occupied himself by sketching the performers, becoming well known in the profession as a caricaturist. His sketches, a total of 441, many signed by their subjects, were mounted in six albums which his son donated to the V&A in 2001. The Old Vic company’s production of Twelfth Night visited Oxford in October 1950, prior to its staging in London. The Old Vic theatre had suffered bomb damage in 1941 and remained derelict until 1950 when it was restored in time for the 1951 Festival of Britain. It reopened on 14 November with a gala performance of the Twelfth Night seen by Sommerlad. Peggy Ashcroft played Viola with Roger Livesey as Sir Toby, Alec Clunes as Orsino and Paul Rogers as Malvolio. Alec Clunes (1912-1970) was an actor, manager and director. Noted for his Shakespearean roles, he first appeared with the Old Vic Company in the 1930s, acted at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in the 1930s and 1950s, and was Hastings in Laurence Olivier's 1955 film of Richard III. In 1959 he took over the part of Henry Higgins from Rex Harrison in the original West End production of My Fair Lady. His Orsino was praised ('a Duke with an exquisite ear for verse', said the Evening News (15 November 1950)), though Harold Hobson, reviewing the play for the Sunday Times (19 November 1950) feared that Roger Furse's setting placed the character in reduced circumstances, since it appeared that he had 'been compelled to leave his palace and take an unobtrusive middle-class house on the water-front.' |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.131:121-2002 |
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| Record created | December 18, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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