Macbeth
Set Design
1941-early 1942 (made)
1941-early 1942 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This production of Shakespeare's Macbeth for which this backcloth was designed starred John Gielgud in the title role and Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies as Lady Macbeth. It was directed by Gielgud, who said on the opening night at Manchester that he had been: 'moved in his choice of the play that its stern theme would match our stern times'. Leon Quartermaine played Banquo and Ernest Thesiger the First Witch, or Weird Sister, with Dorothy Green and Annie Esmond. It opened at the Manchester Opera House on 16th January 1942 for a two-week run, part of a long tour that culminated in its opening at London's Piccadilly Theatre on 8th July 1942. The young designer Michael Ayrton (1921-1975) had been given leave from the Forces to work on the design for the production in collaboration with John Minton (1917-1957) who had worked and travelled with Ayrton in France in the late '30s.
A review in The Guardian , 17th January 1942, noted that: 'Gielgud has been splendidly served by the settings of Mr. Michael Ayrton and Mr. John Minton and by the lighting of Mr. Stanley Earnshaw. The banquest scene, which made a gorgeous and unexpectedly spacious picture, and the darkened hall at Dunsinane where Macbeth "'gins to be a-weary of the sun and where his lady walks in shadows which no sun would ever lighten", should be long remembered.'
A review in The Guardian , 17th January 1942, noted that: 'Gielgud has been splendidly served by the settings of Mr. Michael Ayrton and Mr. John Minton and by the lighting of Mr. Stanley Earnshaw. The banquest scene, which made a gorgeous and unexpectedly spacious picture, and the darkened hall at Dunsinane where Macbeth "'gins to be a-weary of the sun and where his lady walks in shadows which no sun would ever lighten", should be long remembered.'
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Titles |
|
| Materials and techniques | bodycolour on paper |
| Brief description | Design by Michael Ayrton (1921-1975) for a backcloth for Shakespeare's Macbeth, Act II, scene 4, Manchester Opera House, 16th January 1942, on tour, and at London's Piccadilly Theatre London, 8th July 1942, Bodycolour |
| Physical description | Design for a stage stet showing a small building (possibly a chapel) flying two flags in blue and white on the right side of the page, a pavement in the foreground and a bank of trees on the left. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Production type | Design |
| Summary | This production of Shakespeare's Macbeth for which this backcloth was designed starred John Gielgud in the title role and Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies as Lady Macbeth. It was directed by Gielgud, who said on the opening night at Manchester that he had been: 'moved in his choice of the play that its stern theme would match our stern times'. Leon Quartermaine played Banquo and Ernest Thesiger the First Witch, or Weird Sister, with Dorothy Green and Annie Esmond. It opened at the Manchester Opera House on 16th January 1942 for a two-week run, part of a long tour that culminated in its opening at London's Piccadilly Theatre on 8th July 1942. The young designer Michael Ayrton (1921-1975) had been given leave from the Forces to work on the design for the production in collaboration with John Minton (1917-1957) who had worked and travelled with Ayrton in France in the late '30s. A review in The Guardian , 17th January 1942, noted that: 'Gielgud has been splendidly served by the settings of Mr. Michael Ayrton and Mr. John Minton and by the lighting of Mr. Stanley Earnshaw. The banquest scene, which made a gorgeous and unexpectedly spacious picture, and the darkened hall at Dunsinane where Macbeth "'gins to be a-weary of the sun and where his lady walks in shadows which no sun would ever lighten", should be long remembered.' |
| Associated objects |
|
| Bibliographic reference | Taken from Departmental Circulation Register 1954 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | CIRC.69-1954 |
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 | July 1, 2009 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSON
