The Moon and Sixpence
Design
1957 (made)
1957 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Set design by Leslie Hurry for Act I Scene II of The Moon and Sixpence, Sadler's Wells, 1957.
Leslie Hurry (1909-1978) trained at the Royal Academy and during the 1930s became known as a surrealist painter. A one-man show in London in 1942 was seen by the theatre director, Michael Benthall, who recommended Hurry to the dancer and choreographer, Robert Helpmann, then planning a ballet based on Shakespeare's Hamlet. The success of his designs set Hurry on a second career as one of the most distinguished theatre designers of his generation. He designed operas, ballets and plays, notably Swan Lake for the Sadler's Wells Ballet in 1943, a production which stayed in the repertoire for thirty years; Venice Preserv'd for Peter Brook (1953); the Ring Cycle at Covent Garden (1954), and Troilus and Cressida at Stratford for Peter Hall (1960), famous for being staged in a sand pit.
Leslie Hurry (1909-1978) trained at the Royal Academy and during the 1930s became known as a surrealist painter. A one-man show in London in 1942 was seen by the theatre director, Michael Benthall, who recommended Hurry to the dancer and choreographer, Robert Helpmann, then planning a ballet based on Shakespeare's Hamlet. The success of his designs set Hurry on a second career as one of the most distinguished theatre designers of his generation. He designed operas, ballets and plays, notably Swan Lake for the Sadler's Wells Ballet in 1943, a production which stayed in the repertoire for thirty years; Venice Preserv'd for Peter Brook (1953); the Ring Cycle at Covent Garden (1954), and Troilus and Cressida at Stratford for Peter Hall (1960), famous for being staged in a sand pit.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The Moon and Sixpence (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Watercolour and black ink drawing, pencil sketch |
| Brief description | Set design by Leslie Hurry for Act I Scene II of The Moon and Sixpence, Sadler's Wells, 1957 |
| Physical description | Watercolour and black ink drawing of a set design for the 1957 production of The Moon and Sixpence at Sadler's Wells Theatre, comprising a hexagonal platform and multicoloured background. On the reverse is a drawing of a hexagon roughly sketched in pencil. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | Given by Mrs Caro Rathbone |
| Summary | Set design by Leslie Hurry for Act I Scene II of The Moon and Sixpence, Sadler's Wells, 1957. Leslie Hurry (1909-1978) trained at the Royal Academy and during the 1930s became known as a surrealist painter. A one-man show in London in 1942 was seen by the theatre director, Michael Benthall, who recommended Hurry to the dancer and choreographer, Robert Helpmann, then planning a ballet based on Shakespeare's Hamlet. The success of his designs set Hurry on a second career as one of the most distinguished theatre designers of his generation. He designed operas, ballets and plays, notably Swan Lake for the Sadler's Wells Ballet in 1943, a production which stayed in the repertoire for thirty years; Venice Preserv'd for Peter Brook (1953); the Ring Cycle at Covent Garden (1954), and Troilus and Cressida at Stratford for Peter Hall (1960), famous for being staged in a sand pit. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.1489-2014 |
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| Record created | July 3, 2014 |
| Record URL |
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