The Queen of Spades
Costume Design
1966 (made)
1966 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Design for a stage costume by Leslie Hurry for Tchaikovsky's Queen of Spades, Sadler's Wells, 1966. The design is for a costume worn by the character Prince Yeletsky, in Act 2, Scene 1 and Act 3, Scene 3. The role of Prince Yeletsky was performed by baritone Lawrence Folley (1928- 2007) in this production. Annotation on the design indicates this costume was made by the costumier, 'L&H. Nathans'.
This production of the three-act opera, The Queen of Spades by Peter Tchaikovsky, with its libretto based on Alexander Pushkin’s story by Modest Tchaikovsky, was performed in an English translation by Rosa Newmarch. The first production of this opera at Sadler’s Wells Theatre opened on the 14th of September 1966. The production was directed by Anthony Besch with choreography by Harry Haythorne and Leslie Hurry’s designs were lit by Charles Bristow.
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’s designs for The Queen of Spades were criticised for their lack of colour, and for failing to convey the lavish dress and wealth of aristocratic society in eighteenth century St Petersburg. The Sunday Times, however, considered the sets ‘harmoniously coloured’ and ‘suitably uncluttered and oppressive’ and a reviewer writing for The Times found the costumes of Russian officers in the gambling scene particularly 'appealing'.
This production of the three-act opera, The Queen of Spades by Peter Tchaikovsky, with its libretto based on Alexander Pushkin’s story by Modest Tchaikovsky, was performed in an English translation by Rosa Newmarch. The first production of this opera at Sadler’s Wells Theatre opened on the 14th of September 1966. The production was directed by Anthony Besch with choreography by Harry Haythorne and Leslie Hurry’s designs were lit by Charles Bristow.
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’s designs for The Queen of Spades were criticised for their lack of colour, and for failing to convey the lavish dress and wealth of aristocratic society in eighteenth century St Petersburg. The Sunday Times, however, considered the sets ‘harmoniously coloured’ and ‘suitably uncluttered and oppressive’ and a reviewer writing for The Times found the costumes of Russian officers in the gambling scene particularly 'appealing'.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The Queen of Spades (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Black ink, watercolour and pencil drawing |
| Brief description | Design for a stage costume by Leslie Hurry for Tchaikovsky's Queen of Spades, Sadler's Wells, 1966. The design is for a costume worn by the character Prince Yeletsky, in Act 2, Scene 1 and Act 3, Scene 3 |
| Physical description | Design for a stage costume by Leslie Hurry for Tchaikovsky's Queen of Spades, Sadler's Wells, 1966. The design is for a costume worn by the character Prince Yeletsky, in Act 2, Scene 1 and Act 3, Scene 3. The design shows a full-length, 3/4 view, of a male figure in a pink/orange toned jacket and close fitting knee breeches. The jacket has large, striped lapels, and is decorated with frogging and a large silver and gold star at the proper left chest. The figure is masked and also wears a black cloak suspended from his shoulders. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | Given by Mrs Caro Rathbone |
| Subject depicted | |
| Literary reference | Queen of Spades |
| Summary | Design for a stage costume by Leslie Hurry for Tchaikovsky's Queen of Spades, Sadler's Wells, 1966. The design is for a costume worn by the character Prince Yeletsky, in Act 2, Scene 1 and Act 3, Scene 3. The role of Prince Yeletsky was performed by baritone Lawrence Folley (1928- 2007) in this production. Annotation on the design indicates this costume was made by the costumier, 'L&H. Nathans'. This production of the three-act opera, The Queen of Spades by Peter Tchaikovsky, with its libretto based on Alexander Pushkin’s story by Modest Tchaikovsky, was performed in an English translation by Rosa Newmarch. The first production of this opera at Sadler’s Wells Theatre opened on the 14th of September 1966. The production was directed by Anthony Besch with choreography by Harry Haythorne and Leslie Hurry’s designs were lit by Charles Bristow. 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’s designs for The Queen of Spades were criticised for their lack of colour, and for failing to convey the lavish dress and wealth of aristocratic society in eighteenth century St Petersburg. The Sunday Times, however, considered the sets ‘harmoniously coloured’ and ‘suitably uncluttered and oppressive’ and a reviewer writing for The Times found the costumes of Russian officers in the gambling scene particularly 'appealing'. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.1414-2014 |
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| Record created | July 23, 2014 |
| Record URL |
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