Fortune Theatre poster
Poster
1982 (designed), 1982 (illustrated), 1982 (printed)
1982 (designed), 1982 (illustrated), 1982 (printed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This poster advertises Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas from the novel by Hunter S. Thompson, at London's Fortune Theatre, originally produced by the Gate Theatre Club in Battersea. The theatre club was started in 1979 by the American director and writer Lou Stein in a room above the Prince Albert Pub in Notting Hill Gate. Dedicated to producing the best works of foreign writers, by 1981 the Gate established itself as one of London's best fringe venues, along with the King's Head and the Bush. In 1982 for the original production of this play, the club expanded to include a brand-new custom-built studio theatre above the Latchmere Pub in Battersea.
The play opened at the Fortune on 6 May 1982 starring Jeffery Chiswick as Dr Gonzo and Stewart Fox as Raoul Duke, two hallucinating opportunists who dupe the rich in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, travelling across the desert in a Cadillac called the White Whale. The Ralph Steadman illustration on the poster captures the manic tone of the production, described by one critic as 'a reckless suicidal farce'.
The play opened at the Fortune on 6 May 1982 starring Jeffery Chiswick as Dr Gonzo and Stewart Fox as Raoul Duke, two hallucinating opportunists who dupe the rich in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, travelling across the desert in a Cadillac called the White Whale. The Ralph Steadman illustration on the poster captures the manic tone of the production, described by one critic as 'a reckless suicidal farce'.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Fortune Theatre poster (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Offset lithography |
| Brief description | Poster advertising Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson, directed and adapted by Lou Stein, Fortune Theatre, 6 May 1982. |
| Physical description | Pictorial poster printed in yellow, blue, black and red on white paper featuring a reproduction of a Ralph Steadman drawing of a manic-looking driver with a cowering passenger, driving at high speed through a desert with cactus trees. With the title in yellow ink at the top, and the name of the theatre, the Fortune Theatre, in blue ink along the lower section of the poster, with the names of the designer Wallace Heim and the director Lou Stein in white lettering at the bottom of the image. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by Lou Stein |
| Object history | Poster advertising the production at the Fortune Theatre of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, directed by Lou Stein and adapted by him from the original early 1970s book by Hunter S. Thompson. The poster features the names of all the cast Jeffery Chiswick, Stuart Fox, Peter Marinker, Jane Bertish, Pippa Davies, Stephen Frost, Stuart Milligan and Saul Reichlin. The production was a transfer from the Gate Theatre Club at the Latchmere pub, Battersea, where it was a popular and critical success.. |
| Summary | This poster advertises Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas from the novel by Hunter S. Thompson, at London's Fortune Theatre, originally produced by the Gate Theatre Club in Battersea. The theatre club was started in 1979 by the American director and writer Lou Stein in a room above the Prince Albert Pub in Notting Hill Gate. Dedicated to producing the best works of foreign writers, by 1981 the Gate established itself as one of London's best fringe venues, along with the King's Head and the Bush. In 1982 for the original production of this play, the club expanded to include a brand-new custom-built studio theatre above the Latchmere Pub in Battersea. The play opened at the Fortune on 6 May 1982 starring Jeffery Chiswick as Dr Gonzo and Stewart Fox as Raoul Duke, two hallucinating opportunists who dupe the rich in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, travelling across the desert in a Cadillac called the White Whale. The Ralph Steadman illustration on the poster captures the manic tone of the production, described by one critic as 'a reckless suicidal farce'. |
| Associated object | S.95-2008 (Object) |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.94-2008 |
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| Record created | May 29, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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