Not on display

Poster

1980 (designed), 1980 (printed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This poster advertised the production, which opened in February 1980 at London's Gate Theatre Club in Notting Hill Gate, of The Bedbug, a musical play by Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky (1893-1930). The theatre club was started in 1979 by the American director and writer Lou Stein in a room above the Prince Albert Pub in Pembridge Road. 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 the club expanded to include a brand-new custom-built studio theatre above the Latchmere Pub in Battersea.

Mayakovsky was a poet, playwright and political activist born in Georgia. He was a fully-fledged member of the Bolshevik party by 1911, and moved to Moscow as a student. He produced poems, slogans and posters for the Revolutionary government, and wrote an epic propaganda poem in 1921 about the evils of capitalism. Towards the end of the 1920s he became increasingly disillusioned with Communism, and his satirical play The Bedbug was a result of his feelings about the state of the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Screen print
Brief description
Poster advertising The Bedbug by Vladimir Mayakovsy, directed and adapted by Lou Stein from the satirical comedy by Vladimir Mayakovsy with music by Richard Sanders, Gate Theatre, Notting Hall Gate, 4 February 1980.
Physical description
Photographic poster printed in blue and brown on cream paper featuring a reproduction of a head and shoulders photograph printed in blue of a grim-faced man wearing a hat, scarf and coat. With the name of the author MAYAKOVSKY in brown ink printed in upper case vertically down the right side, and the title THE BEDBUG reversed out against a blue background, also printed in upper case vertically down the right side. The name of the theatre GATE appears in brown against a cream background in a box in the lower third of the poster, with a line drawing of a bedbug, the names of the author Vladimir Mayakovsky, the director Lou Stein, the composer Richard Sanders and details of the ticket prices, the nearest tube, and the location of the theatre above the Prince Albert Pub, Pembridge Road, W11.
Dimensions
  • Height: 63.9cm
  • Width: 45.0cm
Marks and inscriptions
Transliteration
Credit line
Given by Lou Stein
Object history
Poster advertising the production at the Gate Theatre, Prince Albert pub, Pembridge Road, Notting Hill Gate of the musical play The Bedbug based on the satirical comedy by Vladimir Mayakovsky, directed by Lou Stein with music by Richard Sanders, 4 Feb to 1 March 1980.
Summary
This poster advertised the production, which opened in February 1980 at London's Gate Theatre Club in Notting Hill Gate, of The Bedbug, a musical play by Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky (1893-1930). The theatre club was started in 1979 by the American director and writer Lou Stein in a room above the Prince Albert Pub in Pembridge Road. 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 the club expanded to include a brand-new custom-built studio theatre above the Latchmere Pub in Battersea.

Mayakovsky was a poet, playwright and political activist born in Georgia. He was a fully-fledged member of the Bolshevik party by 1911, and moved to Moscow as a student. He produced poems, slogans and posters for the Revolutionary government, and wrote an epic propaganda poem in 1921 about the evils of capitalism. Towards the end of the 1920s he became increasingly disillusioned with Communism, and his satirical play The Bedbug was a result of his feelings about the state of the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin.
Collection
Accession number
S.90-2008

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Record createdJune 2, 2008
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