Bench anniversary

The Bench began to discuss its 40th anniversary season in 2009 at last night's club meeting.

The Artistic Panel put forward a revival idea of productions from the previous decades. I think there is some limited value in this idea but don't want to do it for the whole season of four plays. The Panel put forward four suggestions, one from each decade, of plays that struck the individual Panel member.

I was struck by "Death of a Salesman" (third ever production) and "The Entertainer" (fifth ever production.

There is a wonderful article in the Guardian this week about Shakespeare and star roles. It is mainly looking at Ian McKellen, Ewan MacGregor and Patrick Stewart, all of whom have become known to mass audiences through sci-fi or fantasy films and are taking on Shakespearean roles in London at this very moment. The article writer draws attention to the fact that Shakespeare provides star roles, Lear, Iago and Macbeth, which modern writers usually fail to do in contemporary plays relying more on ensemble work.

However Willie Loman and Archie Rice are certainly star roles written by Arthur Miller and John Osborne in the two plays mentioned above. I loved playing Willie Loman in a Cunning Plan production a few years back. However at the Bench I would propose Peter Woodward would make a marvellous Willie Loman and David Penrose would make a fabulous Archie Rice. The Bench would be looking afresh at these theatre classics, which still speak loudly to today's audience. None of the original casts are still with us - at least not the leads! I did play Archie's son in the original Bench production (my Bench debut in fact). I think I am probably too old to reprise the role. Archie Rice was played by the dear departed Ray Osborne. John Batstone asked who played the original role so perhaps he is tempted by the idea? I would certainly be tempted by "Death of a Salesman" as director.