The Mysteries

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The Mysteries is a cycle of three medieval English mystery plays first presented at London's National Theatre in 1977 which tell a story of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.

Contents

Background

It is based largely on the Wakefield cycle of plays (but incorporating some scenes from the York, Chester and Coventry canons) and adapted by poet Tony Harrison, working with the original cast, into three parts: Nativity, The Passion and Doomsday. Directed by Bill Bryden, it was first performed on Easter Saturday 1977 on the terrace of the National Theatre building on the South Bank, London. It then went into the repertoire in the Cottesloe Theatre (part of the South Bank complex) until 20 April 1985 when the Cottesloe went 'dark'. [1] Later in 1985 it transferred out of the National (produced by Iain Mackintosh and Richard Pilbrow) with a slightly different cast (Barrie Rutter played Herod and Pontius Pilate, and Barry Foster was Lucifer/Judas/Satan) [2] to the Lyceum Theatre—then in use as a ballroom and as a promenade production. [3]

Harrison's concept was to present the original stories as plays within plays, using as his characters the naïve but pious craftsmen and guild members, to some extent modernised to represent the trades of today—God, for example, created the world with the help of a real fork-lift truck— [4] acting out the parts of the story that their mediaeval counterparts would have done. At the start of each performance actors dressed as tradesmen welcomed the audience. [5]

The performance was a promenade one, with the audience mingling with the actors and making up the crowd at such scenes as the last judgement. The Evening Standard reported: "An extraordinary experience... no wonder the end of it all saw an explosion of communal joyousness with everybody, actors, musicians, and audience alike, cheering and clapping and singing and dancing."[ citation needed ]

Cast

Actors in the productions included Brenda Blethyn, Kenneth Cranham, Edna Doré, Lynn Farleigh, Brian Glover (as God), Karl Johnson (as Jesus), Richard Johnson, Mark McManus, Eve Matheson (as Eve), Jack Shepherd and Robert Stephens (as Herod).

1985 National Theatre

Nativity [6]

RoleActor
Abel Karl Johnson
Abraham Derek Newark
Adam / IsaacStephen Petcher
Angel Gabriel Don Warrington
CainRobert Oates
Eve Eve Matheson
God Brian Glover
Herod Robert Stephens
Herod’s SonAnthony Trent
Joseph Dave Hill
Lucifer Jack Shepherd
Mak Jim Carter
Mary Brenda Blethyn
MaryDinah Stabb
Mrs Noah Edna Doré
Noah Howard Goorney
PercussionMichael Gregory
ShepherdTrevor Ray
Shepherd John Tams
Wise ManChristopher Gilbert
Wise ManJames Grant

Passion [7]

RoleActor
Angel GabrielDon Warrington
AnnasAnthony Trent
BarabasRobert Oates
Blind ManStephen Petcher
CayphasBrian Glover
DiscipleDavid Busby
DisciplePhilip Langham
JesusKarl Johnson
John BaptistHoward Goorney
JudasJack Shepherd
Mary MagdaleneBrenda Blethyn
Mary MagdaleneDinah Stabb
Mary MotherEdna Doré
Mary SaloneEve Matheson
PercussionMichael Gregory
PeterJames Grant
Pontius PilateRobert Stephens
Simon of CyreneChristopher Gilbert
Soldier 1Derek Newark
Soldier 2Trevor Ray
Soldier 3Dave Hill
Soldier 4Jim Carter
ThomasJohn Tams

Doomsday [8]

RoleActor
AngelDavid Busby
AngelPhilip Langham
Angel GabrielDon Warrington
AnnasAnthony Trent
DiscipleChristopher Gilbert
DiscipleRobert Oates
EveEve Matheson
GodBrian Glover
JohnStephen Petcher
JesusKarl Johnson
Mary MagdaleneBrenda Blethyn
Mary MagdaleneDinah Stabb
Mary MotherEdna Doré
PaulHoward Goorney
PeterJames Grant
PercussionMichael Gregory
Pontius PilateRobert Stephens
SatanJack Shepherd
Soldier 1Derek Newark
Soldier 2Trevor Ray
Soldier 3Dave Hill
Soldier 4Jim Carter
ThomasJohn Tams

The actor and musician John Tams and his Home Service band provided the folk music accompaniment and a selection of tracks from it was published on CD.

The 1985 Cottesloe version was filmed for Channel 4 Television. A revival of the cycle, again directed by Bryden and featuring some of the original cast, was chosen by the National Theatre to mark the millennium celebration in 2000. [9]

Awards

The productions won Bill Bryden the Best Director title in both the Evening Standard Theatre Awards and the Olivier Awards for 1985, the year the three plays first appeared together in performance at the Lyceum Theatre. Other awards were: Sydney Edwards Award for Best Director; Olivier for Designer of the Year for William Dudley; City Limits award for Best Director, and for Best Designer; Plays and Players for Best Director and Best Designer. [6]

References

  1. "£7m a year not unfair". The Times. 12 February 1985. p. 4.
  2. "theatricalia the mysteries". theatricalia.com. 1985. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  3. "The Mysteries". TheatreCrafts.com. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  4. Normington, Katie (October 2007). Modern mysteries: contemporary productions of medieval English cycle dramas. Melton, Suffolk, England: Boydell and Brewer. p. 86. ISBN   978-1-84384-128-9.
  5. Dodsworth, Martin (9 January 1986). "A poet in the land of as if". The Guardian . London.
  6. 1 2 National Theatre (1985). "National Theatre Archive". National Theatre. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  7. National Theatre (1985). "National Theatre Archive". National Theatre. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  8. National Theatre (1985). "National Theatre Archives". National Theatre. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  9. Fay, Stephen (21 November 1999). "Theatre: The greatest story ever told" . The Independent. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2017.

Further reading and viewing