Looking into the seeds of time. The Bard goes to Rome – April 1979

First Published in TS 137, May 2024:

James Bryson (C, 1978-83) recalls, in some cases dimly, a 45-year-old theatre tour.

On a recent family holiday to Rome I paid a visit to the venue for a 1979 Win Coll production of Macbeth, in which I played a very small part in only my second term.

The production, under the diminutive but authoritative John Clark (Co Ro, 1969-80), performed for four nights at Win Coll, two nights in the John Stripe Theatre of then King Alfred’s College (tickets 80p) before heading to Rome for a week in early April. The other travelling Dons were Assistant Producer and Tour Manager Simon Eliot (Co Ro, 1976-00)) and Jock Macdonald (Co Ro, 1964-01) then housedon of Toye’s. Jock was also our Italian-speaking fixer and enabler. 

As the youngest in the cast of around 20, and on my first trip overseas, it was a memorable experience.  We stayed in one of the American schools in Rome (St Peter’s?), just south of the Colosseum and commuted daily to the Teatro Goldoni, which is around a minute’s walk just north of the Piazza Navona.  The Goldoni is housed in the basement of the 15th Century Palazzo Altemps, now a National Roman Museum, and was first built in the early 17th century.   From the late 1950s until her death not long after our trip, it was run on a shoestring by English actress Frances Reilly.  The current staff of the museum knew little of the theatre’s 20th century history around the period of our production.  It is now closed to the public and rarely used, but I went armed with a photo of the signed programme showing the dates of our production. The museum director kindly unlocked the private entrance to the theatre from the beautiful loggia in the Palazzo’s main courtyard.  It was much smaller than I remembered and I had also forgotten its beautiful painted ceiling and gallery.  According to the programme, we performed for five days in Rome, which included two matinees. 

I don’t recall the reviews or even if there were any, but I do remember the matinées being more panto than Shakespeare as our mostly high-school Italian audiences found the Bard a little inaccessible in their second language.   The trip also included prime seats at a General Audience of the Pope, I think in our case one of the Lent audiences performed in St Peter’s Square prior to Easter Sunday. I have a vague recollection of us arriving late or being at the back of the audience and Jock using his linguistic agility to persuade the Swiss Guard to give us preferential treatment.   He also provided translation services for me at the Carabinieri office to report the theft of my camera (containing my close-ups of JP2). The officer proved unable to complete his report - he dashed out mid-way through to be sick in the corridor!  Jock’s translation for ‘hangover’ wasn’t necessary.

Like any large group of Wykehamists, the troupe was an eclectic mix.  I have only crossed paths with a few over the years but it has felt wise not to mention that the last time we met I was wearing pink tights and being stabbed by a shag-eared villain. I recently learned from Angus, aka Charles Garrett (C, 1976-81) that Win Coll has just performed Macbeth again, so I thought on the 45th anniversary of the Rome trip this might be of interest.   

See here for James's signed programme  and the below gallery for photos.