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Alec Grahame
Alec Grahame, a notable lyricist whose work was often to be
heard in some of the wittiest revues of the British theatre,
was born in Broadstairs, Kent on September 22 1926, and christened
as James Alexander Pratchett. He found early employment as a
stage manager, working for Laurence Olivier at the St James's
Theatre, but a meeting with that most prolific revue writer Peter
Myers in 1950 began his career as a writer. He had a long collaboration
with Myers and with his other writing partners, especially David
Climie and the composer Ronnie Cass. One could scarcely open
a programme of a London revue in the 1950s without coming across
his name.
Grahame began by contributing to small Myers' revues at the
tiny Irving Theatre. In 1951 there was 10.15 with Ronnie Stevens
and Betty Marsden, and in 1952 The Irving Revue. The success
of the Myers' shows at the Irving saw them upgraded to the New
Lindsey Theatre, situated in Notting Hill Gate, where the team
produced Intimacy at 8 (1953) and, the following year, More Intimacy
at 8. Much material from these shows resurfaced in the West End
revue High Spirits at the inappropriately vast Hippodrome in
1953, with its wonderful cast including Cyril Ritchard, and in
the hugely successful Intimacy at 8.30 at the Criterion Theatre
with another sterling cast. There was also a successful revue
done for the Edinburgh Festival, After the Show.
TV seemed to beckon encouragingly to revue, although it came
to be partly responsible for its death. On The Bright Side showcased
the talents of Stanley Baxter and Betty Marsden, and was successfully
translated into a stage revue, On the Brighter Side, seen at
the Phoenix Theatre in April 1961. More Myers' revues followed,
including For Adults Only, in which one of Grahame's lyrics,
Black Magic, was memorably performed by Pat Lancaster. It would
have been good to find Grahame's lyric talent exercised by a
'book' musical', and he was one of the writing team (with his
old cronies Climie and Myers) for A Girl Called Jo at the Piccadilly
Theatre in December 1955. It wasn't the hoped for success.
As the taste for the Myers' type of revue palled, Grahame
earned a living as a theatrical agent, but in 1983 his name was
found on the credits of a new revue, This Thing Called Love,
but although it got to London it didn't cause a ripple. The changes
in British musical theatre, and the lack of theatre revue, were
discouraging elements in Grahame's last years. With Ronnie Cass
he wrote a musical, Raj, about the British in India, hitherto
unseen. Grahame was pleased to see A Girl Called Jo revived at
the Theatre Museum in Covent Garden in the spring of 2000. He
died on 21 August 2001.
A personal remembrance by Stewart Nicholls:
I first met Alec when we were planning the revival of "A
Girl Called Jo" at the Theatre Museum. Over a glass of wine,
I told him that I would like to do the show and he immediately
asked me why I wanted to revive such an old fashioned show! I
told him that I thought the score was gorgeous and the story
timeless and that I thought it would be rather perfect in the
intimate setting of the Museum. He was particularly worried about
the book of the show, as he felt it was really never perfected
and thought that it would be best if I just performed the score
with a narration of the basic storyline. I wanted to do the show
with a script and so asked if I could use all the existing material
and create a new playing version - he breathed a sigh of relief
and gave his consent - thankful that someone wanted to re-work
it. From then on I worked on the piece and presented it to him
for final consent. Fortunately, he was pleased and even helped
with a few amendments. He was very much 'on board' and was actively
involved with auditions and any area in which I needed advice
or assistance. I was particularly grateful for his advice (especially
when dealing with theatrical agents) and he was always there
at the end of a phone for me.
I was a little nervous at the auditions, because we were also
auditioning for the Julian Slade show "Follow That Girl"
at the same time, and I was only too aware that Alec had written
an hysterical parody of Julian Slade and Dorothy Reynolds shows
for the revue "On the Brighter Side" - the sketch was
called "A Resounding Tinkle". I wondered how Julian
and Alec would be together, having not seen each other since
the time of the revue. I need not have worried, because they
got on very well indeed and even helped out with each others'
casting requirements.
One of my most happy memories is of when I drove Alec and
Julian home after a tiring day of auditions. Alec entertained
us with a full account of the Anna Neagle musical at the Palace
"The Glorious Days", with additional quips from Julian.
Their impressions of Miss Neagle as Nell Gwynne and Queen Victoria
had to be heard to be believed!
I miss Alec's comments on musicals that, for my age, I could
not have possibly seen and also his 're-christening' of show
titles. I also miss his constant encouragement and wicked sense
of humour. I count myself very lucky to have known and worked
with
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