Theatre Square in London’s Stratford E15 was crowded with guests and locals on Sunday morning awaiting the unveiling of London’s newest statue.
“It’s only a couple of quid but it would be great to have her back in the square,” a local pensioner remarked to Murray Melvin, dropping his contribution to the fund to erect it into a collection bucket a while back. That’s typical of the affection Joan Littlewood attracted—though she could be a tartar too. Now she is back.
Theatre staff, Newham’s Mayor and guests were all sporting the red carnation buttonholes that have long marked Theatre Royal first nights and special occasions. Surrounding them were a press of others. Locals and theatre folk, including a delegation from Equity’s local London branch bearing their banner: a gathering that showed the diversity of those who wanted to celebrate the woman who made such a difference not only in British Theatre but in the community.
Of course Murray Melvin and Barbara Windsor were there—they headed the appeal to raise funds for the statue—but I also spotted others from Workshop days (there are survivors!) including Barbara Ferris, Brian Murphy and Toni Palmer, the theatre’s Director Emeritus Philip Hedley who became Joan’s successor, as well as people with more recent connections with the Theatre Royal such as Frances Barber, playwright Roy Williams and lots of other well-known names from Barbara’s old Eastenders colleague Pam St Clement to Sir Ian McKellan, an Eastender in real life.
The Theatre Royal’s Artistic Director Kerry Michael acted as MC for the proceedings. The formal proceedings kicked off with playwright and poet Caroline Bird reading her poem “The Fun Palace”. This is also Fun Palace Weekend when up and down the country Joan and Cedric Price’s Fun Palace concept as a ‘laboratory of fun’ and ‘a university of the streets’ is brought to fruition in an updated annual version.
Kerry then spoke of Joan and her record and the work at the Theatre Royal that continues that legacy. He described the wide support for this memorial and enumerated the many who have to be thanked for supporting it and donating, the money.
Theatre Board member Jo Melville reminded everyone of Joan’s beliefs, reading from her Theatre Manifesto: a call for the replacement of a theatre limited to only a small section of society by one for the people, a theatre with with living language not afraid of the sound of its own voice.
Kerry spoke of the support that Newham Council gave and continues to give the Theatre Royal and the work it does in the community and introduced Mayor Sir Robin Wales (who despite the name comes from Scotland and now has an East London heart).
Sir Robin expressed his pleasure in the statue being erected, pointing out that it would be one of only a handful of women represented by statues in our capital city.
Reaffirming Newham’s support, he declared his belief that the Theatre Royal has never wavered from Joan’s vision of what theatre should be, bringing in local people and doing something different. The Borough has a policy of taking every child over year seven to the theatre and gives them a free musical instrument and tuition in playing. “We must inspire our young people,” he declared. “We have a vision we share with the Theatre Royal.”
Kerry Michael described (with some details interjected by Philip Hedley) how actor Murray Melvin, having volunteered to go through some cases of old programmes, got so involved in the material that he became the theatre's Honorary Archivist—a role he continues decades since.
Murray himself told how he first met Joan as a youngster auditioning back in 1956. She was warm and welcoming but it was his first professional audition: he was petrified. He had prepared two audition pieces but, seeing his nervousness, Joan said, “if you don’t want to, don’t do them. Get up on the stage and tell me a funny story." He did, though he doesn’t think it was very funny. “Sing me a song. You don’t know one? Make one up.” “Now do that again—only dance!”
“How did she know Murray idolised Fred Astaire?” Murray continued. "But she would often say things that showed she knew something about you that you thought no one knew.”
Murray described how, looking down from his office as Theatre Square was being created, he had the idea of a statue of Joan there. He talked about it to Sir Robin and was told to “get on with it!” With Newham supportive and sculptor Philip Jackson accepting the commission, he did. “It has been a long road but now we got there!” he declared to applause.
Kerry Michael now introduced 15-year-old Alex Jarrett, who has been a member of the Theatre Royal’s youth theatre since she was 12. A regular performer on the theatre’s stage, she also featured in the 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony but when Kerry asked her for her best moment it was performing at the National Theatre when the Theatre Royal’s youngsters were finalists in the National Theatre Connections programme.
Following a flourish on trumpet, Alex did the unveiling, revealing the statue, its pose based on a photo of Joan sitting on a heap of rubble almost on the same spot. The sculptor has caught her determination but also her kindness. For those who knew her, Joan is back and, for those who came after, a reminder of what Stratford and the theatre at large owe to her.
October 6 was Joan Littlewood’s birthday. On Tuesday she would have been 101 so a birthday cake brought the formal proceedings to a close with Barbara Windsor wielding the knife for the cutting as the East London Brass Band struck up "Happy Birthday" and everyone sang it.
After the main participants lined up for formal photographs and fans asked for selfies with famous faces, everyone moved into Gerry’s Kitchen, the Theatre Royal’s new space at the side of Theatre Square, for their own piece of birthday cake and a cuppa. It’s a new café for the community with comfortable sofas, a little library and pantomime cow and soft toys for the kids that leads on to an adaptable performance space that is already being used for the current production of Slap.
That wasn’t the end. Celebrations went on all day with a free screening of the film version of Sparrows Can’t Sing which Joan directed after Workshop had premièred Stephen Lewis’s play and then later came A Joan Jamboree, a festive variety bill in the theatre.
As well as Barbara Windsor and James Booth in the lead roles, Sparrows (as the film title has it: the play spelled it Sparrers) is packed with Theatre Workshop stalwarts, many of them now gone. Its cast includes Roy Kinnear, Avis Bunnage, Harry H Corbett, Brian Murphy, George Sewell, Barbara Ferris, Murray Melvin, Stephen Lewis, Victor Spinetti, Yootha Joyce, Glynne Edwards, John Junkin, Marjie Lawrence—even Gerry Raffles, as well as East End legend Queenie Watts.
It was a day of happy celebration and for many a chance to catch up with old comrades.