The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 16.1362 Tuesday, 23 August 2005
From: Al Magary <
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Date: Tuesday, 23 Aug 2005 00:00:06 -0700
Subject: "Get thee to Gloucester, Essex. Do thee to Wessex, Exeter"
The Today in Literature email newsletter (free:
http://www.todayinliterature.com/newsletters.asp) recalls the debut of
the Beyond the Fringe troupe (Dudley Moore, Peter Cook, Jonathan Miller,
Alan Bennett) at the Edinburgh Festival on this day (Aug. 23) in 1960,
and prints some of their Shakespeare sketch, "So That's The Way You Like
It":
MILLER
Get thee to Gloucester, Essex. Do thee to Wessex, Exeter.
Fair Albany to Somerset must eke his route.
And Scroop, do you to Westmoreland, where shall bold York
Enrouted now for Lancaster, with forces of our Uncle Rutland,
Enjoin his standard with sweet Norfolk's host.
Fair Sussex, get thee to Warwicksbourne,
And there, with frowning purpose, tell our plan
To Bedford's tilted ear, that he shall press
With most insensate speed
And join his warlike effort to bold Dorset's side.
I most royally shall now to bed,
To sleep off all the nonsense I've just said....
(After various misadventures and diversions, some featuring the Four
Rustics - "Is it all botched up, then, Master Puke? " "Aye, and marry it
is, good Master Snot" -- battle is inevitable:)
(Enter Cook and Miller, with swords.)
MILLER
Why then was this encounter nobly entertained
And so by steel shall this our contest be buckled up.
Come, sir. Let's to it.
COOK
Let's to it.
Good steel, thou shalt thyself in himself embowel.
MILLER
Come, sir. (They fight)
Ah ha, a hit!
COOK
No, sir, no hit, a miss! Come, sir, art foppish i' the mouth.
(They fight again. Cook 'hits' Miller.)
MILLER
Oh, God, fair cousin, thou hast done me wrong. (He dies)
Now is steel twixt gut and bladder interposed.
COOK
Oh, saucy Worcester, dost thou lie so still?...
--
I googled and found a bit more of this sketch at
http://www.paulgross.org/fringe.htm Scripts are available from various
drama publishers for performance, and on audio CD in the original 1961
London cast album, on three disks at:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000006SW2/002-0588478-6777658?v=glance&s=music&vi=samples#disc_1
and one disk with the same contents at:
http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/1267555/a/Complete+Recording.htm
A DVD Beyond the Fringe has just been released but I don't know if it
includes the Sh. bit:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000A6T1WW/qid%3D1124779640/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/002-0588478-6777658
Cheers,
Al Magary
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