The Wheel of Fire was a poetry/music/prose anthology directed by Nigel Sheinwald.
Performed once only in the latter part of the Summer Term 1969, it featured a
poetry reading by guest poet Christopher Logue (of Private Eye fame...).The Wheel of Fire was a poetry/music/prose anthology directed by Nigel Sheinwald.
Performed once only in the latter part of the Summer Term 1969, it featured a
poetry reading by guest poet Christopher Logue (of Private Eye fame...).
The photograph was taken by the Harrow Observer before the evening started- in the classroom across the corridor at the back of the Hall. The performance was at the rear of the Hall - like Contrasts had been the previous year. From left to right: Nicky Cook, Katie Finch, Christopher Logue, Francis Matthews, Clive Anderson. This photograph was sent in by Katie Finch (image is temporary)
Review by Michael Woods:
Nigel Sheinwald used 'fire' as a striking catchphrase for his anthology and produced an intelligent and stimulating programme of mainly modern poetry, drama and music. If we take any audience however, even of a very high standard of intelligence and with a keen love of poetry, it is vital to break up the presentation of material by a large proportion of often very superficial pieces, included, basically, just to create laughs. It takes a long time to stimulate an audience to respond to the vital and often sophisticated message which the producer is putting over. Despite his obvious attempts to do so, I do feel that the producer certainly needed much more variety of this nature. Remembering this reservation I would certainly like to enthuse over the choice of poems and other pieces in the Wheel of Fire. From Yeats to Ted Hughes was a contrast was a contrast handled with great delicacy and was, I feel, most successful.
It was interesting to compare the different styles of the four players. Nicola Cook tended to read her poems rather than act them and was given the longer set-pieces throughout the programme. But her intonation and expression showed great sensitivity - - the way she always managed to highlight the important words was most noticeable. Katie Finch we found more dramatic and indeed more forthright in her presentation. One always flet that she was trying to communicate to each member of the audience as an individual. As for Francis Matthews, his dramatic renderings have been criticised by those who failed to notice the infinite variety of his drunken Jungle Husband to the so-authentic Subaltern with the dropped 'r's, the Ted Hughes' Song with a moving feeling of understanding, and finally a most undramatic, cold Elegy of Fortinbras, which allowed the poem to speak for itself. And lastly remember Clive Anderson who a few nights later was to carry The Audition from strength to strength with his infectious, good-humoured vivacity. Here he was more aloof, forcing us to draw our own conclusions from such difficult poems as Stevie Smith's I Remember.
And now a word about Christopher Logue. Was he an over-expensive publicity gimmick which really did not work? I don't think so, because I feel that we learnt something from his self-confessed stylistically anonymous exposition of his own peculiar sick cynical view of life. Despite the many disparaging comments, I feel that Christopher Logue was worth having along.
Lastly, I wish t compliment the actual production technicalities. the sound was good, if a little abrupt at times. Good new things were done with lights: silhouettes were most effective, and the final candle-light death-masks were excessively intriguing.