In At The Death
Encyclopedia
A sketch revue performed at The Bush Theatre, London in 1978, most notable for being the first time that future colleagues Victoria Wood
and Julie Walters
would work together.
The show is described in Neil Brandwood's biography of Wood as an "alternative theatre company's sketch show about mortality."
After being impressed by Wood's songwriting skills, director Dusty Hughes invited her to be part of a six strong writing team. The topicality of the review was also deemed suitable for her, as she'd just finished writing weekly topical songs on the BBC1 consumer show That's Life!
.
Other writers included were Ken Campbell
, Snoo Wilson
, Ken Hutchinson and Nigel Baldwin. They were asked to write short items based on the weeks newspapers around the theme of death. Campbell took stories from the Malaysian New Strait Times, Baldwin the Holyhead and Anglesey Chronicle, but to be more accessible, Wood drew her inspiration strictly from the tabloids.
Wood wrote six items in the first half of the show, including a requiem for Guy the Gorilla
, a song about 'battered wives' (inspired by an article in The Sun
about domestic violence). A song called 'Road Blocks' about a motorcycle accident, and a melancholy number titled 'Love Song'. The second half featured a sketch by Wood called 'Dear Mum', about a middle classed woman who refuses to visit her mother in hospital, and also a harrowing song titled 'Abortion.'
In the cast was Julie Walters. Having only met Wood briefly eight years before, the two hit it off immediately. Wood also performed in the show, but said later "There was a sketch set in Belfast and I couldn’t do the accent, so they made me a deaf mute."
Wood received much critical acclaim for her work on the show though. The Daily Telegraph said her songs "successfully blend a gallows humour with an unexpected touch of humanity", and Time Out wrote "Victoria Wood's musical epigrams brilliantly embroider the action".
The revue was initially too short, and making up the shortfall, Wood discovered a new talent, writing comedy sketches. The sketch 'Sex' was set in a Manchester
library and starred Walters as a teenage girl who thinks she's pregnant asking Alison Fiske (as the librarian) advice. As almost the only comedy in the show, it came as a welcome relief to the audience and went down extremely well. During the writing process, Wood said she discovered her true voice. "It was the first thing I'd written with proper jokes and I thought "aha!" I'd suddenly found something I could do. It was a blinding flash, like learning a new language." The Times
said of the sketch that she was a "great discovery" who "got more poetry out of Manchester speech than I had heard for years".
The cast also included Godfrey Jackman, Philip Jackson
and Clive Merrison
. The production ran from 13 July to 6 August 1978.
Due to Wood's acclaim, then theatre director David Leland
commissioned her first play Talent
.
Victoria Wood
Victoria Wood CBE is a British comedienne, actress, singer-songwriter, screenwriter and director. Wood has written and starred in sketches, plays, films and sitcoms, and her live stand-up comedy act is interspersed with her own compositions, which she accompanies on piano...
and Julie Walters
Julie Walters
Julie Walters, CBE is an English actress and novelist. She came to international prominence in 1983 for Educating Rita, performing in the title role opposite Michael Caine. It was a role she had created on the West End stage and it won her BAFTA and Golden Globe awards for Best Actress...
would work together.
The show is described in Neil Brandwood's biography of Wood as an "alternative theatre company's sketch show about mortality."
After being impressed by Wood's songwriting skills, director Dusty Hughes invited her to be part of a six strong writing team. The topicality of the review was also deemed suitable for her, as she'd just finished writing weekly topical songs on the BBC1 consumer show That's Life!
That's Life!
That's Life! was a magazine-style television series on BBC1 between 26 May 1973 and 19 June 1994, presented by Esther Rantzen throughout the entire run, with various changes of co-presenters. The show was generally recorded about an hour prior to transmission, which was originally on Saturday...
.
Other writers included were Ken Campbell
Ken Campbell
Ken Campbell was an English writer, actor, director and comedian.Ken Campbell may also refer to:* Ken Campbell , Canadian evangelist* Ken Campbell , former Scotland international goalkeeper...
, Snoo Wilson
Snoo Wilson
Snoo Wilson, , born Andrew James Wilson, is an English playwright, screenwriter and director. His early plays such as Blow-Job were overtly political, often combining harsh social comment with comedy...
, Ken Hutchinson and Nigel Baldwin. They were asked to write short items based on the weeks newspapers around the theme of death. Campbell took stories from the Malaysian New Strait Times, Baldwin the Holyhead and Anglesey Chronicle, but to be more accessible, Wood drew her inspiration strictly from the tabloids.
Wood wrote six items in the first half of the show, including a requiem for Guy the Gorilla
Guy the Gorilla
Guy the Gorilla was a Western Lowland Gorilla who was London Zoo's famous resident, something of a celebrity in the 1960s–70s and was often profiled on kids TV shows and natural history productions...
, a song about 'battered wives' (inspired by an article in The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
about domestic violence). A song called 'Road Blocks' about a motorcycle accident, and a melancholy number titled 'Love Song'. The second half featured a sketch by Wood called 'Dear Mum', about a middle classed woman who refuses to visit her mother in hospital, and also a harrowing song titled 'Abortion.'
In the cast was Julie Walters. Having only met Wood briefly eight years before, the two hit it off immediately. Wood also performed in the show, but said later "There was a sketch set in Belfast and I couldn’t do the accent, so they made me a deaf mute."
Wood received much critical acclaim for her work on the show though. The Daily Telegraph said her songs "successfully blend a gallows humour with an unexpected touch of humanity", and Time Out wrote "Victoria Wood's musical epigrams brilliantly embroider the action".
The revue was initially too short, and making up the shortfall, Wood discovered a new talent, writing comedy sketches. The sketch 'Sex' was set in a Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
library and starred Walters as a teenage girl who thinks she's pregnant asking Alison Fiske (as the librarian) advice. As almost the only comedy in the show, it came as a welcome relief to the audience and went down extremely well. During the writing process, Wood said she discovered her true voice. "It was the first thing I'd written with proper jokes and I thought "aha!" I'd suddenly found something I could do. It was a blinding flash, like learning a new language." The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
said of the sketch that she was a "great discovery" who "got more poetry out of Manchester speech than I had heard for years".
The cast also included Godfrey Jackman, Philip Jackson
Philip Jackson (actor)
Philip Jackson is an English actor, known for his many television and film roles, most notably as Chief Inspector Japp in the television series Poirot and as Abbot Hugo, one of the recurring adversaries in the cult 1980s series Robin of Sherwood. Jackson was born in Retford, Nottinghamshire...
and Clive Merrison
Clive Merrison
Clive Merrison is a Welsh actor of film, television, stage and radio. He trained at Rose Bruford College.- Television :...
. The production ran from 13 July to 6 August 1978.
Due to Wood's acclaim, then theatre director David Leland
David Leland
David Leland is a director, screenwriter and actor who came to international fame with his directorial debut Wish You Were Here in 1987.-Life:...
commissioned her first play Talent
Talent (1978 play)
Talent is a play written by Victoria Wood, first performed in 1978. It centres around two friends, one of whom is about to enter a talent contest in a run down nightclub. Commissioned for the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, it received much acclaim and transferred to a London run in 1979. That same...
.