Written By Matthew Eastley
Oedipus The King February 1964
There’s no doubt that former English, Drama and occasional French master, Adrian Jarvis, is one of the most important teachers in St Mary’s history. Adrian taught at St Mary’s from 1956 to 1966 and was the driving force behind the annual school play.
When I began researching the history of the school, his name kept on coming up and hundreds of boys recall him with great affection. I have been fortunate enough to speak to Adrian and, through his son Stephen, who also attended St Mary’s in the 1960s, he supplied me with a whole raft of photographs from these superb productions.
Every year, without fail, the Kentish Times newspaper sent along someone to review the plays and I have managed to locate the majority of these reviews either through old boys supplying them or trawling through hours of microfiche in the library!
The superbly evocative photograph at the top, from the 1964 production of Sophocles’ Oedipus The King, shows the lead, played brilliantly by Roy Cecil, flanked by, left, John Escott and right, Steve Clark who played Ismene and Antigone respectively. Thanks to Phil Mackie for confirming the identities of John and Steve.
Considered one of the great Athenian classics, the play involves a man who unwittingly kills his father and marries his mother. When the truth of his identity is discovered, his mother commits suicide and he blinds himself to end his days his exile. Again my assumption is this startling scene comes towards the end of the play after Oedipus – horrified at his own incest and patricide – has gouged his own eyes out and laments the girls having been born into such a cursed family. Pretty heavy stuff for a school play!
The Kentish Times review was headlined ‘Fine Production by St Mary’s RC Grammar School Boys’ and reserved special praise for the performances of Cecil and David McAuliffe who, despite his height, was regularly given leading female roles by Jarvis. If only we’d have known this when he became our music master at the end of the 1970s!
The reviewer also praised Peter Cascarini’s Creon and Francis Gallagher’s Priest: “He had a star quality and one had to watch him,” said the reviewer of Cascarini and of Gallagher: “He delivered one long speech faultlessly. I felt more confidence in him that any of the other actors.”
These must be some of the old men of Thebes. Referring to the cast list above, are we able to put names to faces? Phil Mackie believes it might be Peter Camp in the centre
Some interesting names among the crew with future deputy head and headmaster Terry Smith in charge of lighting; Neville ‘Spike’ Wilkinson on sound; Chemistry master Doug Wingfield Stage Director; Art Master Brian Pratt as Designer and Spanish teacher Sidney Kenny-Levick as Associate Producer
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