STAGE: THE GOLDEN CRADLE, GREENWICH THEATRE 1978

1978: THE GOLDEN CRADLE: The Rising of The Moon – Lady Gregory, The Cat and The Moon – W.B.Yeats, Purgatory – W.B.Yeats, The Pot of Broth – W.B.Yeats, Riders To The Sea – J.M.Synge (Greenwich Theatre) Kevin Flood, T.P.McKenna, Patrick Waldron, Niall Buggy, James Healey, Kate Binchy, Roisin Donaghy; dir:Siobhan McKenna

This portmanteau evening of five early Irish plays was directed and produced as part of a Horniman festival for the Greenwich Theatre in 1978.  

Frederick John Horniman was a tea merchant and noted benefactor of South London who left his house and estate to be established as a museum and public garden in Forest Hill, however, it was his daughter, Anne, who was being celebrated at the Greenwich Theatre.

She was the founding director and administrator of Ireland's Abbey Theatre and had been encouraged to take up that role by WB Yeats in order to establish a 'golden  cradle' for Irish writing.

Ann Horniman

Five short plays were presented including The Rising of the Moon (Lady Gregory), The Cat and the Moon (WB Yeats), Purgatory (WB Yeats), The Pot of Broth (WB Yeats) and Riders to the Sea (JM Synge) with a distinguished Irish cast including NIall Buggy, Kate Binchy, Roisin Donaghy and TP with his fellow Abbey life member, Siobhan McKenna.

The plays neatly covered the gamut of Irish drama from the comical to the tragic and made for a highly entertaining evening that was for TP something of a homecoming.  Not just because he was performing works familiar from his Abbey days but also on account of the ensemble nature of the production where he might lead in one of the plays or have just a walk-on in another.

Company wise he was amongst old friends as is evident in the picture below taken by his brother-in-law, Liam White, for the London Evening Standard as part of the publicity for the production.  During rehearsals some of the cast had taken to travelling to Greenwich by the river and it was suggested that this mode of travel would present a good photo opportunity. 

The presence of a bar on board was an additional incentive!

Left to right: Kate Binchy, James Healy, Roisin Donaghy, 
Patrick Waldron,  Siobhan McKenna, TP, 
Kevin Flood and Niall Buggy.

photo: Liam White