Add MS 83128

Radio

83128. Eleanor Farjeon Papers. Vol. lii (ff. 215). ‘The Arraignment of Phryne’ (ff. 1-18), ‘The Glass Slipper’ (ff. 19-83), Masques (ff. 84-171) and ‘A Room at the Inn’ (ff. 172-215); [circa 1930s]-1964. Mostly typewritten. ‘The Arraignment of Phryne’, an ‘Operetta for Radio’, written by Eleanor and Herbert Farjeon with music by Geoffrey Wright. Originally written in 1943 to be performed at the Players’ Theatre, date of radio transmission unknown. ‘The Glass Slipper’, first transmitted on the BBC Home Service on 25 Dec. 1964, was adapted and produced for the radio by Raymond Raikes, and starred three members of the original 1944 London stage production. For the original stage production, see Add. 83090. ‘A Room at the Inn’, a masque by Eleanor and Herbert Farjeon with music by Harry Farjeon, was first broadcast on the BBC Regional Home Service on 20 Dec. 1936 and subsequently repeated on the BBC Regional Home Service (all except North) on 24 Dec. 1945. It was to have been performed as part of Eleanor and Herbert Farjeon’s 1942 revue ‘Light and Shade’ at the Ambassadors Theatre, London, but, after lengthy negotiations with the Lord Chamberlain’s office, Herbert Farjeon withdrew the piece three days after the first performance on 29 July 1942. For the copy submitted to the Lord Chamberlain’s Office as part of ‘Light and Shade’ and the related correspondence, see LCP. 1942/13, ff. 78-84, and LC Corr. 1942/4438. For song lyrics and production photographs for the performances of ‘A Room at the Inn’ at the Ambassadors Theatre, see the University of Bristol Theatre Collection, HF/PS/000171/10/1 and HF/P/000007/8. ‘A Room at the Inn’ was later performed independently at the Cripplegate Theatre, London, on 31 Dec. 1957. For the copy submitted to the Lord Chamberlain’s Office for this production and related correspondence, see LCP 1957/59 and LC Corr. 1957/616. Published in Radio Times, 18 Dec. 1931, and as A Room at the Inn: A Christmas Masque (1957).

1. ff. 1-8. Notes on Phryne, a fourth-century Greek hetaeria; n.d.

2. ff. 9-17. Draft of ‘The Arraignment of Phryne’ with inserts; n.d.

3. f. 18. [italics]Autograph[/italics] letter from Geoffrey Wright to Herbert Farjeon asking to collaborate on the music for the stage production of ‘The Arraignment of Phryne’; 30 April [1944?].

4. ff. 19-79. BBC script of ‘The Glass Slipper’; 1964.

5. ff. 80-83. Correspondence with Raymond Raikes; 1 Oct. 1964-1 Jan. 1965.

6. ff. 84-146. ‘Five Masques’; [[italics]circa[/italics] 1930s]. Written by Eleanor and Herbert Farjeon. Drafts with some [italics]autograph[/italics] revisions. Includes ‘A Masque of Neptune (ff. 85-95), ‘A Masque of Wimbledon’ (ff. 96-112), ‘A Masque of Lob’ (ff. 113-123) and ‘A Masque of Broadcasting’ (ff. 124-144). ‘A Masque of Christmas’, the fifth Masque referred to in the title list (f. 84) is not present. ‘A Masque of Neptune’ was published in [italics]The Radio Times[/italics], 31 July 1931. ‘A Masque of Lob’ was broadcast on the BBC Regional Home Service (West) on 20 Dec. 1936. Also includes a [italics]printed[/italics] copy of ‘A Masque of Broadcasting’ from [italics]The Radio Times[/italics], 13 May 1932 (ff. 145-146).

7. ff. 147-171. ‘A Masque of the Months’; 22 Dec. 1933, n.d. With a [italics]printed[/italics] copy of ‘A Masque of the Months’ from [italics]The Radio Times[/italics], 22 Dec. 1933 (ff. 170-171).

8. ff. 172-179. Script of ‘A Room at the Inn’ for the 1936 broadcast with [italics]autograph[/italics] revisions; Dec. 1936.

9. ff. 180-215. Four scripts of ‘A Room at the Inn’ for the 1945 broadcast with [italics]autograph[/italics] revisions; Dec. 1945.