Chichester and its Festival of Theatre!

We went on a visit to Chichester. Now, this is one of England’s really old places with archaeological sites dating way back into pre-history at Boxgrove; and the spectacular palace of Togidubnus at Fishbourne dating from Roman times, not to mention the distinctly Roman lay out of Chichester’s present day street plan. Chichester also boasts an almost 1000 year old Cathedral, completed under Bishop Luffa in time for its consecration to the Holy Trinity in 1108. It is also famous for its modern art which was commissioned mainly during the late 20th century; including a window by Marc Chagall, a tapestry by John Piper and a painting by Graham Sutherland. Another, older monument is the fourteenth century table tomb on which lie the effigies of Richard Fitzalan Earl of Arundel, and his second wife Eleanor holding hands. This is the tomb which inspired the poet Philip Larkin to write his poem, ‘An Arundel Tomb’. Just as you enter the Cathedral and to the right is the Font. I particular like this piece from 1983, which is made from polished polyphant stone and beaten copper by John Skelton. On the wall beside it is a candle sconce, which was made as the model for the font.
After our visit to the town, we walked back up the bustling pedestrian shopping street towards the Festival Theatre. Here we were heading for an early dinner before attending the evening performance at the theatre. The Chichester Festival has become a world renowned Summer Festival running from April to September, which includes a themed season of plays from the classical to the contemporary, performed in the Festival and Minerva Theatres. There are also out-of-theatre events such as comedy and cabaret nights, open air performances, family days, talks and more. This year their theme is ‘Con Art’ and includes - well, why not visit their website to find out for yourself – www.cft.org.uk
We took our seats in the Chic Café; and alongside us were several famous actors. We guessed they were there to see David Warner in King Lear, which was to be performed in the Minerva Theatre that evening. We also glimpsed Dame Judy Dench on her way into the theatre – an actor whom we admire greatly. After a delicious buffet dinner and a glass or two of wine, we walked across the courtyard to the Festival Theatre, the larger of the two, to find our seats for the performance of ‘How to Succeed in Business. . . .’. Every seat in this theatre is a good seat, as the architect, Philip Powell, has created a wonderful place in which to perform. Chichester Festival Theatre was founded by Leslie Evershed-Martin CBE, a local man who was inspired by Canada's Stratford Ontario Shakespeare Memorial Theatre. The Festival Theatre opened to great acclaim in 1962. In that year, Sir Laurence Olivier was named director of the new National Theatre at the Old Vic, and until 1965 Chichester effectively provided the nucleus of his National Theatre Company. Subsequently the smaller and more intimate Minerva Theatre was built in 1989.
The performance began at 19.30, and from the outset we knew we were in for something special. The set was amazing – just a minimum of structure, which moved around to frame the various locations. It was set in the early sixties, with the girls in cute pastel dresses and the men in suits. Our star is Joe McFadden, whom we remember from his role in the BBC’s ‘The Crow Road’. The Big Boss is played by James Bolam, whose list of credits is endless. But the whole cast needs to be congratulated for making the evening such a pleasure. The show was exceedingly enjoyable in every respect.
All too soon it was time for us to drive home – about an hour and a half. We had had a great day out and are looking forward to subsequent visits to Chichester and its famous festival in the near future.