British Universities Film & Video Council

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Beyond the Fringe: So That’s the Way You Like It

Synopsis
A sketch from the satirical revue Beyond the Fringe, written and performed by Alan Bennett, Dudley Moore, Peter Cook and Jonathan Miller, and first staged at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1960. The sketch satirises Shakespearean blank verse and the history plays in particular. An extract runs thus:
Miller: ‘Get thee to Gloucester, Essex. Do thee to
Wessex, Exeter,
Fair Albany to Somerset must eke his route
And Scroop, do you to Westmoreland, where shall
bold York
Enrouted now for Lancaster, with forces of our
Uncle Rutland’. It concludes:
`I most royally shall now to bed,
To sleep off all the nonsense I’ve just said’.
Language
English
Country
Great Britain
Medium
Video
Year of release
1961
Notes
The DVD of the Gala farewell stage performance is available as Region 1 only, a version running at 120mins. An audio version of the sketch is included in COMPLETE BEYOND THE FRINGE - a 3 CD box set available from retail outlets. The sketch also forms part of THE SHAKESPEARE REVUE performed by Christopher Luscombe and Malcolm McKee. See separate catalogue entry for details of format and availablility.
Subjects
Drama
Keywords
Shakespeare, William (1564-1616); Edinburgh Festival; Revues

Credits

Cast
Alan Bennett 
Dudley Moore 
Jonathan Miller 
Peter Cook 

Archive

Name

Paley Center for Media

Web
http://www.paleycenter.org/ External site opens in new window
Phone
(212) 621-6600
Address
25 West 52 Street
New York
New York
110019
USA
Notes
Formerly Museum of Television and Radio (MTR). The name changed in 2007.

Online Retailer

Name

amazon.com

Web
http://www.amazon.com External site opens in new window
View this record on the Shakespeare site for additional details

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