The Alchemist

Summary: 1961 BBC production of The Alchemist by Ben Jonson, ‘from the Midlands’, as noted in the Radio Times.
Theatre play: The Alchemist by Ben Jonson [more information]
Play synopsis: This is a comedy by one of the foremost Jacobean dramatists. ‘With his master, Lovewit, safely out of town, his servant, Jeremy, reinvents himself as Face and makes a fragile alliance with the conman, Subtle, and the prostitute, Dol. Working together like actors in a play, and employing all the virtuoso tricks of quick-change artists, they use Lovewit’s house as a base to part the greedy and the gullible from their cash. Soon a queue has formed, headed by the lawyer, Dapper, who dreams of getting rich without having to do any work; the tobacconist, Drugger, who, like a latterday believer in feng shui, believes the success of his business venture depends on the positioning of his shelves. There are religious fanatics, a chinless idiot, and a beautiful but vacant gum-chewing heiress. There are, however, no heroes in Jonson’s world of schemers and dreamers: one of the great pleasures of the play is its moral ambiguities. It’s very much a farcical romp’ (from Lyn Gardner’s review of a 2012 production, online at http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/sep/21/the-alchemist-review).
Production history: First performed in 1610 by the King’s Men.
Date of transmission: Monday 29 May 1961
Time: 9.20-10.50pm
Channel: BBC Television
Production company: BBC

Producer

Peter Dews

Playwright

Ben Jonson

Designer

Charles Carroll

Cast

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British Universities Film & Video Council