Brand

Summary: 1959 BBC production of Brand by Henrik Ibsen. Michael Elliott, who produced it for television, had also earlier in the same year directed it for the stage with the 59 Theatre Company at the Lyric Opera House, Hammersmith.
Theatre play: Brand by Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) [more information]
Play synopsis: Brand is a verse tragedy. ‘Brand is a priest who wants to take consequence of his choices, and is therefore deeply bound to doing the "right thing". He believes primarily in the will of man, and lives by the device "all or nothing". To make compromises is therefore difficult, or by his moral standards questionable at best. His picture of God is clearly derived from the Old Testament. His beliefs render him lonely in the end, as people around him, when put to the test, as a rule can not or will not follow his example. Brand is arguably a young idealist with a main purpose: to save the world, or at least Man’s soul. His visions are great, but his judgement of others may seem harsh and unfair’. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brand_%28play%29.
Production history: Written in 1865 and first performed in Stockholm, Sweden on 24 March 1867.
Date of transmission: Tuesday 11 August 1959
Time: 9.40-11.10pm
Series: Television World Theatre
Channel: BBC Television
Production company: BBC

Producer

Michael Elliott

Playwright

Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906)

Translator

Michael Meyer (from the Norwegian)

Designer

Gordon Roland

Costume Designer

Richard Negri

Cast

Notes: Billy Smart writes (at http://screenplaystv.wordpress.com/2012/01/27/world-theatre-brand-bbc-1959/): ‘Prior to its staging by the ‘59 Theatre Company at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith in 1959, Brand had only been performed professionally in Britain for one performance in 1912 [...] The 1959 Hammersmith production was presented for an extended run of several weeks as part of a six month residency at what was then the Lyric Opera House by the ‘59 Theatre Company, under the production of Casper Wrede and the direction of Michael Elliott. The season (of both new and classic plays) employed a repertory company of actors, including Dilys Hamlett, Patrick McGoohan, Fulton MacKay, Peter Sallis and Patrick Wymark. Michael Elliott was an inexperienced theatre director, but had worked extensively for television, having spent the previous few years directing plays for the BBC, including a production of Ibsen’s The Lady from the Sea in 1958. Brand was presented in a new translation, intended for performance, written in verse by Michael Meyer at short notice.'
Play tags: Christianity; Norwegian drama

Title: Brand (BBC, 1959)
Archive: BBC Information and Archives [more information]
Address
White City
London
UK
Telephone
+44 (0)20 8008 2288
Website
http://www.bbc.co.uk/informationandarchives/
Access
BBC Information and Archives is not open to the public.

Title: World Theatre: Brand (BBC, 1959) (Blog article)
Author/creator: Billy Smart (Author)
Reference: http://screenplaystv.wordpress.com/2012/01/27/world-theatre-brand-bbc-1959, published 27 January 2012

This record has been viewed 455 times.