Joan Plowright

Speaker 10:00

Hello, I'm Kirsty Young, and this is a download from the Desert Island Discs archive. This edition may be slightly different from what was actually brought.

Presenter0:08

Cast, but it is the only version we have. It comes from the British Library's radio collection.

Presenter0:14

The recording didn't contain the guests' eight music choices, so we've rebuilt the original show by using discs from the B B C Gramophone library. For Wright's reasons we've had to shorten the music.

Presenter0:25

Full details can be found on the Castaways page on the Desert Island Disc.

Speaker 10:29

Website.

Speaker 10:30

The programme was originally broadcast in nineteen eighty one.

Presenter0:32

1.

Speaker 10:33

Uh

Presenter0:33

Yeah.

Presenter0:33

And

Speaker 10:34

The presenter was Roy Plumley.

Presenter0:52

Our castaway this week is the actress Joan Plowright. Joan, how much does music mean in your life?

Joan Plowright0:58

It's meant a great deal in my life ever since uh I was a child.

Joan Plowright1:03

The house was always full of music. My parents were both very fond of music, though they couldn't play.

Presenter1:07

You play it, of course. You play the colour.

Joan Plowright1:09

Yes, I played. Yes, I was the middle one of three children. I have two brothers. And we all played.

Presenter1:16

Has that been useful to you in the theatre? Have you played on stage?

Joan Plowright1:20

Oh, goodness, yes.

Joan Plowright1:22

I mean, I trained at the Oldwick Theatre School, which is a classical school.

Joan Plowright1:27

And

Joan Plowright1:28

Most classical plays need music and dance and singing. One is usually called upon to do a peasant dance or a song.

Presenter1:36

Yeah.

Presenter1:38

Do you sing?

Joan Plowright1:39

Yes, I do.

Presenter1:40

How well could you face up to isolation?

Joan Plowright1:43

Yeah

Joan Plowright1:45

I think I maybe could.

Joan Plowright1:49

I'm just saying could face up to it. I'm not saying well.

Presenter1:52

Would music help this meagre allowance of just eight records?

Joan Plowright1:56

Tremendously.

Presenter1:57

What's the first one you have, though?

Joan Plowright1:59

Sibelius, the four legends, the most famous one, I think, the Swan of Tonella.

Presenter2:07

Why'd you choose that?

Joan Plowright2:08

It's because the first time I heard it when I was a girl.

Joan Plowright2:13

It made an extraordinary impression on me. I was a teenager.

Joan Plowright2:17

There was a

Joan Plowright2:18

strange painting on my bedroom wall.

Joan Plowright2:22

How

Joan Plowright2:23

snow-capped mountains, just a weird sort of landscape painting by nobody at all known. I mean, not a famous painting.

Joan Plowright2:31

And this picture

Joan Plowright2:33

reminded me a little bit of that too.

Joan Plowright2:36

Of the music.

Joan Plowright2:38

They tied up together. I used to

Joan Plowright2:42

uh dream a lot to that piece of music.

Presenter3:44

The opening of Sebelius's The Swan of Tuonela, Sir John Barbaroli conducting the Halle Orchestra.

Presenter3:51

Now you're from Lincolnshire, whereabouts?

Joan Plowright3:53

Scanthorpe. Well, actually, originally I was born in Brigg. They're both in Lincolnshire.

Presenter3:57

They're both

Joan Plowright3:58

within a few miles of each other.

Presenter4:00

And your father a journalist?

Joan Plowright4:02

He was the editor of the local paper.

Presenter4:03

Oh f

Presenter4:04

Yeah.

Joan Plowright4:05

He was the editor of the paper first of all in Brigg and then of the Scumpork and Trollingham Star.

Presenter4:11

You went to a Scunthorpe grammar school. What were you good at?

Joan Plowright4:15

English?

Joan Plowright4:16

French in those days, not since.

Presenter4:19

And where the school plays?

Joan Plowright4:21

Oh, yes, of course.

Presenter4:22

And you enjoyed those?

Joan Plowright4:22

Yes.

Presenter4:23

What did you want to be? Did journalism attract you?

Joan Plowright4:26

Yes, it did. I wanted to be all sorts of things.

Joan Plowright4:30

One time I wanted to be a dancer.

Joan Plowright4:33

I wanted to be a missionary.

Joan Plowright4:37

I

Joan Plowright4:39

wanted to be a teacher.

Presenter4:40

Mm.

Joan Plowright4:41

I was a teacher for about a year.

Presenter4:43

Yes. Now how did that come about?

Joan Plowright4:45

was because I couldn't get into the Ovick Theatre School until I was eighteen. I had left school just turned seventeen.

Joan Plowright4:54

And

Joan Plowright4:55

I was going to be given a grant by the Lindsay, as it was called then, the Lindsay Education Authority.

Joan Plowright5:00

to go to drama school.

Joan Plowright5:02

and it was the first time they'd ever given anybody a grant for that.

Joan Plowright5:06

It took quite a fight to get it out of them. They would give me a grant.

Joan Plowright5:09

If I used my

Joan Plowright5:11

Um high school certificate to go

Joan Plowright5:14

to college or to university, but they were not keen to use it to go to drama school and it was

Joan Plowright5:20

the headmaster of the grammar school who persuaded them.

Joan Plowright5:23

So, in gratitude for that, I did a year as a supply teacher.

Presenter5:28

I see.

Presenter5:30

Now, why the theatre, Joan? Was there any one inspiring moment, one particular performance you saw? When did the the blinding light strike you and you you decided you had to be an actress?

Joan Plowright5:44

I can't remember when. I mean, it's been as long as I've ever known.

Joan Plowright5:49

That I've

Joan Plowright5:50

Loved it.

Joan Plowright5:52

wanted to do it, possibly because my mother did. I used to from being a

Speaker 15:55

Uh

Joan Plowright5:57

A baby I watched my mother in the Amateur Dramatic Society. We we had to have a a spaniel for a long time flush when she played Elizabeth Barrett Brown.

Joan Plowright6:09

Yeah.

Speaker 26:09

Uh

Joan Plowright6:10

She was also in the operatic society. I mean, the house was full of it, really full of longings, yearnings, aspirations towards ballet, music, and drama.

Presenter6:19

and off you went to the Olvic school.

Presenter6:22

Before we talk about that, let's have your second record. What's that to be?

Joan Plowright6:25

Uh the second one is the Beethoven sixth. It it took me a long time to choose between the fifth and the sixth. They were the first I heard when we were taken out to hear our concerts in Lincolnshire, in Leeds actually. But I I would rather have the sixth to live with for a long time.

Presenter7:45

The opening of Beethoven's Sixth Symphony, at the Pastoral, Otto Klemperer conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra. Now, the Old Vic Theatre School off he went to London. Some very distinguished names were working there, especially the the teachers.

Joan Plowright7:59

Yes, George Devine, Glenby's.

Joan Plowright8:03

Michel Saint-Denis all three ran the school.

Presenter8:07

It was quite a small school, wasn't it?

Joan Plowright8:09

Yes, it was. There were several courses. We all worked together in a way uh that I think rarely happens in other schools. There was a director's course, a stage manager's course, a designer's course.

Joan Plowright8:22

As well as the actors' course.

Presenter8:24

How closely did you work with the theatre? Did you walk on as students in the productions?

Joan Plowright8:29

No, not actually not until the third year. There this was something that came in a little bit later. You did a two year course, and if you were chosen for the third year or wanted to do it, you then joined the Ulvick Theatre Company, and played small parts, as you say, and walked on.

Presenter8:45

What was your very first professional appearance?

Joan Plowright8:48

In an in a professional company or when myself as a professional I mean, I appeared first of all in the Harry Hanson Repertory Company in Scanthorpe.

Presenter8:56

Did you?

Joan Plowright8:57

Because I won the Harry Hanson Drama Trophy at the Drama Festival, and the prize was to appear in that week's play with his repertoire camera.

Presenter9:06

With his repertoire camera.

Joan Plowright9:08

I can't remember. It was a dreadful plague.

Presenter9:10

That was before the old victim.

Joan Plowright9:12

Oh yes. I was only fifteen.

Presenter9:13

I was

Presenter9:14

Yeah.

Joan Plowright9:14

It was a dreadful play and it was really rather a tatty company. Everybody was playing cards and missing their entrances.

Presenter9:21

Hoo dear.

Joan Plowright9:22

Yes, it was not very dedicated.

Presenter9:23

No. Well now, after your training, what was your first appearance?

Joan Plowright9:29

My first appearance after my training was in a late-night review, actually.

Joan Plowright9:38

I think it was Ian Carmichael in there were two little theatres called the Watergate Theatre and the Irving Theatre. Yes, I remember. Yes. You used to do late night trivue. I did about a three week stint there with two friends from drama school.

Presenter9:43

Yes, I remember.

Joan Plowright9:51

Then I went.

Joan Plowright9:53

You see, I don't know. I've always said the first was a character called Hope.

Joan Plowright9:59

in a play called If Four Walls Told at Croydon Rep. And that was the first one really, except for this little tiny three week stint in the evening, which nobody knows about.

Presenter10:04

And

Speaker 110:04

Uh

Presenter10:10

No. Grand Theatre Croydon, what happened then?

Joan Plowright10:14

Well, then I went into the Old Vic Theatre Company. Mhm. I did a whole year as a a fairy and understudy and again, I mean a Midsummer Nights Dream Fairy. We replaced the boys. Guthrie had had a lot of boys in one of his productions. And the boys had to go back to school. So professional actresses last had a chance.

Presenter10:37

And you were the Bristol old Vic, too, that beautiful theatre.

Joan Plowright10:40

Yes, yes, I did. I went there actually after touring South Africa with the Old Rick Theatre Company.

Presenter10:47

What was your first West End appearance?

Joan Plowright10:50

My first Western appearance was

Joan Plowright10:52

A transfer from the Bristol, old Vic.

Joan Plowright10:56

Of

Joan Plowright10:57

The Duanna put to music by Julian Slay.

Presenter11:00

Mm-hmm.

Joan Plowright11:01

though not for very long.

Presenter11:05

And you were in Orson Welles's rather sensational production of Melvie Dick.

Joan Plowright11:08

Indeed yes, I had auditioned for Olson when he was doing Othello.

Joan Plowright11:14

and he nearly gave me the part of biang.

Joan Plowright11:17

And then he didn't. He took a a film star instead. So I think when I came back to audition for Pip the Cabin Boy, he felt some remorse and he gave me the park.

Presenter11:26

You had a a rather upsetting press notice from Ken Tynan.

Joan Plowright11:30

Oh, God, yes, I did.

Presenter11:31

Matt heard.

Joan Plowright11:31

Med?

Joan Plowright11:33

Well, it was the first I'd had. You see, when you're sort of promising and going you never dream that anybody's going to dislike you.

Presenter11:40

But mister Wells gave you some sensible advice about that.

Joan Plowright11:44

Yes, he did two or three bits of advice, actually. He said, First of all, how dare you presume you will please everybody? when I was sulky about notices.

Joan Plowright11:54

Another thing he said which I found uh have found it interesting since.

Joan Plowright12:00

He said one thing you ought to remember if you're going to go on in this profession, and get there and make it and stay there.

Joan Plowright12:08

That every night when you go on, step on to a stage.

Joan Plowright12:11

There will be a certain percentage in the audience who do not go for your chemistry.

Joan Plowright12:18

He said, If they don't go for your chemistry, make sure they admire your skill.

Joan Plowright12:24

And he was quite right.

Presenter12:25

Splendid.

Presenter12:27

Well, then what? You did a season in Nottingham?

Joan Plowright12:31

Yes.

Joan Plowright12:32

Supposedly

Presenter12:32

A good leading part.

Joan Plowright12:34

Yes, yes. I don't remember much. I did a Euston off play. I was turned down for St Joan, but I did it late.

Presenter12:42

Your third record.

Joan Plowright12:44

I'm going to choose something by William Walton.

Joan Plowright12:47

It's very difficult to know what to choose.

Joan Plowright12:49

He is a friend, and he'll be very cross that I don't choose something weightier.

Joan Plowright12:54

and his later work, but I have a special

Joan Plowright12:56

Sort of feeling about facade.

Joan Plowright12:59

And

Joan Plowright13:00

I'd rather have it without.

Joan Plowright13:03

The speaking, because I shall do the speaking to it myself on the island. I'd like the orchestral.

Presenter13:07

I'd like

Presenter13:09

Yeah. And which section shall we hear?

Joan Plowright13:12

We'll hear the popular song.

Speaker 113:21

Yeah.

Joan Plowright13:23

Uh

Joan Plowright14:10

Yeah.

Presenter14:13

Popular song from William Walton's Façade Suite, Anatole Fistulare conducting the Royal Opera House Orchestra.

Presenter14:20

Now the next move in your career, Joan, was an important one. You you joined the Rebels.

Joan Plowright14:26

Oh yes yes, it was very strange to me that I'd trained

Joan Plowright14:31

totally at a classical school. I mean, in in classical work.

Joan Plowright14:35

but eventually made my name in contemporary theatre.

Presenter14:39

This was the the royal court. Were you an angry young woman when you went to work with the angry young men? Did you feel particularly rebellious, or was it just another job that was turning up?

Joan Plowright14:50

No, I was not really an angry young woman. I probably became one, mixing with them all. Um

Joan Plowright14:56

It was a link from my training, my student days, with George Devine. It was George Devine who wrote me I was in I believe I was in Nottingham rough

Joan Plowright15:08

And

Joan Plowright15:09

said he was forming this company and he wanted a certain kind of actor and actress in it.

Joan Plowright15:15

and he wanted me to come along and do an audition because Tony Richardson, his partner,

Joan Plowright15:21

Didn't know me, hadn't seen me. He wanted me in the company, but I had to just do something for Tony.

Presenter15:26

It was essentially a writers' theatre.

Joan Plowright15:28

Oh, goodness, yes, though it became a very special place for actors, too.

Presenter15:32

Tell me about some of the playwrights in in whose work you played there.

Joan Plowright15:36

The first two actually were novelists, and they weren't.

Joan Plowright15:40

Didn't make the name of the theatre particularly.

Joan Plowright15:43

Uh Nigel Dennis, Angus Wilson.

Joan Plowright15:45

wonderful writers, but not for that particular theatre.

Joan Plowright15:49

But Osborne, Wesker.

Joan Plowright15:53

Uh these were the two main ones.

Presenter15:54

Yeah.

Joan Plowright15:55

Of course, at the time I was there.

Presenter15:57

Some of them transferred, of course. You you went into John Osborne's The Entertainer uh uh and that moved up to the palace into the west end.

Joan Plowright16:04

Yes, yes. Well, other things transferred actually. Both The Country Wife, which was my first success there, though that again was a classical revival, was the one.

Joan Plowright16:14

They put on at the end of the first year to make money because the others had lost it.

Joan Plowright16:18

There transferred to the Adelphi, then Roots transferred to the Duke of York's.

Presenter16:22

And

Joan Plowright16:22

And yes, the entertainer went to the palace.

Presenter16:25

A root, of course. Arnold Wesker's roots, you you made a tremendous success in that, a personal success.

Joan Plowright16:31

Yes, that was very, very close to my heart. That particular part I shall be forever grateful to Arnold for writing it.

Presenter16:39

And not only did John Osborne's The Entertainer go to the West End, it also went to New York, and you with it. Was it in that play that you met the man who was to become your present husband, Laurence Olivier?

Joan Plowright16:50

Yes, indeed it was.

Joan Plowright16:52

I was playing in the country wife when he was going to do it. He came to see that.

Joan Plowright16:57

And George s suggested that I should do it. I actually left the

Joan Plowright17:03

cast in London to go to New York first because I was doing the double bill of UNESCO in Broadway.

Joan Plowright17:11

just off Broadway, and then the entertainer came over and I rejoined it, and we were there for quite a long time.

Presenter17:15

Mm-hmm.

Presenter17:18

Now you had five or six years of so called revolutionary drama at the Royal Court, and in the middle of it you went off and played in a West End comedy with Robert Morley, Hook, Line, and Sinker. That must have been a splendid contrast.

Joan Plowright17:29

That must have been a

Joan Plowright17:31

Yes, it was. Yes. As you say, I'd probably been there three to four years.

Joan Plowright17:37

I'd had a wonderful time. It was an exciting

Joan Plowright17:40

optimistic period that time at the Royal Court, but very hard work for us. We were doing about six or seven plays a year.

Joan Plowright17:49

So one was rehearsing all day as well as playing at night.

Joan Plowright17:52

And I had made a name Robert hopefully thought would

Joan Plowright17:57

Help in the West End.

Joan Plowright17:59

So he started to

Joan Plowright18:01

come along at night and

Joan Plowright18:03

Bring flowers and boxes of chocolate.

Joan Plowright18:05

and asked me to be in this sort of boulevard comedy which he'd translated from the French. I turned it down several times. I mean

Joan Plowright18:13

He really sort of broke down my

Joan Plowright18:16

Initial reluctance by offering to conduct rehearsals in the south of France on the beat.

Presenter18:21

On the beach.

Joan Plowright18:22

Uh

Presenter18:22

A splendid idea.

Joan Plowright18:24

Oh, it was wonderful. I think he had to pay for it later, but it was marvellous.

Presenter18:30

Well good. That was that was a splendid moment. Let's pause there and have record number four.

Joan Plowright18:35

It's very good to move from Robert Morley to Peter Sellars, because my next one is a little bit of light comic relief from Peter Sellars. It's also rather indicative of

Joan Plowright18:48

an attitude at the royal court at that time.

Joan Plowright18:52

And it's uh

Joan Plowright18:53

A scene or a sketch from a record he made called Fool Britannia.

Speaker 219:06

Uh

Speaker 219:07

The following three men are homosexual spies.

Speaker 219:13

Readings for England in Russia.

Presenter19:15

Yeah.

Speaker 119:16

Yeah.

Speaker 219:17

William got well.

Joan Plowright19:20

But

Speaker 219:21

Wrong piece of paper, huh? Oh yes, I got the wrong piece of paper.

Presenter19:26

Peter Sellers on a disc of the early sixties, Fool Britannia.

Presenter19:31

Joan, after your rebellious phase, you had a rather high class period at the opening of Chichester Festival, Chester Festival, Edinburgh Festival.

Presenter19:41

And then you joined the National.

Presenter19:43

That was the beginning of the National.

Joan Plowright19:44

Yes, indeed it was.

Presenter19:46

Exciting days

Joan Plowright19:47

Oh, wonderful days, but fraught, too.

Presenter19:51

You had what a ten-year run of playing some really wonderful parts.

Joan Plowright19:56

Yes.

Presenter19:56

Saint John, for example.

Joan Plowright19:57

Oh, Saint Joan. Yes, absolutely. Um, Marcia, three sisters. Sonia, Uncle Vanya. Porsche, the merchant of Venice.

Presenter20:03

Mm.

Presenter20:08

And then after the national, your your Italian period, two long running plays by De Filippo.

Joan Plowright20:15

Yes, well that did start at the National, of course. Zeffirelli.

Joan Plowright20:19

who had also done Matado About Nothing, his very splendid version, which displeased some of the critics, but very much entertained the audience.

Joan Plowright20:30

had become a friend and a colleague.

Joan Plowright20:34

And he uh with Kenneth Tynan, who was the literary adviser then.

Joan Plowright20:41

decided that um it was time the Filippo was known in this country.

Joan Plowright20:45

And I think the reason he never was has never been a good translation before.

Speaker 220:49

Hmm.

Joan Plowright20:49

And Saturday, Sunday, Monday was the first one they chose with um

Joan Plowright20:55

Willis Hall and Keith Waterhouse to do a translation. Of course, it was a huge success.

Presenter20:59

That transferred to the West Bank.

Joan Plowright21:01

That transferred to the West End, and during that time Tynan and Zepharelli suggested to me that I should do Philomena.

Presenter21:09

Which had a very successful run. Very Italian at not only the production, but your performance. Do you know Italy well?

Joan Plowright21:17

I do, yes. Uh, apart from first going out to Iskio to stay with William Walton and Susannah.

Joan Plowright21:25

Also, I spent a lot of time

Joan Plowright21:28

studying the Neapolitans.

Joan Plowright21:31

by having holidays with Zepharelli and Positano, and one would go into Naples and watch the people the plays were written about. And Zeph has a great I call him Zeph Franco a great feeling for Naples and for the Neapolitan plays.

Joan Plowright21:48

Uh he was enormous of enormous help to us.

Presenter21:50

Yes, indeed.

Presenter21:52

Record number five. What's that to be?

Joan Plowright21:55

Well, I would very much like it to be Laurence Olivier.

Joan Plowright21:59

Doing

Joan Plowright22:00

One of the songs from The Entertainer, a of course it was the play in which we met.

Joan Plowright22:06

B

Joan Plowright22:08

It was a great part for him.

Presenter22:10

Indeed.

Joan Plowright22:10

Uh

Joan Plowright22:11

He himself adored it. Dynan said Osborne had written one of the greatest parts of this century. I believe it was too. And um

Joan Plowright22:23

I know it may seem wrong to choose that instead of Henry the Fifth, but it does have a particular

Joan Plowright22:30

Special appeal for me. I'd like Why Should I Care?

Presenter22:34

And this is from the soundtrack of the film version.

Joan Plowright22:37

Yes.

Presenter22:38

Why should I care? Why should I let it?

Joan Plowright22:41

Alright, let's

Presenter22:43

Touch me.

Presenter22:47

Why shouldn't I sit down and try?

Speaker 222:51

Yeah.

Presenter22:51

Let it pass over me Why should they stare?

Speaker 222:55

Why?

Presenter22:59

Why should I let it get me?

Speaker 223:00

Thy land

Presenter23:02

The Voice of Laurence Olivier.

Presenter23:05

Joan, practically your entire career has been associated with success. You've just had the experience of of being in a West End flop. Has that shaken you very much?

Joan Plowright23:15

No, it's quite wrong to say Mantakri has been associated with successes. I used to do lots of very avant garde plays at the Royal Court, where people upped their seats and left the theatre like the chairs.

Speaker 123:27

Like the chair.

Joan Plowright23:29

People used to stand up and shout Surrealist rubbish.

Speaker 123:29

People used to stand up.

Joan Plowright23:34

At us, and we were quite pleased. We thought that was what we were there for. Now, nobody is shouting surrealist rubbish, and one or two critics probably have at this time.

Joan Plowright23:43

But they haven't quite taken the play.

Joan Plowright23:46

Or some of them. It's very difficult to know.

Joan Plowright23:50

They hadn't taken it to their hearts, let's say no, quite obviously, or it would have run longer.

Presenter23:52

Yeah.

Presenter23:55

Well, the play we're talking about, of course, is in joy.

Joan Plowright23:57

Yes.

Presenter23:58

By Alan Bennett.

Joan Plowright23:59

That's right.

Joan Plowright24:01

If the opinions do differ, there are people who think it is a wonderful evening.

Joan Plowright24:07

They haven't quite said it's a wonderful play, because it has faults, I suppose. And there are others who think it is too flawed.

Joan Plowright24:15

As actors we don't mind that, you see. To us it's an experience to get an exhilarating original script which is fascinating to work on.

Joan Plowright24:25

Yet you may not quite know how it's going to end. In fact, one didn't quite know how this play was going to end. Enjoy. It had two or three endings.

Joan Plowright24:34

and we had to finally settle on one to open. But the whole experience for us was

Joan Plowright24:39

And for me.

Joan Plowright24:41

particularly at this moment in my career.

Joan Plowright24:43

an extremely worthwhile one. I was a little bit tired of being in them safe successes.

Presenter24:50

And you've been able to renew your partnership with Colin Blakely, the partnership you had so successfully in Philomena.

Joan Plowright24:56

Yes, that's right, yes.

Presenter24:58

You've played so many classic roles. Are there any that you've missed which you still want to have a shot at?

Joan Plowright25:04

Well, there are some that I've missed and I'm not sure I still want to have a shot of.

Presenter25:08

And you have never done Shakespeare's Scottish Lady, have you?

Joan Plowright25:08

Yeah.

Joan Plowright25:11

Ah now that one I could still have a shot at. Yes, quite possibly. There was another one that I was asked to do by both Jonathan Miller and Dexter, and time has gone by. That's the Lady of the Nile.

Presenter25:24

Yeah.

Joan Plowright25:24

And um I'm actually quite glad it's gone by because Glenda did it, everybody's done it now, and it's too late. But the Scottish Lady, yes, that might be a possibility.

Presenter25:37

Films haven't played much of a part in your life.

Joan Plowright25:39

No.

Joan Plowright25:40

There was

Presenter25:40

There was a time back in the fifties, I think, before you went to the Royal Court, when you were offered a seven-year contract. You you turned it down.

Joan Plowright25:47

Yes, it's true. It was a strange time after playing The Country Wife because I played it opposite Laurence Harby, who was a big film star at the m time.

Presenter25:54

Yeah.

Speaker 125:55

Uh

Joan Plowright25:56

And I was asked if I would

Joan Plowright25:58

Sign up and do this script in a modern version of a country girl coming to London and Laurence Harvey was going to be the man about town.

Joan Plowright26:07

It all sounded rather impossible. My agent was also very clever, I think, saying

Joan Plowright26:13

You start off in films like that, you will

Joan Plowright26:16

Most likely be typecast, as that. In the theatre you need not be typecast. There is that willing suspension of disbelief. You can play many, many things on stage and across the footlights to an audience that you cannot play on the screen.

Joan Plowright26:32

You can impersonate on the stage, you have to just exist on the screen.

Presenter26:36

You haven't bothered very much with television either. It's always been the theatre.

Joan Plowright26:41

Yes, it has. It's all s it has been a bit to do with my personal life, in that while Larry was at the National Theatre and I was there helping him and running a family and home It was not very easy to take on extra jobs.

Presenter26:59

Quite. Yes, you have got through a vast amount of work in your career to date, but you've also had to be Lady Olivia occasionally. And did you say bring up three children?

Joan Plowright27:05

And if you

Joan Plowright27:07

Yes, yes.

Presenter27:09

You are obviously a very well organised person.

Joan Plowright27:11

Ah ha My staff might not say that at home.

Presenter27:15

Your husband is busy writing his autobiography. How's that going?

Joan Plowright27:18

I think it's going very well.

Joan Plowright27:20

I know he's behind, but then people writing over seem to be behind. I should say he's about half way.

Presenter27:28

What are your plans next?

Joan Plowright27:30

I'm reading three plays at the moment, one by Arnold Wesker.

Joan Plowright27:36

An old friend?

Joan Plowright27:37

And also a television script.

Joan Plowright27:40

I have also been commissioned to write my autobiography.

Speaker 127:44

Yeah.

Joan Plowright27:45

Which will include, of course, the Royal Court time and Chichester and the National Theatre.

Presenter27:49

Yeah.

Presenter27:51

Okay.

Joan Plowright27:52

And uh yes I'm looking forward to that too.

Presenter27:54

Well, it's all decisions, isn't it? And and you are m faced with an immediate decision, your sixth record.

Joan Plowright28:01

I wanted to choose a a modern musical and the one

Joan Plowright28:05

That made the deepest impression on me was Westside Story. It was on when I first went to America.

Joan Plowright28:13

to play on Broadway, and that was an exciting time, and the musical, I'm afraid, was the version of Romeo and Juliet that made me cry the most.

Speaker 128:26

I feel pretty, oh so pretty I feel pretty and witty and gay and I pity any girl who's in me so they feel charming, oh so charming It's alarming how charming I feel and so pretty And I hardly can believe I'm real

Joan Plowright28:51

That, of course, was a a rather jollier number, I feel pretty, not one of the more emotional ones, like Maria or

Joan Plowright29:01

Tonight or somewhere.

Presenter29:03

And that was from the soundtrack of the film.

Joan Plowright29:05

of the film.

Presenter29:06

Let's go straight on to your seventh record we've got to.

Joan Plowright29:11

Yes, now I had a terrible

Joan Plowright29:12

Problem here.

Joan Plowright29:14

of choosing between the Beatles.

Joan Plowright29:16

who because of the sort of revolution they made.

Joan Plowright29:20

In music

Joan Plowright29:22

which I likened rather to the revolution at the Royal Court that we made in drama, so I felt a sort of a kinship with them. I also liked their records.

Joan Plowright29:31

But I have got a very

Joan Plowright29:34

Great liking for the soundtrack music of The Graduate, the film The Graduate by Simon and Garfunkel, and it's the sort of record I can put on.

Joan Plowright29:44

when people are coming in to dinner or I can sit and read with All Write while it's on. I just love it.

Presenter29:50

And what's this number called?

Joan Plowright29:51

Uh it's called The Sounds of Silence.

Presenter29:57

Hello, darkness, my old friend.

Presenter30:01

I've come to talk with you again.

Presenter30:06

Because a vision softly creeping

Presenter30:10

Left its seats while I was sleeping

Presenter30:15

Pamper vision

Presenter30:17

That was planted in my brain.

Presenter30:21

Still remains.

Presenter30:24

Simon and Garfunkel.

Presenter30:26

Have you ever visited the tropics, Joan?

Joan Plowright30:29

The tropics

Presenter30:29

Yeah.

Joan Plowright30:30

No, I've been to semi tropics, which is Barbados.

Presenter30:33

Which is part of the

Presenter30:34

Ah. I mean, how would you be at looking after yourself on a desert island? Have you garnered any ideas during your travels?

Joan Plowright30:42

No.

Joan Plowright30:43

No, I can't think of anything that would make me completely self-sufficient on an island I should have to trust in my wit.

Presenter30:49

You could rig up some sort of shelter. Were you ever a girl?

Joan Plowright30:51

I think so. I was a girl guide. Oh, yes, I was. Thrush Patrol.

Presenter30:55

Hmm.

Joan Plowright30:56

I can make a fire.

Presenter30:56

I can

Presenter30:58

Yes, and tie knots.

Joan Plowright30:59

I can tie knots, I've done all that.

Presenter31:02

Would you try to escape?

Joan Plowright31:03

Oh yes, I guess I would, you know.

Presenter31:06

Do you know anything about smallcraft, about navigation?

Joan Plowright31:08

No, nothing at all. But I would have to rig out signs to wave at passing ships.

Joan Plowright31:14

Hopefully.

Joan Plowright31:16

Smoke signals.

Presenter31:17

Yes, sir.

Presenter31:19

Right. And record number eight, no. You're lost.

Joan Plowright31:22

My last one is uh to do with something we talked about earlier, actually, because it's the dance I did in Roots. The scene in Roots where Beattie is trying to explain the value of classical music to her mother, or the better things in life.

Joan Plowright31:37

And she plays

Joan Plowright31:39

This record, Bise, and dances finally to it. Now, I haven't actually chosen that particular dance because.

Joan Plowright31:47

I'm also very fond of

Joan Plowright31:49

The music of Carmen.

Joan Plowright31:51

And I love the opera.

Joan Plowright31:53

So instead of the Alisienne, which was the dance and roots, I've chosen the dance poem the end of the common suite.

Presenter33:02

A passage from Bizet's second Carmen Suite, Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

Presenter33:09

If you could take only one disk out of the eight, which would it be?

Joan Plowright33:13

Oh dear, that is so difficult. But I would obviously, I think, go for the Beethoven, which would be similar to my Shakespeare. I mean, I do have the the works of Shakespeare.

Presenter33:23

Oh, you do indeed yes, you the works of Shakespeare and the Bible.

Presenter33:27

And you're allowed to choose one book apart from those two.

Joan Plowright33:31

Well, I would like to take all the works of Aldous Huxley.

Presenter33:35

Oh no one book.

Joan Plowright33:37

I thought having oh, one book.

Presenter33:40

Yes. I'll tell you what we'll do. We'll bind a couple together, if that'll help you, two Aldous Huxley books.

Joan Plowright33:45

3.

Presenter33:45

Three.

Joan Plowright33:47

Three oh four, because there are some very interesting essays.

Presenter33:48

Because there are some very interesting essays. We'll settle for three. Three bound together into one volume.

Joan Plowright33:53

Um well, it would have to be point counterpoint chrome yellow.

Joan Plowright33:58

After many a summer

Presenter34:00

Right, that's your three.

Joan Plowright34:01

It eyes the swan, or whatever it is.

Joan Plowright34:04

No essays?

Presenter34:05

No essays, no, just three books we're cheating as it is. And one luxury to take with you.

Joan Plowright34:11

Well, the luxury would be the piano. Then I can play those carols that I haven't been able to include in the programme.

Presenter34:17

All right. And thank you, Joan Plowright, for letting us hear your Desert Island discs.

Joan Plowright34:22

Thank you, Roy.

Presenter34:23

Goodbye, everyone.

Presenter34:31

You've been listening to a download from the Desert Island Discs Archive.

Speaker 134:35

Uh

Presenter34:35

For more downloads, please visit the Radio 4 website.