[Hardy-l] HAY FOLLOW UP AND THANKS!

[Rosemarie Morgan]

Sorry to be late on the scene Nicola (I've been away in the Alps) but I do 
want to say that we at HAY felt deeply privileged to have the Travesty 
Players on site performing for us at Yale.

It was a most illuminating workshop and if I had previously expressed 
misgivings about producing *Jude* as musical drama I now humbly eat my 
words. What we heard and saw was deeply moving. Moreover, some of the duets 
were not only dialectically compelling but wonderfully humorous  --(well, 
you heard the laughter) and if "Phillotson" *was* rather too goodlooking he 
was also persuasively a rival (to Jude) for Sue's affections which isn't 
something I had ever really thought possible (from reading the novel, I 
mean). Which only goes to show that expanding the medium and exploring new 
forms of expression may not only add a new dimension but may also prove to 
be quite eye-opening.

I felt personally delighted by "Arabella's" seductive overtures to Jude -- 
somehow you all made it come vividly alive -- and the domestic strife 
between the two was brilliantly conceived, capturing the misunderstandings 
and the absurdities in the very same breath. What a feat!

Nicola! I wish you well with this challenging musical!  And let me say 
again that I was thrilled to have you at HAY and cannot thank you enough 
for all the trouble and expense you went to in flying your group over to 
the US for this very special occasion which -- as you could see -- was 
enormously appreciated by the HAY audience.  Perhaps next time we'll be 
able to enjoy the complete and full performance.

Thank you Nicola   and the very Best of Luck with *Jude*!

Rosemarie

>To the Hardy Association,
>
>On behalf of the Travesty Theatre Company, London, I am writing to express a
>big thank you for the wonderful opportunity you gave us to present our 
>segment
>on 'Jude: A New Musical' at the HAY
>Yours sincerely,
>
>Nicola Jane Buttigieg
>Artistic Director