NF Simpson (OE) returns to the West End

N F Simpson

Perhaps Emanuel's most famous literary OE NF Simpson has recently had a programme dedicated to his work on Radio 4. He is the only OE we know to have their plays performed regularly in the West End. NF "Wally" Simpson, Royal Court Theatre contemporary of Sir John Mortimer and Harold Pinter, was the author of several ground-breaking plays, the most famous of which are A Resounding Tinkle, The Hole and One Way Pendulum, which was made into a classic Sixties film with George Cole and Eric Sykes. He specialised in one act, often farcical, plays and although he slipped into obscurity, mainly due to his inactivity, his plays are still frequently performed world-wide.

Royal Court Programme

The BBC documentary was a fascinating account of the career and work of NFS. It charted his appearance on the turbulent theatre scene of the late Fifties after winning a writing competition in The Observer whilst working as a teacher, to his influence, his disappearance and his return to his spiritul home The Royal Court this year with a new play entitled If So, Then Yes, after a gap of more than 40 years. It is an astonishing comeback (most people thought he was dead!) and it forms the focal point of this story. Although, now well into his 90s, the documentary tries to fill in the blanks; answering the question why there have been no new plays for 40 years and looks at his intriguing sideline of translating Italian plays into English (a skill he "picked up" in World War 2!)

There is no doubt that NFS was a significant and brilliant writer, the equal of his more famous contemporaries. Leading UK comedy writer David Quantick (The Day Today and Brass Eye) presents a distinctive appraisal of this vital, but overlooked, playwright finding his place in theatre, especially the Royal Court, and television culture. The programme features brand-new interviews with Sir John Mortimer, Sir Jonathan Miller, Armando Iannucci, John Fortune, David Nobbs, Eric Sykes, Barry Cryer, Eleanor Bron, Jonathan Coe and NF Simpson himself from his home in Cornwall.

Further information will follow when release dates of his new play at the Royal Court If So, Then Yes are confirmed towards the end of the year. But if you can't wait that long the Donmar Theatre in Covent Garden is having an Absurb Theatre season in July, - a triple-bill of comedies which gloriously reveal the absurdity of everyday life, 2 of NFS's plays will have have extended runs. I've also been told than NFS has been involved in their production.

Absurdia

Meantime the School Archive has copies of both the radio documentary Reality is an Illusion Caused by Lack of NF Simpson and the DVD One Way Pendulum should anyone wish to borrow them.

We also have many of his plays in our Archive, including the exceptionally rare item Snippets which includes all the monologues he was written, have have remained unpublished until now, in this very funny collection.

Criterion Theatre

Many thanks to the researcher Ian Greaves who helped in the background research of this article.

TRJ School archivist