Lawrence Thornbury’s profile
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- This user has not listed any production as yet.
- Joined 3rd October 2021.
- Last logged in on 4th October 2021.
Last five observations
- To production of John Bull, by George Colman (Younger), Bristol Old Vic - Theatre Royal, 1986 - 1987: “This was my first ‘proper’ job as a young actor! I was so excited and happy to be a part of that fantastic cast and had a wonderful time. Everyone was so kind and helpful and dear Roger Rees, RIP, was wonderful to work for and an utterly delightful and charming man. I played a Cornish servant called John and also composed and played music for the show, some recorded and most live. I also had one of the most ridiculously comic accidents one night while making a high speed entrance on the heavily raked stage! As David Rintoul shouted my name, I used to have to run from the wings, stage right, jump up onto the decking sloped stage, which was of course steeply raked down towards the audience, but for me was at a crazy angle under my feet as I ran across towards a centre doorway entrance, and then time it so I would skid into view, stop bang in the doorway and calmly answer “you called my lord?” It was quite a funny entrance as it was and always got a nice little laugh. David was facing down stage, so I would suddenly appear up stage behind him. This particular night, going flat out, as I skidded, I hit a patch of polished/burnished wax on the floor right across the doorway (which was dropped every night from candelabra in the finale song and despite it being cleaned up, had by now in the run, left a shiny residue like ice!) As I tried to stop, my legs shot out from under me and I passed the doorway completely horizontal, travelling at speed, and went straight off the other side of the stage and ended up hitting the DSM’s desk with a whollop! It really hurt and took the skin of my right hip, but I got to my feet, hobbled back to the doorway and then, in genuine pain and holding my hip, said the line. David was totally unaware of what had just happened as he was facing D/S, but the audience were crying with laughter, clapping and obviously were convinced it was a genuine stunt entrance! It took a few moments for the audience to calm down and allow David to get his lines out. I wish I could have seen what it looked like from out front! It was a brilliant fun production with a wonderful and very happy cast and is still a hugely important part of my early career which I remember with great fondness.”
- To Farnham Repertory Company production of Candida, by George Bernard Shaw, Redgrave Theatre, Farnham, 15th March - 8th April 1989: “As a relatively young actor, I was cast in this production as Lexy Mill and remember it as being a very happy cast. At the time, I was also playing sax in a Blues Band and gigging at weekends, sometimes late after a show! One afternoon, during a matinee and while still hanging around in my dressing room on the top floor, I had taken a call in a pay phone booth in the hallway, to get directions from a fellow band member as to how to get to the gig that night. I completely lost track of where we were in the show and was stuck with my head inside a perspex phone ‘bubble’ mounted on the wall….I was vaguely aware of hearing Amanda, our DSM, giving my call on the PA…..it still didn’t register how close we were to my entrance. I was wearing a full length cassock with a million tiny hook and eye fixings down the front….all of which were undone as it was a very hot day and I had only a pair of shorts and a t-shirt underneath…I then heard the now desperate call on the PA, “Mr Thornbury to the stage immediately!” and the penny dropped. Over the show relay I then heard the lines of the Bill Whymper (what a delightful, gentle and kind man) who was basically about to give my cue! I dropped the phone and ran as fast as I could down the stairs while struggling to hook up the millions of hook and eye fixings on the cassock…. I just about managed to do so and burst through the stage door, ran straight to the entrance door on the set and saw my cue light was green and opened the door bang on the cue, and went straight on stage. I was totally out of breath and obviously feeling terrified at how close a call this had been, but somehow manages to conceal it, spoke my line or two before sitting on the sofa stage centre, next to Poppy. I then struggled to continue to appear as though I was very relaxed and calm while almost dying from needing to breath deeply! I am not sure if the rest of the cast ever knew exactly what had happened, but it almost killed our dear DSM Amanda from fright and cost me a box of chocolates and some flowers the next night!! I learned a great deal that day! I had such a happy time on that show. Lawrence Thornbury.”
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