GRAMMAR SCHOOL

decided how best to pass it off. Brandon's underlying cowardice and loss
of control when disaster threatened was well portrayed, and his final
vain appeal for mercy was dramatically most effective.
Richards coped very well with the role of Granillo, by no means an
easy one. From the start he established the weakness and neurosis of
the character. His hysterical breakdowns were as alarming to the audience
as they were to Brandon, though his clarity of speech tended to be lost
at such moments. The portrayal of hysteria is always very difficult, and
Richards made a very good attempt at it. I admired among other things
in his performance, his deliberately "flashy" piano playing of "Danc-e,
Little Lady".
Poulton, who played Rupert Cadell, the nemesis of the murderers, had
a very difficult part with which he coped well. Rupert is a poet and a
cynic, who, despite his disdain of human injustice and law, finds himself
revolted by his discovery of the murder and unable to show any mercy
to the killers. Occasionally in his longer speeches. Poulton gave the
impression of lacking conviction, but in his exchanges with Brandon,
Granillo and Leila, the acerbity and wit of Cadell were well brought out.
Of the smaller parts, mention must be made of Inglis' performance as
a "bright young thing", whose mind seldom rose above the level of the
cinema, but whose basic nature was kind and honest. lt was a very promising
debut from a young actor of whom we can expect much in the
future.
Elliot was his complement in the part of Raglan, a rather dim,
though decent and well-meaning young man. Lines played the elderly
father of the victim and brought a genuine pathos to his part. As Mrs.
Debenham, Wynd's dumbness was wonderful to listen to, and his incursions
into speech invariably brought an appreciative laugh. The cast was
completed by Olney, as Sabot, the quietly-perhaps, vocally, too quietlyefficient
manservant.
The set maintained the high standards of the Stage Staff and Mr.
Cheale, to whom our thanks are due. I should also like to thank Downing
gld !f.'e Stage Management Staff, Huddart and the Lighting Staff,
Mrs. Cheale and the other ladies who worked so hard behind the scenes,
especially with the costumes. Dr. Jackson and Mr. wilson for their work
in making-up and all others concerned with the production. D.F.S.
SCHOOL TRIP TO SCHWABISCH HALL
AND BOPPARD, GERMANY-1967
The School holiday last year began on August 14th at 10.00 hours.
Although it was raining, the 64 boys going on the tour managed to
clamber aboard the two coaches which took us to Victoria Station, without
their spirits being dampened too much. At Victoria there was time to
buy refreshments before boarding the 14.00 boat train to Dover. During
the train journey, travel sickness tablets were issued to everyone in the
party as gale force winds had been forecast for the Channel region.
Leaving Dover at 16.00 it became evident that these measures were
worthwhile. The boat pitched and rolled considerably for about an hour
and then, following the rough weather route, we turned northwards at
Dunkerque and sailed under the shelter of the French coast to Ostend.
During the crossing a meal had been served in the dining room so that
everyone was fully fortified and could "fight their way ashore with the
best of them". The train was waiting at the platform when we arrived
and we then had two hours to get settled into our compartments, ready
for the long night journey before us.
The train left Ostend at 21.00 and most people managed to get some
sleep before arriving at Stuttgart at 06.35 where we changed trains. An
hour later we left Stuttgart arriving at our first centre, Schwabisch Hall,
at 08.10.
17