The Strenuous Years (1948-55) by Cecil Beaton

Author:Cecil Beaton [Beaton, Cecil]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781912546381
Publisher: Sapere Books
Published: 2018-05-24T04:00:00+00:00

NEW YORK: THE LUNTS

1952

My first taxi drive from the hotel after my arrival took me to the Lunts[6] for tea. The Lunts, at the height of their stage glory, were among my first professional photograph ‘sitters’ when first I came to New York in the early thirties. Lynn later said that they wanted to like me, but they had such difficulty in getting through my shyness. However, they succeeded, and when each winter I arrived in New York, no matter how busy they were, they always managed to give me ham and eggs while we sat through the night exchanging confidences. I did some drawings of Lynn, and she always urged me to discontinue my photography in order to devote my time entirely to painting. But it was as a stage designer that I really wanted to work, and although we talked of one day ‘doing a play together’, the opportunity did not arise.

I had unexpectedly received a cable to the boat saying: ‘Terribly excited your arrival,’ and the moment I came into my hotel room the baggage boy answered the telephone and Lynn was piping a request for me to go round immediately.

At their East Riverside house, Alfred and Lynn both appeared in bubbling spirits. ‘What are your plans? Are you very busy?’ they asked. ‘What do you think would be a pretty period to design a play for? Do you like bustles?’ I said I liked all periods of costume. ‘But why do you ask? Have you any play in mind?’ I inquired. ‘No,’ said Lynn, ‘but I feel that something might drop out of the blue.’ She just had the right feeling — something was in the air — she felt it in her bones. I left a bit baffled, but we had made a date to see one another again in a few days’ time.

Meanwhile, on the next boat from England Noël Coward arrived. Word soon got around that, straight from the docks, he went to read his new play, Quadrille, to the Lunts and that they were enchanted with it. I was most impatient to hear the next move. Would I be asked to design for it?

At last the offer came. The play, set in the year 1866, was sent to me, I loved it, and from that moment on there was nothing but smiles all round. I have never known a production go forward so smoothly, with so few setbacks. Polaire Weissman, Head of the Costume Department of the Metropolitan Museum, showed me all her authentic clothes of the period, and lent Lynn corsets and bodices. Alfred was enthusiastic about the men’s beards, tall bowler hats and travelling cloaks. On the boat back to England, Lynn, Alfred and I had long talks in their cabin about the forthcoming production.

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