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"A Pretty Row of Pretty Ribbons", a play written by Brian Gear, was commissioned by the BBC for its "Out of Town Theatre" series. According to “The Stage”, it had already been shown on the Western Region TV Channel, starring Philip Locke - as ‘The Man’ - and Cherie Lunghi – as ‘The Young Girl’ - when Michael Gothard and Lyndel Rowe brought it to life for Theatrescope, at Little Theatre Club, Garrick Yard, London.
According to "The Stage", 15 September 1966, it was to be performed “from Monday to Friday of next week at 12:15 and 1:15.”
It was reviewed in “The Times”, 20 September 1966:
A 20-minute play worth seeing
This 20-minute lunch-time production is the best thing Theatrescope have presented here for some time, and it is well worth a visit.
The slight plot is based on a familiar pattern. An odd visitor appears in a rich house with only the young daughter at home. If his arrival is strange, his visit soon begins to assume sinister undertones; and we soon find ourselves with the well-known situation of a menacing outsider bearing down on a claustrophobically enclosed victim. The familiarity of the situation, however, is relieved by strong and convincing dialogue; and at the end there is an unexpected twist which turns the familiar pattern into a disturbing and genuinely human confrontation.
The play was originally commissioned by B.B.C. Television but, it is said, it will not now be shown in London, which is a pity. However, it occupies this tiny stage with great ease. The two performances, by Miss Lyndell [sic] Rowe and Mr. Michael Gothard, were neat and well turned out.
According to IMDB, the play was, in fact, shown by BBC One London, on 11 November 1966, and a further plot synopsis is as follows: “A young girl, around 13, is home alone. The scene starts with this young girl admiring herself in front of a mirror and in the background a man’s face appears in the window. He is about 40 years old. He knocks on the door which she hesitantly opens and after a while of talking he lets himself in, telling her he is the gardener. The play focuses on who this man really is and why he is in her home.”
The synopsis on the BBC Genome website describes the plot as, “A delicate see-saw of power between a man who might, or might not, be dangerous, and a schoolgirl - clever, pretty, and alarmingly innocent.”
It is easy to imagine Michael Gothard in this role.
According to "The Stage", 15 September 1966, it was to be performed “from Monday to Friday of next week at 12:15 and 1:15.”
It was reviewed in “The Times”, 20 September 1966:
A 20-minute play worth seeing
This 20-minute lunch-time production is the best thing Theatrescope have presented here for some time, and it is well worth a visit.
The slight plot is based on a familiar pattern. An odd visitor appears in a rich house with only the young daughter at home. If his arrival is strange, his visit soon begins to assume sinister undertones; and we soon find ourselves with the well-known situation of a menacing outsider bearing down on a claustrophobically enclosed victim. The familiarity of the situation, however, is relieved by strong and convincing dialogue; and at the end there is an unexpected twist which turns the familiar pattern into a disturbing and genuinely human confrontation.
The play was originally commissioned by B.B.C. Television but, it is said, it will not now be shown in London, which is a pity. However, it occupies this tiny stage with great ease. The two performances, by Miss Lyndell [sic] Rowe and Mr. Michael Gothard, were neat and well turned out.
According to IMDB, the play was, in fact, shown by BBC One London, on 11 November 1966, and a further plot synopsis is as follows: “A young girl, around 13, is home alone. The scene starts with this young girl admiring herself in front of a mirror and in the background a man’s face appears in the window. He is about 40 years old. He knocks on the door which she hesitantly opens and after a while of talking he lets himself in, telling her he is the gardener. The play focuses on who this man really is and why he is in her home.”
The synopsis on the BBC Genome website describes the plot as, “A delicate see-saw of power between a man who might, or might not, be dangerous, and a schoolgirl - clever, pretty, and alarmingly innocent.”
It is easy to imagine Michael Gothard in this role.
