Ngaio Marsh Her Life in Crime (51 page)

141
the very breath
MSY-2397, ATL.

142
This was the beginning
BB,
p. 243.

143
I wasn’t very good at reading
Webb
(née
Reay) interview with author.

143
coterie of young men
Webb interview.

144
Just imagine
Quoted in Strange,
The Little Theatre,
p. 91.

144
We had three acting
‘Acting in self-defence: New Zealand makes its own plays’,
NZL,
8 Sep 1944, p. 11.

144-45
seats for the whole [and following reviews]
MSY-2397, ATL.

145
submissive to the meaning
Ibid.

145
I was walking through town
Ibid.

145
he stepped up the tempo
Quoted in Strange,
The Little Theatre,
pp. 9-10.

145
the G.O.M.
‘Acting in self-defence’, p. 11.

146
Some friends are coming
Ibid, p. 11.

147
Miss Marsh’s imagery [and following review]
MSY-2397, ATL.

148
He could be a tyrant
Dacres Manning interview with author.

148
It was the first of many such occasions
BB,
p. 147.

149
For fully five minutes [and following reviews]
MSY-2397, ATL.

149
an enormous contribution
Strange,
The Little Theatre,
p. 106.

149
I was put in the Railway Hotel
Webb interview.

150
it was done in like manner [and following letters]
MSY-2397, ATL.

151
Miss Ngaio Marsh’s
Hamlet
MSY-2397, ATL.

152
For who in the cast
MSY-2397, ATL.

154
Great green eyebrows
Ibid.

154
As before, in the Drama Society’s
Ibid.

155
[Max McGlashan and screwdriver]
Strange,
The Little Theatre,
p. 119.

156
Settings almost stark in their simplicity [and following material]
MSY-2397, ATL.

156
These notes, too slight for dedication
NM,
A Play Toward,
n.p.

157
series of spoken movements
Ibid, p. 12.

157
infinitely variable
Ibid, pp. 26-27.

157
The producer’s script
Ibid, p. 20.

157
Don’t snap
Ibid, p. 25.

157
If you can’t make
Ibid, pp. 8-9.

158
the kind…on which
Hooper, ‘Ngaio Marsh: A life for the theatre’,
Return to Black Beech,
Acheson and Lidgaurd (eds), p. 12.

158
real objects possessing
Bushnell, ‘The most ephemeral of the arts’,
Return to Black Beech,
p. 87.

161
Another of Ngaio’s delightful who-dun-its [and following reviews]
MSY-2397, ATL.

162
It would be impossible
Wilson, ‘Who cares who killed Roger Ackroyd?’,
The New Yorker,
20 Jan 1945; quoted in Haycraft,
The Art of the Mystery Story,
p. 395.

162
The local colour in these books
‘Great critics have their allergies: a defence of the detective story’,
NZL,
19 Oct 1945, p. 13.

162-63
I think that the character
‘Is the detective story dying?’,
NZL,
17 Oct 1947, p. 8.

164
I fairly took to the country [and all following Henry Marsh memoir quotes]
MS-Group-1635, ATL.

165
children, unreproved
BB,
p. 60.

166
was keen on detective stories
Margaret Fox, ‘Ngaio Marsh’,
The Press,
30 Nov 1955, p. 15.

166
Ngaio left me in charge
Crabtree interview with author.

167
Why are you,
Coleman,
Olivier,
p. 191.

167
the tour was a grand gesture
Ibid, p. 191.

167
Over, God be praised
Ibid, p. 200.

167
You may not realise it
Ibid, p. 200.

168-69
The entire power
Email from Alistair Johnson to author, 20 Dec 2007.

169
At the end [of the performance]
Email from Harry Atkinson to author, 3 Dec 2007.

169
I soared into the sky
Coleman,
Olivier,
p. 201.

169
She has star quality
NM, in Mason, ‘Brigid Lenihan’, p. 7.

170
the right air
MSX-2741, ATL.

171
far more interesting and compelling
Ibid.

171
People sat in Collins Street
Quoted in Strange,
The Little Theatre,
pp. 157-58.

172-73
I am always asked
BB,
pp. 252-53.

173
They guarantee 175,000 copies
Memo to NM, 21 Jul 1943, Box: UGD 243-1-11-6, Glasgow University Archives, Scotland.

173
I have read your new MS
Letter from William Collins to NM, 1 Aug 1944, Box: UGD 243-1-11-6, Glasgow University Archives, Scotland.

173
Here in New Zealand
Letter from NM to William Collins, 30 Oct 1944, Box: UGD 243-1-11-6, Glasgow University Archives, Scotland.

174
What can a New Zealander
‘London revisited’, Sep 1949, CDA 14383, BBC Sound Archives, British Library, London.

174
An entire year may pass
Haycraft,
Murder for Pleasure,
pp. 260-61.

176
an absurd 97.5 per cent
Coleman,
Olivier,
p. 205.

176
one pound and seven pence
Harding,
The Star,
24 Feb 1982, NM File, HC, Glasgow.

176
[We] are sharing this flat
Letter from NM to Winsome and John Schroder, 15 Jan 1950, MS-Papers-0280-29, ATL.

176
I could hear minuscule
BB,
pp. 251-52.

177
sixty-two productions
Lewis,
Ngaio Marsh,
p. 128.

177
director and instructor
Advertisement,
NZL,
17 Oct 1947, p. 9.

177
She was late
NM, in Mason, ‘Brigid Lenihan’, p. 8.

181
We’ve invited a few people
Hooper interview with author.

181-82
[Nelly] and I joined
BB,
p. 252.

183
We breakfasted at her flat
BB,
p. 252.

184
sent down to the shop
Greene, ‘Ngaio, the writer—as seen from a secretary’s viewpoint’, speech given at the ‘return to Black Beech: Centenary Symposium on Ngaio Marsh 1895-1995’, Christchurch, 1995, n.p.

184
With a group of fellow art-students
MS-Group-1635, ATL.

185
She is talent-scouting
Letter from Allen Curnow to JS, 13 Dec 1949, MS-Papers-0280-29, ATL.

186
D’Arcy Cresswell turned up
Letter from NM to Winsome and John Schroder, 15 Jan 1950, MS-Papers-0280-29, ATL.

186
It struck me as strange
Letter from Allen Curnow to JS, MS-Papers-0280-29, ATL.

187
Mr Howell’s play
BB,
p. 254.

187
conventional spy thriller
Christie,
Agatha Christie,
1993, p. 448.

189
shared her huge disappointment
NM, in Mason, ‘Brigid Lenihan’, p. 9.

189
I shared the coldest winter
Ibid., p. 8.

189
Ngaio Marsh, author of 16 [and following reviews]
Marsh File, Theatre Museum Archive, Victoria and Albert, London.

191
It was ‘a play’
BB,
p. 256.

191
dissonances of all sorts
Ibid, p. 256.

191
Things were so clearly going wrong
Shirley O’Connor, in conversation with the author, Wellington, 17 Nov 2007.

191-92
Yours is not a letter
Letter from NM to JS, 27 Aug 1951, MS-Papers-0280-29, ATL.

192
Rats darted
BB,
p. 258.

192-93
The first rounds
Dacres-Mannings interview with author.

193
They were immensely
BB,
p. 258.

194
What phrases
Ibid, p. 260.

195
The background was not
Orwell,
Decline of the English Murder: and other essays,
pp. 12-13.

196
As soon as we were shown
BB,
p. 265.

196
Essie had agreed
Ibid, p. 268.

198
Just a scribble
Letter from NM to DM, 22 Jul 1963, MS-Papers-1946, ATL.

198-99
Excellently characterised [and following reviews]
MSY-2395, ATL.

199
I am forwarding
MS-Papers-1397, ATL.

200
Miss Marsh’s style
MSY-2395, ATL.

202
My Chemist known as
Letter from NM to JS, c. 29 Dec 1958, MS-Papers-0280-29, ATL.

202
Val (Vladimir) is an Esthonian
Letter from NM to JS, c. 29 Dec 1958, ibid.

203
In his jester’s suit
Unidentified review entitled
‘King Lear:
Canterbury College Production: noteworthy achievement’, AF’s private papers.

203
No praise can be too high
Unidentified review entitled ‘The essential Lear finely brought out in brave production,’ JE’s private papers.

203-04
On either side [and following quote]
Unidentified article entitled ‘Connection between
King Lear
and ritual dances “more than feasible”’, JE’s private papers.

204
Pattern is enhanced
‘“Henry V” not so great’,
Canta,
7 Aug 1957, JE’s private papers.

204
the high point was perhaps
‘Ngaio Marsh scores brilliant success with play “Henry V”’,
The Christchurch Star-Sun,
20 Jul 1957.

205
just as my students
Letter from NM to DM, 9 Apr 1958, MS-Papers-1946, ATL.

205
My Hamlet
Letter from NM to DM, 19 May 1958, ibid.

205
Rehearsals every day
Letter from NM to DM, Jun 1958, ibid.

205
Can it be true
Letter from NM to DM, Jun 1958, ibid.

205
familiarise himself
‘Ngaio Marsh has a re-dressed “Hamlet” in production’,
Freedom,
17 Jun 1958, JE’s private papers.

206
Here is the recipe
‘This “Hamlet” is a Marsh recipe’,
The Christchurch Star-Sun,
11 Jul 1958, AF’s private papers.

206
playing the role as it appeared
‘Production of “Hamlet” loses tragic spirit’,
The Christchurch Star-Sun,
12 Jul 1958, p. 7.

206
truly artistic
‘University Drama Society’s “Hamlet” ’,
The Press,
12 Jul 1958, JE’s private papers.

206
I struggle
Letter from NM to DM, 28 Aug 1958, MS-Papers-1946, ATL.

207
Whenever I posted
Greene, ‘Ngaio, the writer—as seen from a secretary’s viewpoint’, n.p.

207
The reviews this book [and following reviews]
Memo from Richard Simon to NM, 21 Jan 1959, MS-Papers-1397, ATL.

207
I refer to my
Letter from NM to JS, 13 Jan 1958, MS-Papers-0280-29, ATL.

208
In the British Army
Dacres-Mannings interview with author.

208
News is that
Letter from NM to DM, 15 Oct 1958, MS-Papers-1946, ATL.

208
auditions, drawings-to-scale
Letter from NM to DM, 3 May 1959, ibid.

208-09
Agonisingly difficult auditions
Letter from NM to JE, 3 May 1959, JE’s private papers.

209
full of holes in the walls
Letter from NM to DM, 3 May 1959, MS-Papers-1946, ATL.

209
all on the giant apron
Letter from NM to JE, 3 May 1959, JE’s private papers.

209
I never wish
Letter from NM to DM, 31 Jul 1959, MS-Papers-1946, ATL.

209
the
tax
clearance
Letter from NM to DM, 22 Dec1959, ibid.

210
What a hurly-burly
Letter from NM to DM, 6 Mar 1960, MS-Papers-1946, ATL.

210
enchanting, delicate beauty
Letter from NM to DM, 29 [?] 1959, ibid.

211
alive, grubby, beautiful
Letter from NM to DM, 10 May 1960, ibid.

211
Japan was glorious
Letter from NM to ‘Syl[via Fox], Bet [Cotterill] & Girls’ 5 May 1960, ibid.

211
It was extremely strenuous
Ibid.

212
They are an almost pathologically
Letter from NM to DM, 10 May 1960, MS-Papers-1946, ATL.

212
The hospitality is all
Letter from NM to DM, 17 Jul 1960, ibid.

212
The great white chief
Ibid.

214
Lucy…has brought
Letter from NM to JE, 13 Aug 1961, JE’s private papers.

214
I think the fault
Letter from NM to DM, 2 Nov 1960, MS-Papers-1946, ATL.

215
[He] is a man
Letter from NM to DM, 16 Jul 1961, ibid.

215
absolutely shouting
Letter from NM to DM, 1 Jun 1961, ibid.

215
slowly about
Letter from NM to DM, 28 Jun 1961, ibid.

216
so long in suspension
Letter from NM to DM, 16 Jul 1961, ibid.

217
Having written the last
Letter from NM to DM, 16 Jul 1961, ibid.