A report from Arts Society Wokingham
There are few buildings in the United Kingdom which divide public opinion as much as The Royal National Theatre on the South Bank of the Thames in London, opened in 1976.
The Theatre features prominently in surveys of both most liked and disliked buildings and has even drawn the opprobrium of the Prince of Wales who compared it to a “nuclear power station”.
On the other hand, John Betjeman found it to be “a lovely work and so good from many angles … it has that inevitable and finished look that great work does”.
Alan Read in his lecture to The Arts Society Wokingham on March 21, on Denys Lasdun and the National Theatre, proposed that the main reason for the controversy lies in the fact that the Theatre is built in concrete, a material used for centuries in its basic form. However, the advent of reinforced concrete at the beginning of the 20th century unleashed potential for design, resulting in outstanding buildings such as Notre Dame de Raincy, designed by Auguste and Gustave Perret in 1922, and the modernist house Falling Water designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1936.
The use of reinforced concrete grew apace and was largely used to build social housing and institutional buildings such as universities and was associated with the polarising term “brutalism” which critics inferred coldness and soullessness.
As early as 1907, there had been calls by theatre directors such as Harley Granville Barker, to build a National Theatre and a site in Bloomsbury had been offered in 1913 as well as a site off the Cromwell Road with a design by Sir Edwin Lutyens in 1942.
It was not until nearly 20 years later that the architect Denys Lasdun was commissioned to design the National Theatre on a site provided by the GLC on the South Bank of the Thames.
Lasdun was much influenced by Le Corbusier but also had an appreciation of the more classical work of Hawksmoor. This is demonstrated by his breakthrough work in 1960-1964 for the Royal College of Physicians building in Regent’s Park, now listed as Grade I, using modern reinforced concrete technology and highly expressive structural methods, together with several other commissions including the Grade II* listed Hallfield Primary School in Paddington.
The lecture presented evidence that Lasdun’s design for the National Theatre reflects his mature style in its use of textured bare concrete and angularity, as well as its more human scale and this, argues Read, is the key to the success of the building.
Audiences flow into the theatres on to the terraces and to intimate spaces as the outside is reflected by the inside and the “fly towers”, now illuminated at night, have added a new dimension to the London Skyline and the South Bank vibe. Its three theatres provide a variety of experiences from the traditional theatre environment of the Lyttelton to the fan shape auditorium of the Olivier where actors have a 130-degree viewpoint and performances are enhanced by a unique Drum Revolve facilitating spectacular scene changes.
In short, Read believes that the Theatre works as a theatre with the public in mind and confounds its critics.
In a considered and well-presented lecture, Alan Read may very well have convinced me to join with John Betjeman and to love the National Theatre.
Toby Faber will be giving the Society’s next talk is on Monday, April 25, at 7.45pm.
It is entitled The Imperial Easter Eggs of Carl Fabergé – before the Revolution.
Between 1885 and 1916, Carl Fabergé made 50 jewelled eggs – Easter presents from Russia’s last two emperors to their wives.
They have become the most famous surviving symbols of the Romanov Empire: both supreme examples of the jeweller’s art and the vulgar playthings of a decadent court.
Guests (in person at Newbold Church or online in the comfort of their own home) are most welcome. Email: [email protected] for more details.
Details of all future talks are available at www.TheArtsSocietyWokingham.org.uk
Dudley Cooper
