''Teeth 'n' Smiles'' is a musical play written by David Hare.

Performances

The play was first performed at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, Englan ...

on 2 September 1975. It was subsequently revived at

Wyndhams Theatre Wyndham's Theatre is a West End theatre, one of two opened by actor/manager Charles Wyndham (the other is the Criterion Theatre). Located on Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, it was designed c.1898 by W. G. R. Sprague, the arch ...

in May 1976 (directed by the playwright), at the

Oxford Playhouse Oxford Playhouse is a theatre designed by Edward Maufe and F.G.M. Chancellor. It is situated in Beaumont Street, Oxford, opposite the Ashmolean Museum. History The Playhouse was founded as ''The Red Barn'' at 12 Woodstock Road, North Oxfor ...

in October 1977 and at the

Crucible Theatre The Crucible Theatre (often referred to simply as "The Crucible") is a theatre in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England which opened in 1971. Although it hosts regular theatrical performances, it is best known for hosting professional snooker's m ...

in 2002.

Dramatis Personae and Casts

1975 cast. 1976 cast. 1977 cast. In a 1979 production in the USA, Maggie was played by

Ellen Greene Ellen Greene is an American actress and singer. She has had a long and varied career as a singer, particularly in cabaret, as an actress and singer in numerous stage productions, particularly musical theatre, as well as having performed in many ...

Plot

The play is set around the performances of a failing rock band fronted by lead singer Maggie Frisby at the

May Ball A May Ball is a ball at the end of the academic year that takes place at any of the colleges of the University of Cambridge. They are elaborate and lavish formal affairs, requiring black tie or sometimes white tie, with ticket prices ranging f ...

on the night of 9 June 1969 at Jesus College,

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

Music

The songs in the play were written by Nick Bicât (music) and Tony Bicât (lyrics) and were - * ''Close To Me'' * ''Passing Through'' * ''Yeah Yeah Yeah'' * ''Bastards'' * ''Let's Have A Party'' * ''Arthur's Song'' * ''Last Orders''

Trivia

During the initial run at the Royal Court,

Keith Moon Keith John Moon (23 August 19467 September 1978) was an English drummer for the rock band the Who. He was noted for his unique style of playing and his eccentric, often self-destructive behaviour and addiction to drugs and alcohol. Moon grew ...

turned up drunk at the stage door, joined Helen Mirren in her dressing room and told her how great the show was, and then tried to join the cast on stage before being stopped by the management. Helen Mirren's interpretation of Maggie was based on

Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and musician. One of the most successful and widely known Rock music, rock stars of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and "electric" stage ...

. She said of the role at the time: “I’m very like Maggie in many ways, only she’s much more ballsy and gutsy than me. I endorse most of what Maggie says, in fact in many ways it’s difficult to talk about her because I feel so close to her.”Ward, Philip (2019). ''Becoming Helen Mirren''. Troubador. .

External links

Review of Teeth 'n' Smiles 1975/6Interview with Helen Mirren

References

1975 plays Plays by David Hare {{1970s-play-stub