Eastward Ho!
by John Marston, George Chapman and Ben Jonson
BBC Third Programme
Broadcast: Wednesday 22nd February 1961
A goldsmith has two apprentices and two daughters. One apprentice, Golding, is industrious and temperate; the other, Quicksilver, is
rash and ambitious. One daughter, Mildred, is mild and modest; the other, Gertrude, is vain. Mildred and Golding marry. Gertrude
marries the fraudulent Sir Petronel Flash, a man who possesses a title but no money. Complications ensue.
"Eastward Ho!", is an early Jacobean era stage play, a satire and city comedy that was written by John Marston, George Chapman
and Ben Jonson in response to "Westward Ho!", a 1604 satire by Thomas Dekker and John Webster. "Eastward Ho!" offended
King James I with its anti-Scottish comedy, which caused Jonson and Chapman to be arrested for a time, and which made their play
one of the famous dramatic scandals of its era.
Adapted for radio in two parts by Raymond Raikes from the 1605 play, "Eastward Ho!" by John Marston, George Chapman and Ben
Jonson. It should be noted that this recording is from an 89-minute BBC World Theatre presentation that was edited and runs shorter
than the original two-part production
With Donald Wolfit [William Touchstone], Charles Leno [Quicksilver], Heron Carvic [Sir Petronel Flash], John Slater [Security], Michael
Bates [Slitgut], Hugh Dickson [Golding / Voice 3], Marjorie Westbury [Mistress Touchstone], June Tobin [Gertrude], Janette Richer
[Sindefy], Lawrence Baskcomb [Master Wolf], Freda Dowie [Mildred], Janet Burnell [Mistress Gazer], Nerya Kerfoot [Winnifrid /
Mistress Fond], Michael Turner [Voice 1 / Captain Seagull / Constable], Tom Watson [Voice 2 / Poldavy / Scapethrift / Holdfast],
Nicholas Edmett [Page / Footman / Spendall], Charles Simon [Bramble], and Keith Williams [Coachman / Drawer].
Music composed and conducted by Christopher Whelen.
Produced by Raymond Raikes
90 min.
Jim
