 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (August 2013) |
| Teeth 'n' Smiles | |
|---|---|
| Written by | David Hare |
| Date premiered | 2 September 1975 |
| Place premiered | Royal Court Theatre, London |
Teeth 'n' Smiles is a musical play written by David Hare.
Productions
Directed by the author, the play was first performed at the Royal Court Theatre on 2 September 1975.[1]
It was subsequently revived in the West End at Wyndhams Theatre in May 1976, then at Oxford Playhouse in October 1977, Nottingham Playhouse in August 1979 and Sheffield's Crucible Theatre in November 2002.
The play is set to be revived at the Duke of York's Theatre in the West End in 2026, with Rebecca Lucy Taylor in the role of Maggie.[2]
Cast Lists
| Character | Off-West End[3] | West End[4] | Oxford[5] | Nottingham[6] | Sheffield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1979 | 2002 | |
| Arthur | Jack Shepherd | Martin Shaw | Frank Grimes | Robert Lloyd | Scott Handy |
| Inch | Karl Howman | Peter Attard | Tom Bowles | Nicolas Tennant | |
| Laura | Cherie Lunghi | Gay Hamilton | Belinda Lang | Gillian Cally | Lucy Briers |
| Nash | Rene Augustus | Charlie Grima | Stephen Price | Don Hawkins | Justin Pickett |
| Wilson | Mick Ford | Kevin Elyot | Ron Emslie | Zubin Varla | |
| Snead | Roger Hume | Roland MacLeod | Noel Collins | Keith Taylor | Robert Calvert |
| Peyote | Hugh Fraser | David Cardy | Chris Jagger | Keith-Lee Castle | |
| Smegs | Andrew Dickson | Larry Whitehurst | Mervyn Stutter | Lance Burman | |
| Anson | Antony Sher | Peter Whitman | David Bamber | Dominic Charles-Rouse | |
| Maggie | Helen Mirren | Cheryl Kennedy | Linda Marlowe | Amanda Donohoe | |
| Saraffian | Dave King | Patrick O'Connell | Maurice Kaufmann | Ivan Kaye | |
| Randolph | Heinz | Tom Wilkinson | Anthony Head | William Maidwell | |
In a 1979 production in the USA, Maggie was played by Ellen Greene.
Plot
The play is set around the performances of a failing rock band fronted by lead singer Maggie Frisby at the May Ball on the night of 9 June 1969 at Jesus College, Cambridge.
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
[7]
Trivia
During the initial run at the Royal Court, Keith Moon 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.[8]
Helen Mirren's interpretation of Maggie was based on Janis Joplin. 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."[9]
References
- ^ Teeth 'n' Smiles Faber and Faber 1976 ISBN 0 571 10995 0
- ^ Wiegand, Chris (12 September 2025). "Self Esteem to star as raging rock star in revival of David Hare's Teeth 'n' Smiles". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
- ^ Royal Court Theatre programme
- ^ Wyndhams Theatre programme
- ^ Oxford Playhouse programme
- ^ The Stage, 16 August 1979, p.51.
- ^ Teeth 'n' Smiles Faber and Faber 1976 ISBN 0 571 10995 0
- ^ Mirren, Helen (2007). In The Frame. Orion Books. ISBN 978-0-7538-2434-4.
- ^ Ward, Philip (2019). Becoming Helen Mirren. Troubador. ISBN 9781838597146.
External links
- Review of Teeth 'n' Smiles 1975/6
- Interview with Helen Mirren
- Review of Teeth 'n' Smiles 2002
 | This article on a play from the 1970s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
