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| "Happy Apple" |
About The Play
Freddie, Arthur and Murray have started their own advertising firm but things are not going too well. As Murray talks to the important client, Porter and Kenilworth are stripping his office of unpaid-for goods. Kenilworth seems a strange sort of removal man, unusually acquainted with classical music and literature.
The partners suddenly discover in Nancy, their young secretary, an ideal person on whom to build advertising schemes - a perfect 'median type'; i.e., average. Kenilworth is also pressed to service to bring culture to the very philistine Murray.
The firm prospers, but unfortunately the "culture drug' has unexpected side effects on Nancy, who is also chased by the important client for other reasons. Eventually she explodes in a bombshell. The play has been big hit in London.
Auditions opening shortly
Auditions for the following characters will open once we decide the staging dates for the play. If you find you fitting into the shoes of any character below please send in a mail with your picture and why do you want to play that character to prakasamtrust@gmail.com we will get in touch with you when we announce the auditions.
Remember you don't have to BE that age you just have to LOOK the character!!
1. Mr. Charles Murray: Late 30's. Man full of energy , Business Brain and chief Partner of Murray, Maine & Spender Ad company (MMS)
2. Mr. Freddie Maine: Late 30's, Tall, balding, scholarly man in late thirties. Partner - MMS
3. Mr. Arthur Spender: Late 30's, Stocky, Volatile, Excitable and Easily depressed. Partner - MMS
4. Miss Nancy Gray: 17-18, smart and attractive, enthusiastic. Secretary to Mr. Murray later partner - MMS
5. Mr. Kenilworth: slim, nervous - looking, Late 30's, knowledgeable. workman - furniture hiring company , later cultural advisor to Mr. Murray
6. Mr. Bassington: white haired, Late 50's, efficient, rich and customer MMS and old friend of Murray and eyeing Nancy
7. Miss Wheeler: Smartly dressed. well spoken woman in her early 30's, secretary to Mr. Murray
8. Mr. George Porter: Short, burly, late 30's, workman - furniture hiring company
9. Mr. Jasha Kornitz: Violinist, ends the play with his symphony
10 & 11. Porter and his mate - Appear twice carrying the all important painting
About The Author (Source: www.screenonline.org.uk)
Often referred to as 'adaptor-extraordinary', Jack Pulman brought a quality of literary and historical integrity to the task of adaptation. He wrote his first play for television, 'You Can't Have Everything' (ITV tx. 2/5/58, for Television Playhouse), a slice-of-life drama about the miseries of a young couple living in a bed-sitter, in the evenings while by day training as a lecturer in economics. (Pulman's play was later bought by American anthology series The US Steel Hour and adapted by James Yaffe)
Later in 1958, he contributed three episodes to the ABC/Ziv Television crime drama series Dial 999 (shown in various ITV regions from May 1958) starring Robert Beatty as a Canadian detective assigned to Scotland Yard. Pulman's episodes were 'Night Mail' (ITV London tx. 18/10/58), 'Barge Burglars' (ITV London tx. 17/1/59) and 'Deadly Blackmail' (ITV London tx. 29/3/59), the latter two written under the credited name of 'Paul M. Jack'.
Returning to the TV play format, he followed with the Sunday-Night Theatre presentations 'All You Young Lovers' (BBC tx. 21/6/59), exploring the awkwardness of adolescence, and 'Echo from Afar' (BBC, 13/12/59), in which a German refugee's past catches up with him. His 'Nearer to Heaven' (BBC tx. 1/1/61, for The Sunday-Night Play) dealt with hope and despair in an old people's home, and A Book With Chapters In It (BBC tx. 8/12/61) observed the complications of adult life as seen through the eyes of a lonely young boy. The last of his sequence of original plays for television was Still Life (BBC tx. 15/3/63), a show business drama featuring Elizabeth Sellars, Peter McEnery and Peter Vaughan.
Revealing an unexpected flair for the comedy field, Pulman wrote a try-out episode (under the name 'Paul Jackman') for a possible sitcom series to feature actor David Kossoff called A Little Big Business (ITV tx. 8/8/63). Kossoff, who had concentrated on stage work and films since (temporarily) finishing his run in the popular ATV sitcom The Larkins (ITV, 1958-60; 1963-64), was tempted back to television this time as a sagely Jewish furniture craftsman who is continually at loggerheads with his commerce-concerned son. A 14-episode series followed (ITV, 1964-65), all written by Pulman for producer Peter Eton at Granada Television.
With his remarkable facility for catching the style of some of the world's leading authors, Pulman was engaged next on perhaps his most ambitious project, the 20-episode serialisation of Tolstoy's epic novel War and Peace (BBC, 1973). While most contemporary TV critics were at first apprehensive about television adapting such a colossal classic for the small screen ("the danger of condensing a book crowded with character and incident"), the viewers' expectations of the serial were met with some fine performances (Anthony Hopkins, Morag Hood) and with some colourful and exquisite battle and ballroom sequences.
Returning to the comedy field after some thirteen years, Pulman created the marvellous six-part Private Schulz (BBC, 1981), starring Michael Elphick as the sympathetic Schulz in a delightfully screwball plot based on an actual Second World War German counter-espionage plan to flood Britain with forged £5 notes. In 1983, Keith Waterhouse adapted Pulman's first stage play, The Happy Apple, into a seven-episode sitcom of the same title for Thames TV (ITV, 1983). Pulman's play, revolving around an advertising agency secretary who is discovered to be the perfect embodiment of the buying public, was first performed at the Hampstead Theatre Club in 1967.
Much of Pulman's spare time was devoted to the work of the Writers' Guild as a long-serving member of its executive council, and as chairman of its film committee. He died on the 27th May 1979 of a heart attack. His last screenplay, Private Schulz, was filmed after his death. In May 1982 Pulman's widow, actress Barbara Young, accepted a posthumous writers' award from the Royal Television Society for her husband's series Private Schulz.
Directors Note
The Happy Apple is set in the office of an Advertising agency, Murray, Maine & Spender (MMS) set up by three ex employees of Dobson & Dobson Advertising Agency. The fortunes of the company is on a steep decline. Murray - the business brain is desperately trying to save his only customer - Bassingtons Ice-cream, who is constantly threatening to get back to Dobsons.
Porter and Kenilworth are emptying his office of the unpaid furniture. These two partners with the technical know-how are not making the situation any better for Murray. Kenilworth seems out of place (the right man in the wrong place) with a flair for classical music and literature. The young and sexy secretary Nancy gray, who single mindedly saves the company and helps them make fortunes.
Though ill-educated, she possesses great or rather "median" mental powers to determine which products or ad strategy the public will find most attractive. of course her bosses exploit her ability to the fullest. the company no doubt prospers but Kenilworth spoils the show by trying to make "somebody" out of the "everybody" that Nancy is. The spark of realization in Nancy's mind leads to bursting of the bubble for Murray and MMS.
Rib tickling lines and humor spread evenly thorough out the play and the characters made this my choice for the comedy which I dreamt of staging in 2000. Every time I read the lines in the script they make me laugh my guts out. Look forward to seeing a house full of audiences falling from their chairs on this one.
Acknowledgements
Sihi Kahi Chandru for discussing this script so many times that I had to get it to be staged.
Rajesh Bidappa for finding and reaching the script safely back into my hands. I tried my luck everywhere but for him this would not have happened.
About The Director
Captain of the ship. Very difficult to understand him in short span of time. As a director he know how to bring out the work done by his cast n crew. Gives lots of freedom for the actors to show there acting skills. The team members are very lucky and happy to work with him and in return keeps all the members smiling all the time throughout the rehearsals. This is Sathish's first planned English production under the Pradarshana Kala Samsthe banner. He has been working with different theatre groups from India at different times. He currently runs Kala Soudha as its Director and aims to run the place to encourage new talent and to bring out performances that are fresh and unique. He is now acting as Paddu in Panduranga Vittala, a Kannada sitcom, on Zee Kannada. He is still known for his theater columns in newspapers and with special reference to the Sunday reviews in the Times of India.
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