Film: Thark and the Aldwych Farce Centenary

Two men-about-town with an eye for the ladies; a pretty girl; a put-upon surbanite; a battle-axe housekeeper; proliferating bedrooms and doors. These were some of the typical ingredients of Britain’s Aldwych Farces, the legendary stage comedies from the 1920s and ’30s, launched in April 1922 with Tons of Money: comedies that broke theatre box-office records and made the transition to celluloid even before films started to talk.

To mark the centenary, we will be screening the rarely-seen 1932 film of the 1927 ‘haunted house’ farce Thark, which enjoyed one of the series’ longest stage runs and produced some of its loudest laughs. The film reveals the core Aldwych team in their prime, with Tom Walls directing and leading the pack, with happy assistance from Ralph Lynn, Robertson Hare, and Ben Travers’ witty script.

Before the screening, film historian Geoff Brown will be in conversation with Mark Newell, author of the pioneering new book, “Oh, Calamity!” – The Lost, Damaged and Surviving Films of the Aldwych Farces and Farceurs. The session will explore the films and their theatre origins aided by film extracts and publicity stills.

Doors open at 13.30, for a 14.30 start.

Refreshments will be available in our licensed cafe/bar.