Marjorie Gordon

Marjorie Gordon (1921-1981). English born actress and comedian, director and producer.

Biography

She was born in England and died in South Africa in 1981 at the age of sixty.

Fondly known as Maggie, she was a favourite with critics, audiences and colleagues alike.

Career

Marjorie enjoyed a successful career in London, largely in musical comedy. She was invited to Australia where she starred in several musicals; had two world tours including New York.

She came to South Africa in circa 1947 with her company to present four plays at The Standard Theatre in association with ACT. She eventually made her home in South Africa.

Besides her stage career, she became very involved in South African radio and radio drama.

In 1955 she went into partnership with actors Stuart Brown and Bruce Anderson to form The Company of Three. Their first production was Third Person and was staged at the Reps Theatre.

Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance

In association with ACT, Marjorie and her company presented four plays at The Standard Theatre circa 1947 including Coward's Design for Living. Starred in Leon Gluckman’s revue Xmas Box at the Library Theatre towards the end of 1949. Herbert Kretzmer composed five of the songs and the cast included Johann Nell.

She starred in Noël Coward’s Private Lives which was directed by Minna Millsten for the Reps in 1953.

Other prominent performances include roles in Third Person[?] (Company of Three, 1955), A Hatful of Rain (Company of Three, 1957), Summer of the Seventeenth Doll (NTO, 1957), Basil Warner’s Try for White (Cockpit Players, 1958?), the part of Dolly Levi in Thornton Wilder’s lively period-New York comedy, The Matchmaker (Cockpit Players, 1959), Clive Hirschhorn’s A State of Innocence (Library Theatre, 1960), The Gay Invalid (1960), Harold Pinter’s The Birthday Party (1962), Tennessee Williams’s The Night of the Iguana (Cockpit Players, 1962), Athol Fugard’s People are Living There (CAPAB? Touring company, 196*), *. Performed in People are Living There, andin The Canterbury Tales.

She replaced Joan Blake in Adam Leslie’s revue Strike it Rich at the Adam Leslie Theatre in 1967/8. She starred in Leonard Schach’s production of the Paul Zindel play The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-moon Marigolds, for PACT in 1971, the Ben Travers farce, The Bed Before Yesterday (1976).

Marjorie has also appeared in The Killing of Sister George, Rookery Nook, as “the widow of Bath” in Canterbury Tales (musical), Love in Albania, Ladies in Retirement, Design for Living, The Hostage and Oliver!.

Sources

SACD 1973.

Tucker, 1997.

Entries in the NELM catalogue.

Go to ESAT Bibliography

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