Monty Python's First Ever Live Performance - Belgrade Theatre, Coventry - The Story behind it! PT 6

Colin Richardson of the BRON Agency

Colin Richardson - the booking agent from Bron responsible for booking  many of the acts for the Coventry Lanchester Arts Festival in the early 70's tells the story of how 'How a modest little Polytechnic in Coventry came to be favoured with such a prime coup as hosting the first ever live performance of Monty Python's Flying Circus?' 

PART 6 

'Live' Python found at Belgrade Theatre, Coventry!
 

By Colin Richardson

1971 Lanchester Arts Festival included many well-known artistes on the 10 day programme of events, including Elton John, Ralph McTell, Caravan, blues legend Big Boy Crudup, Leon Russell and Andre Previn (conducting the London Symphony Orchestra), but the high point of the student-run mixed media festival that year, was without doubt, the first 'Live on Stage' performance of Monty Python's Flying Circus.  

 

How did a modest little Polytechnic in Coventry come to be favoured with such a prime coup?  Here's how it happened.

 

I had been the Festival's booking consultant in 1970, working closely with Ted Little, the student organiser. We made

Lanch Poly - Now Coventry University

 a good team, as he was always open to my ideas and suggestions, though quite firm of mind when it came to final decisions as to which act was chosen. I guess he must have been pleased with my contribution, as he retained my services for the following year.

At some point during the planning, he asked if it would be possible to book one or two of the Monty Python team to perform a couple of sketches from the cult TV show, as they were immensley popular with the student fraternity.  I was doubtlful, as none of them had ever made any live appearances hitherto and I was pretty sure that they only produced their unique humour for the TV cameras.  However, I said I'd see if there was any chance of one or more being interested. I had no idea who their agent was, but, as luck would have it, there fell into my lap a circuitous conduit to to one Python ear.   It went like this: I had a little band going at the time...a quintet playing jazz and dance music around the club/college circuit and we had a singer by the name of Jean Hart,

Monty-Python-Monty-Pythons-Fly-306805

who was an American living in London and she was the girlfriend (later wife) of  the comedian Bill Oddie. Bill would occasionally 'sit in' with the band, singing a credible blues. He knew most, if not all, of the Python team, so I asked him (through Jean) if he knew how I could go about contacting their representative.  To my astonishment, he offered to introduce me to Eric Idle (it's possible that he was sharing a flat with him at the time, though I'm not certain about that) and eventually I got the summons to attend his presence.   Being a bit of a fan myself, it was with some trepidation, awe and downright nerves that I presented myself, but he very quickly put me at my ease with his relaxed and friendly attitude.  He asked a few questions about what dates we had in mind, the Festival organisation, its history etc. I threw as many 'names' of artistes that had already been booked, or who had appeared in the previous 2 years and described how well run it was and he took it all in. I was expecting him to indicate who, if anyone, might be up for taking part, when he said something that had me almost fainting with inner excitment.  It was along the lines of: "Well, your timing couldn't be more fortuitous (he could even have used the word 'serendipitous') as we've been discussing the possibility of doing something live on stage and, if we did, we would definitely do it outside of London, in case it didn't work for us. If you can find out whether ther Belgrade Theatre is available for a 3 night run, that would certainly increase the odds of us agreeing to do it, as we have all worked there before and know that it would be ideal for us".

In something of a daze, I promised to get back to him asap and left to find a phone to call Ted Little and give him the

Belgrade Theatre - Coventry

 astounding news.  He didn't seem to take it in at first and kept asking which of the Pythons was I talking about. I said "All of them..the tout ensemble', the whole damn Circus!"  After they brought him round, he checked the Belgrade's availablity  and phoned me back to say that we could have 3 nights, bang in the middle of the Festival. I passed this on to Eric and, soon enough, the dates and the deal were agreed. For the life of me, I can't remember the details, except that the shows would start at 12 midnight and that the fee was extraordinarily reasonable.  In a cloud of euphoria, I passed this incredible news to Ted.  Tickets went on sale a few days later...and all three shows sold out in about 20 minutes!

Needless to say, the shows were a fantastic success, the student audience a proven fan base who already knew most of the sketches, not that this in any way diminished their noisy enjoyment of them. I recall that,on the first night, the entire front row was wearing 'Gumby' style knotted handkerchiefs...to the astonishment of the first Pythons onstage.

 

Lanchester Arts Festival 1971 Programme

An interesting coda to this story is that, a couple of weeks before the premiere, I received a phone call from the plummy-voiced P.A. of an illustrious music biz heavyweight (no names, no pack-drill!) who, after ascertaining that I was, indeed, the person responsible for this 'showbiz' coup, informed me that Mr. ******** would 'like a box, for the first night' !  After a deep breath and summoning my most innocent of tones, I asked: "What kind of box would he like?  Orange?".  Well, that went down like the proverbial lead balloon.  A few moments of silence, then: "You do realise that it's Mr ******** we're talking about?" To which I politely replied: "Even if it was the Queen Mother, I still couldn't get you a seat, let alone a box. It's completely sold out."  A gasp of incredulity and frustration, followed by the crash of the phone going down at his end.   I have to admit that I got a degree of quiet satisfaction from the exchange, which just added to the enormous pride that I felt at being the guy who helped facilitate the very first 'Live on Stage' appearance of Monty Python's Flying Circussss!   

 

Comments

[paul maddocks]

Demolition starts on pulling down the Hope and Anchor public house on 26th October 2009. This will be another great loss to the local music scene, this lovely pub was many a starting points

[HOBO - Coventry Music Magazine]

Yes you are right - long history associated with the music scene. What are the replacing it with - something surplus to requirement community wise but which makes someone somewhere richer!

Will do a post and people can send memories  / photos etc.