Moira Shearer

   In 1987 BBC Northwest hired Gillian Lynne to choreograph and direct a ballet based on the life of the Salford-born painter L. S. Lowry. The ballet or, as Lynne preferred to call it, “dance drama”, was to be performed by the Northern Ballet, based in Manchester and directed by the former Royal Ballet dancer Christopher Gable. He would portray Lowry. The music was composed by Carl Davis. The BBC would record and air the performance before the company went on tour with the ballet.

Gillian Lynne and Christopher discuss “A Simple Man” in 1987. Photographer unknown.

Lynne wanted Moira Shearer to dance the role of Lowry’s mother, Elizabeth, and approached her with the proposal. Shearer initially resisted. She had not danced since 1967 when she and Fred Ashton appeared in Façade dancing the tango together. This was a single appearance at a Christmas show at Covent Garden after which Shearer returned to her family life. At the time of Lynne’s proposal, she was an “empty nester” living in Avebury with her husband, Ludovic Kennedy, and preoccupied with writing.

   Despite her misgivings Shearer agreed to travel to Manchester for a filmed test. Lynne, who was an old friend, eventually persuaded Shearer to take the part. However, Shearer stipulated that she would only participate in the performance before the cameras and would not go on tour with the company. Thus, Gable asked Lynn Seymour to step into Shearer’s shoes on the road.

   Rehearsals began in June 1987 and filming, which took place in November 1987, required 8 days. There is no record of when or how long Shearer spent in rehearsals or before the camera. The finished product, made up of 8 scenes, was about 40 minutes long. Shearer danced in 3 scenes and was on stage for probably around 10 minutes. Lynne’s direction explored the mother’s complex and controlling relationship with Lowry. In her final scene his mother dies in Lowry’s presence and we witness his profound anguish.

Christopher Gable as Lowry and Moira Shearer as his mother. Neither date nor photographer known.

Shearer had few opportunities to actually dance – just some fleeting solos and duets with Gable – but considerably more opportunity to use her miming skills. As the review in The Stage suggests, her portrayal of the mother’s “disapproving face and her principled, evangelical bearing tells us why” Lowry was so repressed.

   As was typical of her, Shearer denigrated her performance, calling it an exercise in “geriatric movement”.

   Perhaps because the ballet was produced initially for broadcast there seems to have been very limited contemporaneous critical review of the performance. However, in their evaluation of the DVD that was subsequently produced, a number of critics praised it, one writing to say that it was a “pleasure to see Shearer perform again in a fittingly impressive part”. Another wrote of the “gloriously moving performances from Gable and Shearer”.

Sources.

Sue Davies, myreviewer.com, no date recorded.

Anne Nugent, The Stage, November 19^th, 1987

Radio Times, October 31^st, 1987

J. Reed, videolbrarian.com, September 11^th, 2005