Teeth 'n' Smiles
David Hare
A rowdy, musical play set in 1969 at a Cambridge University May Ball. It follows a failing rock band, led by the ferocious and self-destructive Maggie Frisby, as they perform for a group of privileged students. The play captures the dying embers of the 1960s counterculture, contrasting the band’s raw, nihilistic energy with the stagnant, comfortable world of the British elite. It is a play about class, art, and the inevitable burnout of rebellion, featuring original songs and a sense of terminal, drug-fueled chaos that eventually consumes the band.
Maggie Frisby: The band’s lead singer, a fierce, alcoholic voice of the counterculture who is burning out in a blaze of fury and defiance against the world. Arthur: The band’s songwriter, who struggles to maintain his artistic integrity while watching Maggie and the group disintegrate under the pressure of their failing career. Sarrafian: The band’s cynical, world-weary manager who views the music industry and his clients with a mix of exhaustion and pragmatic detachment.
First Performance: 1975, at Royal Court Theatre, London
A cult classic that shook the plaster off the ceiling of the Royal Court; recently revived for its 50th anniversary.
Original Actors: Helen Mirren, Jack Shepherd