MER RVYN G GLUE 192 26 ‐ 20 014 M ervyn Glu ue died on n May 27thh this yearr at Ross H Home in Dunedin. He was 88. Mervvyn was on ne of the p people wh ho have m made Repertory speccial. Not on nly was hee a fine acttor, a shreewd lawye er and a kiind man, b but he was very much his own person, a u unique ind dividual wh ho was haappy to bee Mervyn. In his o obituary, w written byy Tess McC Clure in Th he Press, SSaturday JJune 14th she talks to o his wife,, Jenepher, who hass also acte ed for Rep pertory. Sh he says that one of his ggreatest theatrical p performan nces was aas Dylan TThomas. TThomas’s p poem, “Do no ot go genttle into thaat good niight” was read at hiis funeral. Brenda H Hayes remem mbers thatt performance and she has m many other memoriees of Mervvyn at Reperttory, when n she of co ourse, wo orked veryy closely w with him. Mervyn Glue as Uncle Vanya a at Repertoryy in 1978 Here’s what Brenda says about our dear friend: I saw Dylan in 1974 and it remains one of my favourite memories of the magic of theatre and the power of an actor to take you completely into their world. What a perfect piece of casting it was. Looking at the photos of Mervyn in the final scene when Dylan drank "18 straight whiskies; I think it's a record". I finally know why there are so many plastic glasses in props. As you look through the list of the 22 plays Mervyn acted in at Repertory there is an interesting mix: everything from Shakespeare, with roles ranging from Petruchio to Falstaff, to a horse in Animal Farm and a hedgehog in Grimm Tales. The Merry Wives of Windsor, 1991 The wilder side of Mervyn had calmed by the time I started at Rep but I was often entertained by stories of ASM’s being sent to the Oxford to extract him and people being posted on the doors to stop him popping out for a quick one. Once he was assisted out the window in number 2 dressing room in spite of all Penny’s efforts to keep him on site. Death of a Salesman is a powerful play and with Mervyn and his wife Jenepher playing Willy and Linda Loman, we had a team that delivered a powerful punch. I remember Bill Cook saying “With other actors I have to build them up, but with you Mervyn I have to rein you in”. One night in the restaurant scene Mervyn dried and I quickly threw him a prompt. Unfortunately I was about to make an announcement for the scene and had a live microphone in my hand. I think it must be the loudest prompt in theatre. The Merry Wives of Windsor was one of the more harrowing plays I have ever been involved in. We had drunk actors (not Mervyn) and yelling actors and accident prone actors and actors eating props and an Alsatian in the theatre for a dress rehearsal but also one of the more challenging props to acquire‐ a wicker basket big enough to hide Mervyn in. I even started collecting willow branches to make one before; luckily, one was found at The Court Theatre. Mervyn wrote out his part on little pieces of cardboard about 8 x 5 inches and worked his way through the pile he had for each scene. He is the only actor I have ever seen use this method. During Top Silk Mervyn played a lawyer and wore his own wig and gown. They were lovingly carried home each night and his great love for the law was obvious. Mervyn was also active with Hallum and Clark’s outdoor Shakespeares, and who could forget him in The Court’s Foreskin’s Lament. “Some people react physically to the magic of poetry, to the moments, that is, of authentic revelation, of the communication, the sharing, at its highest level . . . A good poem is a contribution to reality. The world is never the same once a good poem has been added to it. A good poem helps to change the shape and significance of the universe, helps to extend everyone's knowledge of himself and the world around him.” ― Dylan Thomas Mervyn’s talents were his mind and wit and use of the English language. We were lucky he chose to share these with us and that Rep was a part of his incredible life’s journey. Goodbye Mervyn. ― Brenda Hayes
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