The Greater Trumps Play


Book Cover

This is a subsidiary page to the Jon Lackey memorial page. It revolves around production of a play with music and dance, all based on Charles Williams novel The Greater Trumps. This was put on by the Mythopoeic Society with Jon Lackey directing, and members of the Society doing most of the work and the performance. My involvement was peripheral.   Illustration from book cover, Charles William, The Greater Trumps Benediction Books.


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This play was a complex and demanding project. Members of the Mythopoeic Society rehearsed for over a month. Music for the dance was composed, performed and recorded to tape by the members. I was not a member of the Mythopoeic Society**, but was a friend of Jon's who had some technical abilities.

My part in the public performance was to man the tape recorder and stop and start the music for the dance section. I had attended all the rehearsals and the recording sessions, so I knew my cues.

Jon was rushing about setting things up. He was clearly exhausted, flying high on massive amounts of tea, as he often was. You can't be at your best under these circumstances.

I placed the tape recorder well back behind the stage, but Jon was not pleased. He said the clunking of the tape recorder could be heard. He scooted it so far back I could barely hear what was happening on the stage.

During the performance, I was sure I heard my cue for the music and started the tape. Jon rushed back yelling at me that it wasn't the right time. I was right, Jon was wrong. He took control of the tape machine, and chaos ensued.

After the event, I asked Jon to lend me the tape so I could make copies of the music to share with the performers. He angrily refused. The tape was his. The music was his, the play was his. He had hidden the tape away. He probably blamed me for the miscue, Jon could never admit to such an error on his part.

So, the music composed and performed for this event, by members of the Mythopoeic Society, is lost forever. I never again participated in any of Jon's projects with the Mythopoeic people, or any other of his grand projects.


** I knew several members of the Mythopoeic Society, but was not a member. I was no stranger to mythopoeic literature. I had read Tolkien's Fellowship of the Ring trilogy before most had heard of it - but, I read literature. I had, and have, no interest whatever in discussing it, analyzing it, or deconstructing it.

grtrumps 201029
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