Absurdist Royal Court Playwright NF Simpson Dies Aged 92
Playwright NF Simpson, whose work has enjoyed a recent resurgence, died on Saturday (27 August 2011) at the age of 92.
Along with John Osborne, John Arden and Ann Jellicoe, he became one of the most influential writers during the early years of the Royal Court, though his work was less hard-hitting in nature than that of his contemporaries.
He was noted for his absurdist comic style, exemplified in early successes A Resounding Tinkle, The Hole and One Way Pendulum, which influenced a new generation of comedians including the likes of Monty Python and Peter Cook.
Through the 1960s and 70s he increasingly turned his attention to writing for radio and television, with his only major plays during this period being The Cresta Run (1965) and Was He Anyone? (1972).
After two years as the Royal Court’s literary manager in the late 1970s, he largely disappered from view, spending much of the 80s and 90s travelling round Britain on a canal boat.
But the last few years of his life saw a resurgence of interest in his work, including revivals at the Donmar Warehouse and Royal Court (to mark the theatre’s 50th anniversary in 2006). His final play, If So, Then Yes, originally commissioned by the National Theatre, premiered only last year at the Jermyn Street Theatre.
NF Simpson is survived by his partner Elizabeth Holder and a daughter from his marriage to Joyce Bartlett.
