Savoury Imbroglio!

A lot of ambiguity surrounds September’s “Caption This” image, a hilarious still from a theatrical performance at McGill. The description of this image in our digital archives is “Shots of McGill Faculty of Music production” and it was taken circa 1965-6 by Brian M. Smith. While we do not know the exact type of production this was or the plot development that led to such humorous expressions by the actors, the photographer took another picture of the same production that gives additional insight on the story that was being told. It shows the mustachioed gentleman looking with bewilderment at what seems to be a crystal ball. The photos were published in the 1966 volume of McGill News and was followed by an accompanying article, written by Smith himself, that makes for an interesting read on the triumphs of the theatre scene at McGill. He mentions a plethora of plays put on by students at the university such as “The Lark,” “The Mikado,” and McGill’s successful homegrown musical comedy “My Fur Lady,” but our attempts at matching the costumes of the eccentric pair to the plots of those plays were not fruitful. And so, we found ourselves in an “imbroglio” of sorts, defined by Cambridge Dictionary as “an unwanted, difficult, and confusing situation.”

Do let us know if you can pinpoint the play based on these photos and costumes! Email roaar.library@mcgill.ca with your findings.