These are extracts from the “Wycombiensian” magazine giving reviews of past seasons and an indication of the personal satisfaction that the writers derived from the Society.

2006 – 2007 Season

Senior Vulture 2006-7 opened with a packed house of applicants – the only person not in attendance being Patrick Swayze, who unfortunately was not performing the night we ventured out to see Guys and Dolls at the Piccadilly Theatre. In spite of this, we were rewarded with a hugely enjoyable rendition of this classic musical, with lively acting and a toe-tapping performance of Loesser’s superlative score, each of us enjoying his favourite of the many famous songs.

Although a somewhat charming period piece, John Mortimer’s autobiographical A Voyage Round My Father disappointingly made for a somewhat slow theatrical journey, without any real emotional connection felt with the characters, and slightly rigid acting at times. However, it was not without its amusing moments, and could not be faulted for depth of plot.

Mr Cowburn is due exceptional credit for obtaining tickets to our next excursion, the West End sensation Billy Elliot, which would normally be far outside the Vulture price range (and so, out of cheerful gratitude, we will enquire no further into the provenance of these tickets). In this outstanding epic of song, dance and industrial action, of particular note were the dancing riot police, whose shields and batons provided a surprising source of percussion accompaniment. No audience member could have failed to be impressed by the emotional acting and masterful dancing of the younger members of the cast, nor to be amused by the comical spectre of Maggie Thatcher. I believe all Vulture-goers heartily enjoyed this chance to explore the Northern sides.

We ended this year’s Vulture excursions on a triumphal note: Patrick Barlow’s tongue-in-cheek adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps, featuring Catherine McCormack (of Braveheart fame). The excellent cast of four (performing a myriad of roles) led us on a side-splitting cross-country adventure of death and espionage, including the hilariously simulated plane attack and train-top chase scenes, all on the small stage of the cosy Criterion Theatre. As the posters whimsically promised, the air conditioning was excellent too, and all in all this was perhaps the best outing of the year.

As one of the last few boys permitted to join Vulture in Year 7 and having followed it through now to my final year (and having thoroughly enjoyed this enriching experience) I would like to raise a special vote of thanks to Mr Cowburn and all of the staff involved. Without their unceasing efforts and diligence, many of us would never have had the opportunity to see so many excellent productions. The Vulture society is one of the true gems that make the RGS such a unique and vibrant place to be.

Jordan Anderson 13C

2005 – 2006 Season

Both alarm and intrigue adorned the faces of the culture coach as Mr Cowburn announced the venue of the year’s first Vulture expedition. Situated not a stone’s throw away from Cable Street, site of the infamous Blackshirts’ fracas in 1936, Wilton’s Music Hall seemed little more than a dilapidated shell, surely defunct as a theatre! Still, it provided an engrossing backdrop for a Vulture outing.

The same charge of decay or datedness could not be levied against this production of Ben Jonson’s moral comedy Volpone. Our patience beforehand was rewarded with a zesty production, full of vitality – the actors’ fiery interpretations responded to the rawness and intimacy of the Hall. All of the Hall’s nooks and crannies were exploited fully as the action seemed to take place around the audience, not in front. The tightness of the acting ensured that the moral message was clearly imparted to an eager, if small, audience.

An entirely different audience filled the National Theatre for Alan Bennett’s semi-autobiographical History Boys, a comedy barbed with satirical swipes at the education system. Ironically, our trip to the NT coincided exactly with the tension in some of our own Oxbridge applications, and the anxiety of Bennett’s characters was easily (perhaps uneasily) felt! – that the play has a widespread popularity owes much to this and other examples of Bennett’s realness. The cast was excellent, certainly strong in dialogue and expressiveness, and deserving of its many plaudits.

The third trip of the season saw us disembark across the rive in Haymarket for the production of Robert Bolt’s A Man for All Seasons. Martin Shaw, so feted for his television role as the judge John Deed, seemed slightly adrift when reciting his legalese here - perhaps he was awed by the figure of Thomas More looming large over him, as if casting his weighty critical eye over his performance. The characterisations seemed, too, rather wooden: the scheming Richard Rich was too sullen, More's wife too melodramatic - neither of which the play's script demands.

We end the Vulture year witha trip to Peter Shaffer's The Royal Hunt of the Sun in May. I hope that every Vulture member would join me in thanking both Mr Cowburn and Mrs Frost for their unerring patience and tireless effort in organising the trips! It has been a wonderfully enjoyable year's theatre-going with Senior Vulture, and I am saddened by the fact that this shall be my first and last.