Peter Brook – a trailblazing thespian

‘Legendary’, ‘visionary’, ‘the enfant terrible of British theatre’ – the tributes to Peter Brook, who has just died, aged 97, give testament to his standalone status as a theatrical genius. His love for drama developed early with his rendition of Hamlet being delivered for his family aged 7. After Oxford, aged 20 he was  appointed director of Birmingham Repertory Theatre.; thence onto the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), the Royal Opera House and subsequently director at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.

 He worked with all the great actors directing Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud, Diana Rigg and Paul Scofield, constantly experimenting, putting Shakespeare on trapezes and staging a nine-hour Mahabharata.

 He was a stickler for intensive rehearsals which were time-consuming and cost money. This sent him eventually to Paris where he was given a well subsidised company and he never returned.

  He was born 21 March 1925 6.20 pm London, the son of Lithuanian Jewish parents from Latvia, both gifted scientists who later set up a pharmaceutical company. His brother became a psychiatrist and a cousin ran a Moscow Satire Theatre. A talented family.

  Brook had a go-ahead Ares Sun on his Descendant so he was a people-person though with Pluto in his 10^th he’d like to be in control. Pluto in the 10^th has a reputation for producing (in some cases) legends in their community which he certainly was. His Pluto opposed a 4^th house Jupiter, doubling up on his confidence and giving him a disregard for rules and regulations.

  His innovative Uranus in his working 6^th house was conjunct a creative Venus in Pisces. He also had his Aquarius Moon in his performing 5^th house opposition Neptune in Leo (and close to a leadership Leo North Node)squaring onto a formidably stubborn, bulldozer Mars in Taurus. His Mercury in Aries was in an intense, dogmatic square to Pluto and inconjunct Saturn.

  He wouldn’t be the easiest man to get along with.

  His leaving-a-legacy-for-history 17^th Harmonic chart was strong; as was his creative 7H.