The Lights Went Out

'This handsome, kind, fun-loving, talented, beautiful man - adored husband of Joyce, Louise's adored Daddy - died peacefully on Saturday 29th November, 2008.

It is a very cruel world that such a powerhouse of a man was taken from us so early. He never got to do his parachute jump!'

Joyce Rae Frith

Roger on the roof of Wimbledon Theatre

Roger's death came as a huge shock to everyone who knew him. Although he would have been 70 next year, he never grew old and had an inexhaustible zest for life.

Earlier this year, on his 69th birthday, he went paragliding with Joyce and was looking forward to doing a parachute jump.


Two months ago, Roger was diagnosed with cancer and although an operation seemed initially successful, he suffered from complications that were ultimately fatal.

Roger never wanted to grow old, but he did look forward to many more years with Joyce, friends and family and those of us who knew him will miss him greatly.

This blog is a celebration of Roger's life and an opportunity for those who knew him to add comments at the bottom of this page.


Roger's Work

Roger started his career at Sadler’s Wells, moving with the company to the Coliseum to become resident lighting designer/supervisor for English National Opera. He then worked as a freelancer. Although still specialising in lighting for opera, Roger’s freelance work encompassed a wide range of productions, including commercial plays, musicals and ballet in London and on tour.

Roger designed numerous productions for English Bach Festival including: Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, Dido and Aeneas and The Fairy Queen, all at the Royal Opera House; Telemaco at Sadler’s Wells and the Herod Atticus amphitheatre near the Acropolis; and Platee at the Alexandra Trianti Opera House in Athens. He also lit other productions for English Bach Festival in Valencia, Granada, Monte Carlo, Madrid, Versailles and Cyprus. His 12 seasons for Opera Holland Park included La Boheme, Die Fledermaus, Werther, L'Arlesiana, Adriana Lecouvre and La Rondine.

In London, he lit productions of both operas and ballet galas at Queen Elizabeth Hall. In Ireland, he designed productions at: the Druid Theatre Company, Galway; Cork Opera House; and the Abbey Theatre, the Olympia Theatre and the Gaiety Theatre, all in Dublin. In America, he designed both Carmen and The Merry Widow for coast-to-coast tours.

Other productions included La Boheme on a floating stage in Malta, Anna Bolena for the Festival of Music at the Tower of London and The Bohemian Girl for Opera South.

Roger's lighting design and the finished result at the Tower of London

Although Roger specialised in lighting operas, he was extremely versatile and also lit straight drama and farce, as well as many pantomimes and musicals.

Roger worked extensively with students at RADA, ArtsEd and, most recently, the Drama Centre at The Cochrane Theatre, London.

'What was striking was how well - especially latterly, with Roger Frith's lighting - this opera came across'. – The Independent, reviewing Anna Bolena

Roger the child prodigy

Before Roger became a lighting designer, he achieved a certain amount of fame as Britain's youngest puppeteer:




Roger toured the country, first with his parents, then with a company called the Hogarth Puppets. His puppet shows received rave reviews and his reputation grew to the point where he was offered television work. For a brief spell, Roger operated Muffin the Mule.

Roger at 14

In later years, Roger was rather embarrassed about his career as a child puppeteer and was very reticent about his achievements. However, it was the Rogoli Puppets that introduced the young Roger Frith to the world of the theatre and, perhaps, ultimately led to him becoming a lighting designer.

Roger left the world of puppets to study art at Goldsmith's College, where he showed considerable promise. However, Roger left after a year as he was made an offer he couldn't refuse: to train as a lighting designer at Sadler's Wells. Roger had apparently got the job as it was felt that his artist's understanding of colour made him an ideal candidate for the position.

Tributes

Joyce has received many emails during the last few days. It is not possible to publish all of them, but here are a few extracts, accompanied by photos from Roger's life:

Rog was a lovely man and a hugely talented artist, who deserved to be with us longer.

He lit THE OLD MAN OF LOCHNAGAR with delicate skill and care. The underwater scene was a truly magical achievement. All done with calmness and humour in the face of the usual panics over time. And the patience and dedication he displayed when lighting the Magic Circle Centenary Celebrations was extraordinary, though not unexpected.

You were the perfect couple. True soul mates. And the world is duller - and dimmer - without Roger.

David Wood OBE

The beginning of 30 very happy years

This news is a blow. I have only occasionally met Roger recently, yet I feel the loss of a close friend for all that.

Roger was well established at the Coliseum when I joined in 1970, and he was generosity personified to a new ASM ever so slightly out of my depth. That's been his defining characteristic over the years. For all his impish comments about colleagues, I never heard a word from him tainted with malice.

And I will remember until my own day comes The Trip To Peterborough. On that happy day he was in such good form - no wonder you fell for him.

Roger loved life, and he was good at it. He was easy to love, and I am not the only person who is better for having known him.

Andrew Killan

Joyce and Roger in the Maldives

I was only thinking of him the other day I was going through some old photographs, and I found the one where me and Roger were sitting in the back of an old viscount airplane going to Vichy France on one of Lena’s jaunts.

I said to Roger 'I am not getting on that bloody thing. It's got propellers'. Roger reassured me it would be okay, so we sat together in the back and smoked our way through the flight. We ended up in hysterics as when we landed, the cleaning truck consisted of a little French lady with a bucket and mop. Then (I am not sure) I think we went for a beer. Just for a change.

Susan Ashley (nee Hartfree)

Roger's laughter was infectious

Such a great man and a mentor to so many students...

Gary Diomandes

Roger with his grandson Harry

He will be sorely missed by all. You are right he was loved by all (and still is). I guess it's always the way with people of fabulous talent, that they usually never really take themselves seriously; and thankfully Roger was one of these.

He will be leaving an amazing legacy of young designers behind to carry on with his wonderful teaching and skills that he has left them with. So I guess in one way his 'Light' will still be shining for many years to come.

Hugh Halliday

Roger in Sri Lanka

Alex and I will never think of Roger without smiling; his sense of fun, stories, and wisdom will be sorely missed.

We must all go on believing in what we do for his sake, knowing that he should have been allowed to go on rendering our work so much more beautiful and to have continued to enrich our lives as a valued friend and colleague.

Di Fraser



Please convey my sympathy to Joyce and tell her I have very fond memories of Roger, who was always generous with his friendship, when I was living and working in London in the early seventies.

I will always remember Roger coming to me one day, all those years ago and telling me that he had taken a phone call at the Coliseum from my Mother, who asked (and here he mimicked my Mother, by putting-on a high pitched Welsh accent) "Have you seen my Stephen, as he didn't come home last night" (I sometimes slept on the floor of the lighting box after too many lagers with him at The Lemon Tree).

He told her that he expected to see me later that day and he would make sure I phoned her. I was rightly admonished by Roger for not being more considerate to my poor Mother!

Stephen Hancock

Roger with his grandson Toby

I liked Grandpa because of his jokes and the way he always gave me a warm welcome. He was always very jolly and tickled me. It makes me very upset to hear that he's dead.

Toby Boakes, aged nine

This is such a sad sad loss...he certainly enriched many peoples lives, and I was so fond of him. A really lovely man Joycie, so gentle and unpretentious. A man it was so easy to like, simple as that.

Paul Jerricho



Much of my childhood was spent backstage with Dad, mainly at the Coliseum. One of my favourite memories is of watching the production of 'Peter Pan' which Dad lit every Christmas. I loved watching it in the lighting box with Dad.

Three weeks ago, I met Dad before he went into hospital for the operation. We had a drink in the pub, then went home for lunch with Joyce. When it was time for me to catch my train home, Dad insisted on walking me to the station. He talked about the forthcoming operation as we walked.

"In a funny sort of way", he said, looking into the distance, "I am looking forward to it. It's a challenge. An awfully big adventure."

Dad loved adventure. Like Peter Pan, he retained a childlike love of new experiences. He never tired of meeting new people, travelling, trying new things, having fun. In Joyce, he found his perfect partner - someone who shared his love of theatre and had an equal thirst for adventure.

Those who know 'Peter Pan' will know what 'an awfully big adventure' means. It was far too early for Dad to embark on his last big adventure, but I take comfort in the fact that he lived his life to the full right to the end and was loved by so many.

Louise Frith

Roger with Louise and Anne

Oh Joyce, I know it was inevitable given what happened, but I am so shocked and so sorry for you and Louise.

As you say, he was such a big personality, so loved by all who knew him, that to take him away seems so impossible. There will be tears all over the world tonight for him.

Jenny Ranson, OBE


Roger was such a pleasure to work with, and lots of people I've told say the same. You'll get messages from people you barely know with the same message - Roger helped me get to where I am now.

Kate Reynolds

I designed several productions at Drama Centre which Roger lit. As well as being a fantastic lighting designer, he was such good fun to be with. The last time we worked together, he proudly showed photos of the both of you paragliding in Greece. He certainly knew how to enjoy life. He was always talking about you too. I liked him instantly, even before we actually met. I loved the way he introduced himself on the phone as "Roger the Frith". I will miss him very much indeed and am lucky to have known him.

Mark Friend


As well as being great fun, Roger was also the consummate pro, pulling all sorts of effects out of the bag which one had no right to expect on the budget and timescale available. He was also brilliant with the students, tirelessly enlisting those 1^st year acting students to help with all the technical work needed to produce a professional standard show.

He’s irreplaceable; I’m going to miss him as a colleague and a pal.

Chris Ettridge

Roger Frith, 1939 - 2008

If you wish to make a comment or share your memories of Roger, please click on 'comments'.