The Hothouse by Harold Pinter

Roote - Stephen Moore
Gibbs - Finbar Lynch
Lamb - Leo Bill
Miss Cutts - Lia Williams
Lush - Paul Ritter
Tubb - Henry Woolf
Lobb - Peter Pacey

Directed by Ian RIckson
Designed by Hildegard Bechtler

Seen during it's run at the Lyttleton K12

Not one actor spotted in the audience though I thought maybe Michael Stipe in a fleeting moment

What a joy. I am Pintered in the extreme. We are so lucky to have such amazing directors around at the moment. I sat next to a couple who asked if I had expected a Pinter to be so funny. I was polite, of course but I was aware of pockets in the audience who didn't really understand some of the humour. He can be so deliciously obtuse. All the performances were glorious. I really don't like that space at all but this suited it well.

Wonderful evening. Finbar interview here.

The Rose Tattoo by Tennessee Williams

THE WOMEN

Giuseppina - Katerina Jugati
Peppina - Stephanie Jacob
Violetta - Jules Melvin
Teresa - Marilyn Cutts
Mariella - Sadie Shimmin

Serafina delle Rose - Zoe Wanamaker
Rosa delle Rose - Susannah Fielding
Assunta - Maggie McCarthy
Estelle Hoehngarten - Sharon Bower
The Strega = Rosalind Knight
Father de Leo - Nicholas Chagrin
The Doctor - Gerard Monaco
Miss Yorke - Sheila Ballantine
Flora - Buffy Davis
Bessie - Sarah Annis
Jack Hunter - Andrew Langtree
A Girl - Rendah Heywood
A Man - Jonathan Bryan
The Salesman - Mac mcDonald
Alvaro Mangiacacllo - Darrell D'Silva
Also in the company - Marianne Morely

THE CHILDREN

Bruno - Max Baldry/Bradley Ingram/ David Perkins
Salvatore - Sebastian Applewhite/Sam Lanchin/Marcus Lezard
Vivi - Lana Pitcher/Larissa Tasker/Janine Vieira

Directed by Steven Pimlott and Nicholas Hytner
Designed by Mark Thompson

Seen during it's run at the Olivier J 38

Celebs in the audience: Jack Davenport, Michelle Gomez, Maria Aitken & Patrick McGrath

I found the first act rather clunky and it didn't seem to warm up until after the interval when Alvaro enters. It then turned into something so farcical I could not recognise it as Williams. Rather jolly but not what I was expecting.

Gaslight by Patrick Hamilton

Jack Manningham - Andrew Woodall
Bella Manningham - Rosumund Pike
Nancy - Sally Tatum
Elizabeth - Rowena Cooper
Detective Rough - Kenneth Cranham
First man - Matthew Field
Second Man - Edward Newborn

Directed by Peter Gill and designed by Hayden Griffin.

Seen during it's summer run at the Old Vic. H 15

Celeb in the audience: Adrian Lukis


A wonderful classic story well told. The auditorium was so hot with o air-con so it was a little hard to concentrate at times but the plot was familiar enough to not concern me.

I'm afraid the great Mr Cranham fluffed his lines a few times but he made up for it with his physical antics. Rosumund was perfect and beautiful and Andrew's menace was delicious.

A good evening's entertainment.

Rough Cuts: The Girlfriend Experience by Alecky Blythe

Cast: Debbie Chazen, Beatie Edney, Rachel Lumberg, Jason Barnett

Directed by Joe Hill-Gibbins
Seen during the Rough Cuts season at the Royal Court Upstairs.

We were asked for feedback on these pieces so I think mine will suffice here....

1) Describe the way The Girlfriend Experience made you feel in three words.
Needing a drink.
2 ) What idea, line of dialogue or image stood out for you?
Honestly? I found the performances so overbearing that I didn't engage with the text.
3) Was there anything in The Girlfriend Experience that made you look at something in a different way or told you something new?
No.
4) What one suggestion would you make if The Girlfriend Experience was to be developed into a full production.
A little more time to develop some kind of connection with the characters.
5) Would you come back and see The Girlfriend Experience again, either in further Rough Cuts work or as a full production?
Hmm - that would depend on the cast and whether I thought there would be enough material to sustain a full production.

Rough Cuts: Posh by Laura Wade

Cast: Sebastian Armesto, Andrew Buchan, Nicholas Burns, Pip Carter, Tom Riley, Jay Taylor.

Directed by Lyndsey Turner.
Seen during the Rough Cuts season at the Royal Court Upstairs.

1) Describe the way Posh made you feel in three words.
Amused, poor and sane.
2 ) What idea, line of dialogue or image stood out for you?
The futile destruction of the beloved book.
3) Was there anything in Posh that made you look at something in a different way or told you something new?
Sadly not - all my cliched notions were confirmed :-D
4) What one suggestion would you make if Posh was to be developed into a full production.
It might be tough to maintain the same standard of writing for a much longer piece so I would suggest it remains almost as compact as it currently stands.
5) Would you come back and see Posh again, either in further Rough Cuts work or as a full production?
Willingly.

Rough Cuts: A Liability by Sean Foley

Cast: Jacqueline Defferary, Sean Foley, TOm McKay, Sarah Somemani, Peter Wight

Directed by Terry Johnson and Music by Chris Larner.
Seen during the Rough Cuts season at the Royal Court Upstairs.

We were asked for feedback on these pieces so I think mine will suffice here....

1) Describe the way A Liability made you feel in three words.
Satirically satisfied, thankyou !
2 ) What idea, line of dialogue or image stood out for you?
The line about it being so hard to live with someone who doesn't have a subtext.
3) Was there anything in A Liability that made you look at something in a different way or told you something new?
Not really but there is great satisfaction in having ones own thoughts articulated with such adroit humour.
4) What one suggestion would you make if A Liability was to be developed into a full production.
More of the same.
5) Would you come back and see A Liability again, either in further Rough Cuts work or as a full production?
Undoubtedly!

Rough Cuts: Airbag by Leo Butler

Cast: Gillian Hanna, Nick Moss, Nicola Walker, Vincent Etagweyo, Frank Asiyai

Directed by Leo Butler and choreographed by Anthony McC Odey
Seen during the Rough Cuts season at the Royal Court Upstairs.

1) Describe the way Airbag made you feel in three words.
Engaged in sorrow
2 ) What idea, line of dialogue or image stood out for you?
The precision of the two dancers when one was in front of the sheet and one behind. Reminded me of Woman & Scarecrow a bit too much.
3) Was there anything in Airbag that made you look at something in a different way or told you something new?
It reminded me of Aboriginal Dreamtime which I had never previously considered in respect of other continents
4) What one suggestion would you make if Airbag was to be developed into a full production.
I think a subject is more easily discussed with the inclusion of humour. Whilst that was present in the dance expression it would be nice to see a little dry humour in the dialogue.
5) Would you come back and see Airbag again, either in further Rough Cuts work or as a full production?
Maybe.