Oxford Street by Levi David Addai

Boy Two - Reece Beaumont
Others - Will Beer & Demi Oyediran
Loraina Marceli - Preeya Kalidas
Boy One - Daniel Kaluuya
Aleksander Rydzewski - Kristian Kiehling
Stephanie Hannon - Amelia Lowdell
Kofi Graham - Nathaniel Martello-White
Emmanuel Lamptey - Cyril Nri
Darrell Obi-Anderson - Ashley Walters
Husnad Khaliq - Shane Zaza

Director Dawn Walton
Designer Soutra Gilmour
I think I saw Sacha Wares in the audience

I went to the first show after this production transferred to the Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre following a successful run upstairs in Sloane Square. They moved into a deserted unit of W H Smith departed and I get the feeling they staged this in pretty much the same way as at the start of the run. The performance area was in a cross with the audience in the corners. The furthest points of the corners had a L-shape of a raised area and even included a couple of chairs with backs (rather than the stools) so I plumped for one of them. This turned out to be a huge mistake because I sat next to the small group of women who didn't realise that once the performance has begun, it is the actors turn to talk. The acoustics were not good when the cast had their backs to us in any case but these self-involved women were exacerbating the problem. It was also much too hot and when those women ran out of anything else to say, they complained about the heat.

The play was fun and whilst I am pleased to have seen it in such an interesting venue, I think it would have impacted better on me without the distraction of displacement. Very sweet to see Ashley Walters greet his kiddies after the show and heartening to see so many of the regular RC staff all mucking in to get the show up and running.

The Royal Court

Contractions by Mike Bartlett

The Manager - Julia Davis
Emma - Anna Madeley

Director Lyndsey Turner
Lighting Nicki Brown
Sound David McSeveny

A deliciously intense 90 minutes. They was staged in a rehearsal room in the bowls of the Royal Court to which we were herded in to five minutes before the production began. An apparently ridiculous exchange between a personnel manager and an employee doing with the firm's Code of Conduct directives what Dave Gorman did with horoscopes last year.

Such were the magnificent performances (and I only saw Julia Davis from behind for the duration) that the fantastic premise of the piece seemed utterly plausible. Julia Davis was so calmly persuasive and Anna Madeley achieved an incredible blend of intelligence and yet submission and I would imagine a lesser pairing would have this piece hang in threads.

Royal Court Website
The Times

Troilus and Cressida by William Shakespeare

Agamemnon - Anthony Mark Barrow
Achilles / Priam - Paul Brennen
Cressida / Andromache - Lucy Briggs-Owen
Thersites / Calchas - Richard Cant
Hector - David Caves
Paris - Oliver Coleman
Pandarus - David Collings
Alexander / Helenus - Gabriel Fleary
Diomedes - Mark Holgate
Nestor - Damian Kearney
Ulysses - Ryan Kiggell
Aeneas - Tom McClane
Helen / Cassandra - Marianne Oldham
Patroclus - David Ononokpono
Ajax - Laurence Spellman
Troilus - Alex Waldmann

Director Declan Donnellan
Designer Nick Ormerod

You don't come to one of Declan & Nick's productions without a degree of nervous anticipation. It's not the first time I've seen him muck around with the space at the Barbican and this time it was a real improvement. We were told to enter the auditorium right at the bottom of the steps which would ordinarily lead us to the front row but in this case it lead us to a raised platform and eventually took us onto the enormous stage with the performance area right down the middle of two rakes of audience.
The design was very simple and worked with bold lighting. The presentation was a little messy in places and had a touch of the pantomime about it but some gloriously naughty risks were taken and they worked for me.
Sadly, I had a pompous fool behind me who declared that the only people who would come to see this play are those who studied it at university. Once again, I searched in vain for my pea-shooter but settled into the play without the benefit of her courtly interjections.

I shall watch out for the youngsters to turn up on the stage again. They were so comfortable with the text and made it such easy watching. A couple of mentions for Paul Brennan and Richard Cant. Not sure they were doing the right thing but there were certainly committed to it.



Cheek By Jowl's website

The Revenger's Tragedy by Thomas Middleton

Vindice - Rory Kinnear
Hippolito - Jamie Parker
Lussurioso - Elliot Cowan
Duke - Ken Bones
Spurio - Billy Carter
Duchess - Adjoa Andoh
Gratiana - Barbara Flynn
Ambitioso - Tom Andrews
Supervacuo - John Heffernan
Castiza - Katherine Manners
Younger Son - Tommy Luther
Antonio - Simon Nagra
Piero/Gentleman/Officer - Peter Hinton
Whore/Gloriana - Donatella Martina Cabras
Gentleman/Officer - Conor Doyle
Judge/Keeper/Spurio's Man - Derek Howard
Judge/Nobleman/Officer - Pieter Lawman
Nencio - Jane Leaney
Sordido - Robert McNeill
Lady in Waiting - Pamela Merrick
Lord/Guard - Rick Nodine
Lord/Officer/Spurio's Man - Richard Shanks
Nobleman/Guard - Ross Waiton
Lady Antonio - Lizzie Winkler

Directed and designed by Melly Still with a bit of design help from Ti Green

Seen on the press night (get me!) of this glorious new production at my beloved Olivier. D7 (raised something-to-the-side}
Celebrities in the audience were surprisingly few to my keen eye. I did see Henry Goodman and SO happy to see young Sam Roukin who is about to embark on a wonderful career (currently filming with Jane Campion and Ben Whishaw) having started as a 'spear carrier' in Henry IV at this very same auditorium.First of all, my due thanks to Poly because what she lacks in prodigious blogging she makes up for in true theatrical companionship and going out on a limb with advance booking. I even had the stupidity to hesitate in accepting her offer of a spare ticket! Thank you, Poly.

Thankfully, a late start (press nights are usually early but they had a delay with all the 'casuals' collecting their tickets very late) meant that my disasterously bad journey did not preclude me from the very loud opening scene. There we were, engaged in polite conversation when BAM, a noise even louder than the explosion for "Never So Good" and bring on the dance troupe.

With a very strong whiff of Hytner intervention, we were treated to a spectacular production with all the ridiculous ingredients that ask us to suspend belief and suppress natural squeamishness to effect a wonderful lark of unlikely jealousy and insidious revenge.

NO idea what Rory was doing with his accent but I did understand the two persona he was mean to show us. Gotta wonder what kind of mother is fooled by a son who has lank receding locks when he shaves his head to effect a disguise but that's the joy of Jacobean farce - oops, I mean tragedy.

I have never taken one of these side seats before but I can thoroughly recommend the front row of the side (row D) They are ridiculously good value and you feel as though you are virtually on the stage. I really think I had more eye-contact with the performers than if I had been dead centre. Perhaps they spotted the spinach on my teeth. The potential downside was that we missed some of the magic because we saw the full technicalities of the amazing set design. I can't even go into details because there was so much to look at and admire. I must mention the crystalline bar stools in the court scene and the wonderful corridors through the tricorned, revolving set.

Rory, Rory, Rory - you sweet thing. It's really hard to see him as the tough guy because I just want to put him in my pocket and save him for later. He did pull it off though, on some levels and his comic timing, whilst scarcely called upon, was delicious whenever it surfaced.

I have been longing to see Jamie Parker since The History Boys and his voice is intoxicating. A lovely balance to Rory.The play is as daft as a bag of spanners to a contemporary audience but it reassuringly follows the template of it's time and whilst my ritual of not looking at the programme before the first interval probably presented some testing moments, it's all pretty standard plotting. I sometimes get Middleton confused with Webster and this is prime example but if I wasn't familiar with the format, I think I might have been confused - more so than I actually was, I mean!

It was not until towards the end of the interval that Poly pointed out the page for the family tree! Now THAT is an inspired bit of programme content.

Go on - loose yourself. See some accessible Jacobean nonsense on a glorious stage.

Harper Regan by Simon Stephens

Harper Regan - Lesley Sharp
Elwood Barnes - Michael Mears
Tobias RIch - Troy Glasgow
Seth Regan - Nick Sidi
Sarah Regan - Jessica Raine
Justine Ross - Jessica Harris
Mickey Nestor - Jack Deam
James Fortune - Brian Capron
Alison Woolley - Susan Brown
Duncan Woolley - Eamon Boland
Mahesh Aslam - Nitin Kundra

Directed by Marianne Elliott
Designed by Hildegard Bechtler
Seen at the Cottesloe during it's world premiere run on a standby ticket in F31
Actress in the audience name escapes me for now.The choreography of this set is an example of my conviction that it was the chippies that let down Ms Bechtler's set at the Almeida. This was pure, simple, effective and poetic in itself.The production has a great deal to say and Harper takes an odd journey that I am still trying to piece together. All the performers were giving everything they had with wonderful little cameos as she wandered through her personal trauma.

Piranha Heights by Philip Ridley

Alan - Nicholas Tennant
Terry - Matthew Wait
Lilly - Jade Williams
Medic - John Macmillan
Garth - Luke Treadaway

Directed by Lisa Goldman
Designed by Jon Bausor

In it's premiere run at the Soho Theatre. I saw Alison Steadman in the bar but I don't think she watched the play

A remarkable piece, covering so many issues not the least of which was challenging drama. Michael Coveney had this to say and he sums it up wonderfully. So I may come back with thoughts later but I may not.

Rosmersholm by Henrik Ibsen (version by Mike Poulton)

Rebecca West - Helen McCrory
Mrs Helsketh - Veronica Quilligan
Doctor Croll - Malcolm Sinclair
Johannes Rosmer - Paul Hilton
Ulrik Brendel - Paul Moriarty
Peder Mortensgaard - Peter Sullivan

Directed by Anthony Page
Designed by Hildegard Bechtler

Seen during the premiere run of this version at the Almeida A9.
Celebs in the audience: Penelope Wilton & Gemma Jones.

Really fabulous version that romped along at a perfectly judged pace. Performaces were really good throughout though I think I detected a couple of deftly fielded stumbles from Paul. Peter has the shortest stage time of the evening but some of the most laughter inducing lines delivered with his usual dry wit. Both ladies glided from terse pragmatism through to heart wrenching sorrow.

There can never be enough of Paul Moriarty and Malcolm Sinclair's performance was reassuringly effortless.
I did have a couple of issues with the set though and I hope this was due to a bit of hasty work from the construction team rather than Hildegard's design.
As a silly aside, somebody in the front row had her phone in a noisy plastic bag and it went off within 5 minutes of 'curtain up'. She did not turn it off but proceeded to fumble and send a text, treating everyone behind her to a glowing torch effect from her screen and noisy interference to her nearest neighbours. She was completely oblivious to the diversion she was causing the audience AND the cast and proceeded to talk to her companion. I admire her total lack of ego but it was an horrible way to start the production. She eventually left the auditorium at a totally inappropriate and unconsidered moment a few minutes later and I had to assume she had some family crisis. Nonetheless, I did breathe a sigh of relief.

At least three more phones rang out during this performance. How hard can it be?

The Vortex by Noel Coward

Preston - Vivien Keene
Helen Saville - Phoebe Nicholls
Pauncefort Quentin - Barry Stanton
Clara Hibbert - Annette Badland
Florence Lancaster - Felicity Kendal
Tom Veryan - Daniel Pirrie
Nicky Lancaster - Dan Stevens
David Lancaster - Paul Ridley
Bunty Mainwaring - Cressida Trew
Bruce Fairlight - Timothy Speyer

Directed by Peter Hall
Designed by Alison Chitty

At the Apollo, Shaftesbury Avenue H 4

I came to see young Dan but with certain reservations because I saw the wonderful production from 1989 with Rupert Everett and Maria Aitken. This production didn't really come close.

The set design was neither here nor there. It wasn't a luxurious set like Present Laughter at the National but then it was not so stunningly minimal. There was an awful gap behind the door which was too narrow to be a statement and just looked like a clumsy mistake.
I was not expecting Felicity Kendal to give a delicate performance and the role doesn't call for it but she was so irritating. She looked like she was wearing those support knickers though she was tiny. Dan did not convey a young man with a vice to me at all. He was lovely but not the way I wanted to see Nicky played. Phoebe Nicholls was probably the best judged performance except that I struggled to hear her sometimes. Annette Badland was suitably annoying and got a lot of the laughs.

Costumes were delicious.

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

Joan - Vanessa Redgrave

Directed by David Hare
Designed by Bob Crowley

seen during it's UK premiere run at the Lyttelton. F 20

Celeb in the audience :Sara Stewart who also ligged her way into the WOS Post Show Discussion - cheeky!
I am at something of a loss to know what to write. I don't know why I found it so easy to watch this woman indulgently explore her trauma in front of me but it was mesmerising. That we were then able to see the actress as herself afterwards only served to add to the magic.

Hello & Goodbye by Athol Fugard

Hester - Saskia Reeves
Rafe Spall - Johnny

Directed by Paul Robinson
Designed by Libby Watson

Seen by the skin of my teeth in the last week of the run B 21 of the tiny Trafalgar 2.
No celeb in the audience but I think we had the producer and her Mum & Dad. Bless

I've stood next to Rafe often enough to have a feel for his height and had no idea that Saskia was QUITE so tiny. She hardly reached is shoulder in her back-combed 60's hairdo. What I would have given to have seen her Beatrice with Matthew Macfadyen's Benedick towering over her all those years ago. She still looks stunning and so powerful.
Rafe was amazing. They both were. The accent wandered a little and in some ways, it might have been better to modify the script for England but there is an element that was peculiar to SA in the 60's so perhaps not.

This was a really juicy piece for them to get their teeth into. I felt there was probably one set piece too many and the 'don't wake up Dad' thing was wearing since it was obvious rather early on that there was no Dad to wake.

An interesting afternoon and worth it just to see the performances.

The City by Martin Crimp

Chris - Benedict Cumberbatch
Claire - Hattie Morahan
Jenny - Amanda Hale
Girl - Matilda Castrey

Directed by Katie Mitchell
Designed by Vicky Mortimer

In it's premier run at the Royal Court Downstairs in C8.
I didn't see anyone in I knew in the audience.

The WOS roundup gives a few mixed feelings and reservations. I have the impression that the production has moved on since the Press Night and I say that because of comments made during the post show talk.

I could quite easily see this again. I love ALL of the performances including the girl playing the 8 year old daughter. My companion noted that it was a different girl for the press night so one can only wonder if Ruby Douglas is even better than Matilda (who I saw).

This is a complicated play that twists around in a way simliar to Bliss but the lines and change in balance are slightly more clearly defined. I shall read the text and see if I can survive without seeing it again.

Young Matilda also made a delightful, crowd pleasing contribution to the post show talk......and Mr Crimp allowed us to believe he bared his soul....a tiny bit.

Tinderbox by Lucy Kirkwood

John/John Junior Junior/ Dixon - Nigel Betts
Perchik - Bryan Dick
Saul - Jamie Foreman
John Junior/ Dixon/ Detective Prawn - Sartaj Garewal
Vanessa - Sheridan Smith

directed by Josie Rourke
designed by Lucy Osborne
Unreserved seating in the newly benched Bush Theatre.
I really enjoyed the performances but the structure of the play seemed messy to me. There were lame verbal jokes that fell dead and the ones that worked were more visual and down to the good acting. It became repulsive and silly and didn't seem to know i it wanted to be a social statement or a farce. I am sure the two CAN work together but this needs a bit more fine tuning.

The new seats are high as reported elsewhere but I didn't mind that. I'd rather have room to extend my leg than have to sit sideways.

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot by Stephen Adly Guirgis

Butch Honeywell - Shane Attwooll
Henrietta Iscariot - Amanda Boxer
Uncle Pino/Pontius Pilates - Ron Cephas Jones
Sigmund Freud/Saint Thomas - Josh Cohen
Gloria/Mother Theresa - Dona Croll
Caiaphas the Elder - Gawn Grainger
Satan (Lou) - Douglas Henshall
Jesus of Nazareth - Edward Hogg
Judge/Saint Peter - Corey Johnson
Yusef El-Fayoumy - Mark Lockyer
Fabiana Aziza Cunningham - Susan Lynch
Baillif/Simon the Zealot - John Macmillan
Judas - Joseph Mawle
Mary Magdalene - Poppy Miller
Saint Monica/Loretta/Sister Glenna - Jessika Williams

Directed by Rupert Goold and designed by Anthony Ward.

Seen in the last week of it's UK premiere at The Almeida with a happy 'first' for me in the front of the circle (the ideal place for this play)



Celeb in the audience: Charles Dance and Sam West but NOT together! We also saw a dog collar behind us and I wondered if it's that guy who has the blog........


Amazing production ..........more later.............

Almeida

God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza translated by Christopher Hamilton

Alain Reille - Ralph Feinnes
Annette Reille - Tamsin Greig
Veronique Vallon - Janet McTeer
Michel Vallon - Ken Stott

Directed by Mathew Warchus
Designed by Mark Thompson

Seen during it's limited run at the Gielgud in the center of the Grand Circle C21

Every line a winner and a fabulous set design. The chairs were a bit incongruous but I could see why they were chosen. The translation was joyful and it was perfectly performed to a grateful and collaborative audience.

Branded by Simon Bent

Ben - Tam Williams
Bob - Ian Redford
Mr Lai - Daniel York
Charles - Corey Johnson
Bridget, Rox's Mother - Claire Gordon
Rox - Sally Amaka Okafor
SU-Lin, Tang's Mother - Uma Bussarapom Thongman
Tang - Seong Park
Melon - David Waddington
Desmond - Aaron Andrew Anderson
Ryan - Rakim Young
Clare- Katharine Bennett-Fox
Chinese Workers - Shu-Yu Chin, Oma Dapul, William Mychael Lee
Xang - Hugo Trebels
Henry - Tom Wood
Wang - Billy Sy
Flight Attendant - Ralph Bogard
Serena - Anniwaa Buachie
Jed - Alex Felton
Sarah - Cassandra Harwood
Leo - James Baldwin
Amy - Lisa Devlin
Candy - Harriet Chatfield
Loz - Robin Berry
Joyce/Solicitor - Anne Rabbit
Zhou - Helen Russell-Clark
Yardley - Paul Joseph
Hunter - Shaka Bunsie

Lead Dancer - Aline David
Dancer - Clinton Baugh
Jubal Carbon
Joseph Appiah-Danquah
Kemi Durosinmi
Stephanie Frances O'Brien
Katie Lowe
Emily Mondo
Seth Nicolsey
Stefan Puxon
Bobby Joel Stearns
Miguel Hernando Torres Umba

Musicians - Tom Wood & Francesco Corallini

Choir - Victoria Holtom, Vanessa Mansaray, Mariesa Clarek, Jacqueline Michelle, Elizabeth Ngero, Nicole McKenzie

Director - Matt Wilde
Associate Director & Choreographer - Aletta Collins
Set & Video Designer - Lorna Heavey
Original Music & Sound Design - Ben & Max Ringham

I saw the third of only five performances of this piece at the Old Vic. Seats were free so by the time I booked I had a rubbish one (D12 of the Dress Circle) but the dance stuff was probably better viewed from the circle so I'm cool about it.

You should probably read more about this here

Whilst I enjoyed elements of this, with special note for the raucous audience, I think this was far too clunky in it's efforts to be worthy and down with the kids. Simon has a solid body of well crafted work to his credit but this felt like something more akin to your favourite school drama teacher writing something for the end of term. Perhaps I am just old old to watch so many young people on stage but I certainly didn't get that feeling during the wonderful trilogy at the National last month. Perhaps that was due to the direction there of Paul Miller, who handled Simon Bent's translation of Elling so masterfully. This is not a dig at Matt Wilde because I have also enjoyed his work. I wonder if the whole thing just needs more time.

There were some fun set pieces but I feel this piece needs a lot more work to articulate the message more concisely. I'm not saying it was too long but it seemed to lunge along in fits and starts and felt messy.

Brief Encounter by Noel Coward and adapted by Emma Rice

Laura - Naomi Frederick
Myrtle - Tamzin Griffin
Beryl - Amanda Lawrence
Stanley - Stuart McLoughlin
Ensemble - Jess Murphy
Musician - Adam Pleeth
Ensemble - Adam Randall
Musician - Ian Ross
Alex - Tristan Sturrock
Fred/Albert - Andy Williams

Director and Adapter - Emma Rice
Designer - Neil Murray

Seen with the blue-rinse-crowd on a Wednesday afternoon in a lovely seat H 26 but I don't think there ARE any bad seats.

So much to commend this production but my viewing was marred by a cackling witch sitting in the row behind me. People on either side of me moved elsewhere in the interval. It was made worse by the laughter being at totally inappropriate moments which broke any mood of romance and some very clever set devices.

This is a magical production from the moment you approach the building. A wonderful old cinema in it's usual guise, it has been propped with old film cans and strewn with red roses everywhere to put you in the mood for nostalgia and romance as soon as you come into the foyer. The bar was littered with old style cups and saucers.

The stage is a huge open space gently draped with audience and comfy seats. With about 10 minutes to go before curtain up, the cast (all of whom seemed to be talented musicians, singers and dancers) serenaded the audience to their seats with the songs of Noel Coward.

A simple set worked very cleverly to facilitate each scene and the cast were superb in their roles. During the intervals, scones were distributed through the audience. Grab your twin-set and pearls and head for a one-stop entertainment shop.

Shoot, Get Treasure, Repeat Double Bill by Mark Ravenhill

Fear and Misery
Harry - Joseph Millson
Olivia - Joanna Riding
Soldier - Burn Gorman
Alex - Lewis Lemprereur-Palmer

War and Peace
Soldier - Burn Gorman
Alex - Lewis Lemprereur-Palmer

Directed by Dominic Cooke
Designed by Nicki Brown

Performed in the soft area and the green room area of the bar at the Royal Court theatre.

It's interesting to see something performed in a space with which I am so familiar for it's customary use as a bar.

Fear and Misery transformed the soft area into a simply stylish dining area which immediately introduced the audience to the uptight unease of the dining couple as they discussed the welfare of their marriage and child. Very slick banter back and forth as the paranoia mounts. The introduction of the Soldier was wonderfully creepy and I later discovered that revelation was a different experience depending upon whereabouts in the audience you were standing (or for the more agile, squatting & kneeling)

We stood next to Mark Ravenhill and Dominic moved in the shadows of the pillars behind.

War and Peace moved us like a promenade to what is often used as a Green Room. An ante-chamber left in it's original state when gleaned from the underground train part of the reclaimed space. The Soldier visits Alex in his bed and you would go a long way to find a more accomplished performance from a young boy under such intimate circumstances.

A very special evening.

Bliss (Felicite) by Olivier Choiniere & translated by Caryl Churchill

Oracle - Hayley Carmichael
Cosmetic Salesperson - Brid Brennan
Display Assistant - Justin Salinger
Manager - Neil Dudgeon

Directed by Joe Hill-Gibbins
Designed by Jeremy Herbert

This version performed upstairs at the Royal Court with no interval and no seat allocation.
I saw two films yesterday but now, two weeks later I cannot remember much about them to write my notes!

We were all given ASDA tabards with the name 'Oracle' and the title 'Cashier' on the badge. When the curtain came back we were looking at three actors strangely framed who had the same tabards but their badges read in reverse. We were looking into a huge mirror and behind them were the cubicles of a public toilet we presume to be in the staff area of an ASDA store. It all worked very well.

This was so clever that the main device crept up on me and snuck into the back door of my brain. Apparently about the intensity of fandom and the lines it can cross, then at some point which even after much deliberation, I cannot quite place in the time-line, it takes a more sinister, real-life turn. It's an odd but thought provoking piece and I think Caryl Churchill was an inspired choice for the translation.

Birth of a Nation by Mark Ravenhill

Writer - Megan Dodds
Painter - Monica Dolan
Performer - Toby Jones
Dancer - Pearce Quigley
Woman - Badira Timimi

Directed by Ramin Gray

Seen during the wonderful Shoot/Get Treasure/Repeat season being staged at four different venues around London this week. It was free seating but I think we went for the middle of row B

I have already seen 6 of these at the Hampstead Theatre last year.

Sadly, this event was one concept too far for your average punter so there were last minute tickets pretty much being given away and the house was heavily papered. We saw Corin Redgrave, Neil Dudgeon, Justin Salinger, Mel Kenyon and Mark himself (does that count?). There were several other faces there whose names sadly escape me.

I do sometimes have my issues with Ramin but the way he handled this piece was really very good. He had the cast wander into the auditorium from the front of house and ask for the house lights to be turned on so they could applaud us for turning up which whilst being pertinent to the entire script, was also hilarious given the efforts they had gone to in order to fill the stalls.
Wonderful performances from all of them but it's such a good script. Lots of interrupting each other and ego battles. Lovely little thing where Toby Jones always dismissed what he did as 'art installation bollocks' and Pearce with his dance. I loved this and with a few important adjustments it would work on tv.

Random by Debbie Tucker Green

Mother, Father, Brother, Sister, Teacher
All parts played by Nadine Marshall

Directed by Sacha Wares
Assistant director was Gbolahan Obissan
There was no design

In it's premiere run at the Royal Court downstairs. A8

A marathon of a performance by Ms Marshall, moving so effortlessly from character to character that I got a bit confused at one (but only one) point. A sad tale made all the more poignant because it was told in this start, lonely way. Wonderful

The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other by Peter Handke in a new translation by Meredith Oakes

Susan Brown: Jessie Burton: Pip Carter: Paul Chesterton
: Lisa Dillon: Callum Dixon: Noma Dumezweni: Susan Engel
: Susannah Fielding: Mark Hadfield: Amy Hall: Daniel Hawksford
: Tom Hickey: Richard Hope: Mairead McKinley: Nick Malinowski
: Shereen Martineau: Justine Mitchell: Daniel Poyser: Adrian Schiller
: Amit Shah: Sara Stewart: Giles Terera: Jason Thorpe: Harry Towb
: Simon Wilson: Sarah Woodward

Director: James Macdonald
Set Designer: Hildegard Bechtler

Seen during it's UK premiere run at the Lyttelton E15 on standby (at new increased price!)
Celebs in the audience: Anthony Calf and Paul Gambacini - but not together!

This might have been called "The nigh-on couple of hours we knew very little of each other" as there were a few characters who had direct relationshps but I have not yet read the notes from the programme to discover the full inspiration for this piece.

I am going to start putting the NT links in my blog because they have videos and info that can better explain the production......."Twenty-seven actors, 450 characters and no dialogue: a play without words by the great experimental figure of European theatre, Peter Handke."

You could hardly ask for a more diverse audience and yet the balance was similar to the plays for young people that I saw at the weekend.

From the moment the first few actors hit the stage there was concentrated interaction from the audience. This is the least self-conscience display of mime-craft you are likely to find. Some performances were so subtle that they gained more laughs than the overtly comedic.

I didn't understand the first scattering of petals and perhaps there was no purpose to them other than to give the man purpose. The mirror dress sequence was hilarious and very clever with Jason Thorpe stealing much of the show. The pantomine cat, trailing after Dick Wittington and the two different birds were fleeting moments of joy. I would also like to give a special mention to Tom Hickey and lovely to see Harry Towb on the stage again. There were slow queues and rushed jogs, lovers and hookers, the wounded and broken hearted.

No matter how much Sara Stewart tries to dress down she always has an almost overly polished appearance and a walk that would stop traffic. Susan Brown is the wonderful actress without vanity and I would dearly love to see her work more often. I can't believe she doesn't get the offers and I seem to remember she's a friend of Patsy Pollock so perhaps she just chooses to work out of London and below my radar.

The Miracle by Lin Coghlan

Ron: Ruby Bentall
Peter 'Chewy' Zapadski: Ian Bonar
Mrs Sheenan: Clare Burt
Lanky Girl: Nicole Charles
Trousers: Gregg Chillin
Zelda: Rebecca Cooper
Mr Rodgers: Sam Crane
Angela Brickman: Claire Foy
PC703: Troy Glasgow
Header Hammond: Jack Gordon
Lanky Girl: Claire Lams
Lorenzo Hammond: Henry Lloyd Hughes
Miss Lowry: Petra Letang
Billy Hammond: Ryan Sampson
Mrs Ginger/Lanky Girl: Kellie Shirley
Barry O'Donnell: Benjamin Smith
Ginger: Paul Thornley

Directed by Paul Miller
Designed by Simon Daw

At the Cottesloe in it's first run E23
Celeb in the audience: Sinead Cussack & children(which is quite sweet since dad was next door in the Lyttelton)

If you really pressed me, I'd say this was the weakest piece of the day but it was still powerful. It felt a little like the last one in the 24 Hour Plays but benefitted from more time to develop.

The young woman who played the amazing motor-mouth in DNA took on the role of Veronica (Ron) who believed she had a religious experience that left her with special powers. Her friend Zelda, played by Rebecca Cooper (and reminded me of the Tarbuck family) had the rather clunky task of narrating the events and I think that was where this play fell away somewhat. Ron felt that she could help a variety of problems and with good intentions she influenced the weaker, more vulnerable members of her community. This eventually fell apart with echos of The Crucible but the progression was not as well formed as the other plays. Perhaps it was just one play too many and I finally understood why most performances on have the two productions in an one evening.

I want to make a mention of Claire Lams too. She had the only white-girl role in Baby Girl and a very strong character in DNA. She had something of a chorus role in Miracle but slipped easily between all three. Ryan and Ian were also strong in Miracle.

All three of these productions used beautifully produced video images and stills projected over a vast screen at the back and above the stage. Considerable thought had been put into these and given the nature of having to change scenes so quickly, it worked beautifully.

Miracle had the added touch of completely drenching the stage because catalyst for the divine intervention was a flooded river bank.
I am so glad that I saw all of these. A wonderfully enriching day.

DNA by Dennis Kelly

Lea: Ruby Bentall
Brian: Ian Bonar
Mark: Gregg Chillin
Phil: Sam Crane
Jan: Claire Foy
Richard: Troy Glasgow
John Tate: Jack Gordon
Cathy: Claire Lams
A Boy: Ryan Sampson
Danny: Benjamin Smith
Lou - Nicole Charles

Directed by Paul Miller
Designed by Simon Daw

At the Cottesloe in it's first run E23
Celeb in the audience: Sinead Cussack & children(which is quite sweet since dad was next door in the Lyttelton)

From one of the co-writers of Pulling, this is a witting, slightly twisted, fast moving joy of a play and the cast will always remember this moment in their early career.

Now is a good time to mention that the audience were fantastic. There was a real spirit of the entire room staying with these plays from start to finish and the curtain calls were quite frankly, bawdy!

We acertain that a friend has died and whilst he was not murdered, his death was clearly caused by a bit of irresponsible behaviour.

The two most delicious characters are a motor-mouth in the shape of Lea and a quiet, pragmatically cold genius called Phil. The young actors who played these roles were staggering. Phil (Sam Crane) spent the majority of his time eating from what seemed to be an endless supply of snack food from a blue plastic carrier. He was able to maintain speechless action for several minutes at a time while Lea (Ruby Bentall) rattled on, holding both sides of the conversation.

This large circle of friends all feel responsible but all react in a different way. They look to Phil (who some of them don't know at all) for his wise solution at which point he makes his first big speech. His solution is elaborate and delivered with chess board precision. This amazing young actor maintains exactly the same demeanor for an hour which makes him deliciously sinister. Other characters of note are Brian, played by Ian Bonar who I remember from some readings he has done and those huge blue cow eyes. Danny, played by Benjamin Smith is constantly worrying about how this might affect his chances of entering a career in dentistry which forms a very amusing cameo. There is a beautiful young girl, Claire Foy playing Mark's girlfriend Jan who has a delicate touch. Ryan Sampson makes a late but pivotal entry to great effect.

I can't praise this production more highly. The writing is a gift and all these youngsters grasp it and treat it with great precision.

Baby Girl by Roy Williams

Jose: Nicole Charles
Richie: Troy Glasgow
Yvette: Claire Lams
Samantha: Petra Letang
Kelle: Candassaie Liburd
Danielle: Apaiketuya Marchant
Nathan: Winston Sarpong
Josie - Nicole Charles


Directed by Paul Miller
Designed by Simon Daw

At the Cottesloe in it's first run E23
Celeb in the audience: Sinead Cussack

Roy writes such wonderfulpieces for teenagers but the very nature of them can fall apart when the cast is not up to scratch. This cast was amazing with particular mention for Candassaie Liburd.

A 13 year old girl, Kelle tells her 26 year old Mum that she is pregnant. It happened because of peer pressure about being a virgin. The father's brother, Richie is the local stud and has fathered several children before reaching the age of 18 but senses a meaningful relationship developing with Josie but is cautious about progressing it. When he finally takes the plunge, Kelle's Mum has managed to discover the father's identity but confronts Richie in an effort to find his brother thereby exposing the family weakness.

A perfectly simple construction of a complicated situation that is well resolved.

I was amused by an interaction between Kelle and her mother Samantha which revolved around Wentworth Miller. An interesting choice of actor to include but all the more funny because I was going to meet a friend of a friend who was a big fan of his. I notice that the original text cited a different actor.

Please have a look at the little film on the NT website

Never So Good by Howard Brenton

Young Harry Crookshank : Ben Addis
Smithson : Jonathan Battersby
Anthony Eden : Anthony Calf
Young Harold Macmillan : Pip Carter
Nellie Macmillan : Anna Carteret
Dorothy Macmillan : Anna Chancellor
Selwyn Lloyd : Peter Forbes
Dwight D. Eisenhower : Clive Francis
Ronald Knox : Tim Frances
Bob Boothby : Robert Glenister
Neville Chamberlain : Terrence Hardiman
Ensemble : Sarah Head
Harold Macmillan : Jeremy Irons
Ensemble : Sioned Jones
Ensemble : Anne Kavanagh
Sgt. Robinson : Nicholas Lumley
Winston Churchill : Ian McNeice
Ensemble : Charlotte Melia
Ensemble : Roger Ringrose
Ensemble : Janet Spencer-Turner
Older Harry Crookshank : Terence Wilton
Ensemble : Claire Winsper
Ensemble : Rupert Young

Directed by Howard Davies
Designed by Vikki Mortimer

See during it's debut run at the Lyttelton Theatre on the day after press night, with post-show discussion including Howard Brenton & Jeremy Irons K11(which was better than anticiapted)
Notables in the theatre: Roger Allam, Mark Kermode and that NNR fella who always has to look at his notes while talking and pretending to not look at his notes - name dismissed from memory

Like JF Kennedy, Macmillan lived his life in constant pain acquired from his heroics in The Great War. We needed to know how dramatic this was. We needed to know about his dalliance with another boy when he was at Eton but for some reason the first 30 minutes of this play seemed to drift a little. Then Anna Chancellor lit up the stage and proceedings stepped up from then on.

In the way that only Howard Brenton can manage we have a tender portrayal of a clever man. Every scene displays his loyalty, integrity and pragmatism whilst showing the heart of the man.

I found the audience around me rather embarrassing and didn't know why they laughed at some lines. There was wit there but I found it in different places. I loathed the musical interludes, not for their content but for they way they were handled and was further angered when I heard some woman say they were the only good bits.

It's my own problem, I know but it turned my stomach when Jeremy Irons kissed Anna but I was salved when she had a go with lovely Robert Glenister. Sadly, he only has one vaguely meaty scene. They needed to cast an actor of his calibre but I felt he was underused. He wore a fat suit that helped him to adopt a stance that reminded me of my father. Anthony Calf was glorious and I could watch him forever. He probably gave the strongest performance. I couldn't really hear Mr Irons half the time and I think the arena was too big for him but young Pip Carter was a real stage actor.

There was a huge bang at the end of the second act and fortunately, I had been resting my eyes at the time because I felt a surge of warmth on my face as you do when you approach a bonfire.

The Sea by Edward Bond

Willy Carson - Harry Lloyd
Evens - David Burke
Hatch - David Haig
Louise Rafi - Eileen Atkins
Jessica Tilehouse - Marcia Warren
Hollarcut - Russell Tovey
Thompson - Jem Wall
Carter - John Branwell
Myfanwy Price - Selina Griffiths
Jilly - Emma Noakes
Rachel - Sarah Annis
Vicar - William Chubb
Rose Jones - Mariah Gale
Davis - Philippa Urquhart

Directed by Jonathan Ken
Designed by Paul Brown

At the Haymarket Theatre Royal - J7

more later

Scarborough - Fiona Evans

Lauren - Holly Atkins
Daz - Jack O'Connell
Aiden - Daniel Mays
Beth - Rebecca Ryan

Directed by Deborah Bruce
Designed by Jo Newberry

Bagged two different perches for each half. First one was on the pillar right next to the bedside table and then on the sideboard by the door.
Actor in the audience: BIFA nominated, Stephen Graham and can I also add Actor in the Bar but not a member of this cast: Benedict Cumberbatch?

My understanding is that the original format was just the first half with Lauren and Daz, performed in an hotel room in Edinburgh. I can't help wondering how they got around certain by-laws if they actually charged people to come and see it but that is of no matter. Really good play and brave work by all the actors involved. This is where they should have staged My Child IMO but we only had 50 people in the audience so I guess the cash wouldn't have worked out.

A special experience but I wonder if I would bother to see this if it was staged in a more regular format.

It was wonderful to see the same idea approached from each gender's point of view and the actors were using virtually identical lines but expressing them in such different ways. There were complete black-outs to denote new acts and during the first half, the black out played Imogen Heap's Hide & Seek almost in it's entirety. It was wonderful to listen to that in the complete darkness but knowing the room was full of 50 odd people!

Artefacts by Mike Bartlett

Kelly - Lizzy Watts
Susan - Karen Ascoe
Ibrahim - Peter Polycarpou
Faisa - Mouna Albakry
Raya - Amy Hamdoon

Directed by James Grieve and designed by Lucy Osborne

seen during it's premiere run at The Bush. Unreserved seating gave us wonderful seating.

A really powerful play with a great role for the energetic young Lizzy Watts. A play for our time on what seems to be Mike's usual theme of broken and extended families and the interaction between all parties involved. This time, a single mother finally tells her daughter that her father is from Iraq. It transpires that her father has a wife and another daughter in Iraq and is the curator of the national museum. It's really a sounding board for another view on the state of this decimated country.

Interesting to see Peter Polycarpou in a role where he isn't singing. You can read more here.

The delay in the start time gave us a great chance to read all the testimonials from people wanting to save the Arts Council grant.

A Prayer for my Daughter by Thomas Babe

Kelly - Matthew - Marsh
Jack - Corey Johnson
Jimmy - Colin Morgan
Sean - Sean Chapman

Directed by Dominic Hill
Designed by Giles Cadle

Seen during it's run at the Young Vic. Started off in the middle of the second row but it was too close and too cramped so I moved the more spacious 10th row. Loved seeing it from two different perspectives and loved seeing Peter McDonald in the audience

Some very diverse performances here and a totally cohesive cast. I'm not absolutely sure that this play arrives successfully at it's final destination or whether the journey there is a well formed as it should be but the dialogue is great and certainly good enough to hold the attention.

It was a piece of luck that I moved back to a row with some discernible legroom because, lovely though Mr Morgan might be, I'm not sure I would have wanted to be quite that close when he was proving his lack of substance concealment. He couldn't conceal his weapon and he would put Harry Potter and Alfie Allen to shame for his sustain alone. There were a load of students who were all asked to sit over one side and to their sorrow, he never turned around for them and I don't blame him.

I've enjoyed seeing Matthew Marsh twice lately and I shall watch out for him in future. He has a slight tick thing he does but he really can carry a fully motored speech.

The staging was like Landscape With Weapon where the action take place between two banks of audience. I hated that for LWW because it was such a bright, reflective stage that I was constantly aware of the other people. It makes it very hard to lose yourself in the performance when you can see your fellow punters. In tonight's play, the problem wasn't so bad because it was a dim set in a very dim theatre. As we entered, regular visitors were asked to sit over the far side and the near side was reserved for students and freebies. I felt that much of the action was played in favour of the far side (my side) so I may have had a totally different take on the piece if I had seen it on another night in a different seat.

Another bonus is that the evening went like clockwork. Left home in my car after Connie Time and parked in my secret freebie space behind Leicester Square. Jenny Seagrove parked right in front of me with her little lap-dog on her way to Absurd Person Singular. Nipped over to the half price booth and got my ticket for £13 and since it's unreserved seating, it didn't matter that I was so late in the day. Jumped back in the car and parked almost outside the Young Vic. Perfect.

Major Barbara by Bernard Shaw

Lady Britomart Undershaft - Clare Higgins
Stephen Undershaft - John Heffernan
Morrison - Derek Howard
Barbara Undershaft - Hayley Atwell
Sarah Undershaft - Jessica Gunning
Charles Lomax - Tom Andrews
Adolphus Cusins - Paul Ready
Andrew Undershaft - Simon RUssell Beale
Rummy Mitchens - Stephanie Jacob
Snobby Price - Paul Anderson
Jenny Hill - Katharine Burford
Peter Shirley - Patrick Drury
Bill Walker - Ian Burfield
Mrs Baines - Maggie McCarthy
Bilton - Martin Chamberlain
Ensemble/Understudies - Alasdair Craig
Keiran Flynn
Barbara Kirby
Pamela Merrick
Richard Shanks
Lizzie Winkler

Directed by Nick Hytner
Designed by Tom Pye

See on the night before the press did at the Olivier. You can see some reviews here

I saw Nick Hytner but that's not really remarkable given the circumstances




Wonderful set, wonderful performances and a great piece of writing.

The Lover/The Collection by Harold Pinter

The Lover
Richard - Richard Coyle
Sarah - Gina McKee
John - Charlie Cox

The Collection
Harry - Timothy West
James - Richard Coyle
Stella - Gina McKee
Bill - Charlie Cox

Directed by Jamie Lloyd
Designed by Soutra Glimour

seen on the What's On Stage outing night to the Comedy Theatre with my sister. We were the most famous people in the audience! Seat F20

Gorgeous production. All the performances were outstanding and apparently this is young Charlie Cox's professional stage debut. He glided through like an old hand but clearly benefited for the combined experience of the rest of the cast.

The Lover is delicious in it's ambiguity and the actors carried that through so cleverly. The Collection was not quite as well formed IMO but still a treat to watch. The kitten was rubbish but the bongos from The Lover made up for that!

The after show Q & A with the cast was interesting but we were quite taken aback that the host seemed quite niaive about the craft. It's possible he was dumbing down for the audience but I'm not so sure. The only people in the audience who 'asked questions' were either asleep during the performance and the start of the Q & A or just turned up to listen to the sound of thier own voice grandstanding about some spurious connection the perceived they had with the play or the cast.

La Cage aux Folles by Jerry Jerman and Harvey Fierstein

Georges - Philips Quast
Francis - Sebastian Torkia
Jacob - Jason ennycooke
Albin - Douglas Hodge
Jean-Michel - Neil McDermott
Anne - Alicia Davies
Jacqueline - Tara Hugo
M Renaud - Iain Mitchell
Mme Renaud - Una Stubbs
Etienne - Philip Riley
Colette - Kay Murphy
Tabarro = Mark Insco
Edouard Dindon - Iain Mitchell
Mme Dindon - Una Stubbs
'Les Cagelles'
Chantal - Nolan Frederick
Hanna - Nicholas Cunningham
Mercedes - Spencer Stafford
Bitelle - Kay Murphy
Angelique - Mark Johnson Richardson
Phaedra - Steven Cleverley sranding in for Lee Ellis

Directed by Terry Johnson
Designed by David Farley

seen in the tiny space at the Menier Chocolate Factory where I bypassed the tables and chairs at the front for a seat in the second tier of the unreserved seating.


A completely magical night out. From the ambient perfume they were pumping into the room to the improbably ambitious set for such a small place

I'm not a musicals person but you can't bring Douglas Hodge onto the stage without my wanting to take a peek. Staging this at the Menier was another huge pull though I don't really like the worry of scrapping over a good seat as they are unreserved.

In front of the first row of the raked seating they had left just enough room for some cabaret style tables and chairs. I think there were about 5 of them. I was unsure if a couple of the people taking those seats had already agreed to take the brunt of interaction.

Where do I start? As we feverishly tried to be first through the door as soon as they were unshackled we were transported through a short tunnel clad in fabric and fairy lights. So pretty and you immediately knew you were in for an experiential evening.

Introduced by Georges, Les Cagelles did some wonderful routines and we had to wait quite a while before sampling the delights of Douglas in beautiful not-quite-elegant drag.

A sweet pantomime of a story and it must have been such shame that the cast were too poorly to make this the Christmas sensation it should have been.

I guess if you don't like performances in your lap, you would hate this but don't avoid it just because you don't like music based shows because few of the songs are contrived and most of them are set piece routines within the night club scenes.

The Homecoming by Harold Pinter

Max - Kenneth Cranham
Lenny - Nigel Lindsay
Sam - Anthony O'Donnell
Joey - Danny Dyer
Teddy - Neil Dudgeon
Ruth - Jenny Jules

Directed by Michael Attenborough
Designed by Jonathan Fensom

This production seen on a last minute return at the Almeida seat A9

I have seen several productions of this piece and it seems different every time. I loved all of the cast though the weakest link was Jenny Jules. That's a shame because Pinter's women are so interesting and powerful. I felt this opportunity was somewhat lost tonight. I don't remember what I have seen Anthony O'Donnell doing before but he was wonderful as the uncle. Ken was gloriously grotesque and the sons were so diverse and well formed. They all worked so well together.

Ring Round the Moon by Jean Anouith & adapted by Christopher Fry

Emily Bruni - Lady India
Fiona Button - Isabelle
Joanna David - Capulat
Elisabeth Dermot Walsh - Diana
Peter Eyre - Joshua
JJ Feild - Hugo/Frederic
Andrew Havill - Patrice
Belinda Lang - Mother
Leigh Lawson - Messerschmann
John Ramm - Romainville
Angela Thorne - Madam Desmortes

Directed by Sean Mathias
Designed by Colin Richmond & Mark Henderson

Seen on it's press night at The Playhouse in seat A9

It would be pointless to mention all the actors in the audience. All of the cast had at least one relative there!

The atmosphere and performances on a press night are not totally representative of how it would be under other circumstances but I was not in such a hurry to see this so when a virtually free ticket popped up, I grabbed it.

The plot is a familiar format but I found the way it was presented was messy and incoherent. The audience needed to be grabbed from the start but the first 30 minutes where so clunky in their exposition that I struggled to keep my eyes open. Should I lay the blame at the feet of the late Mr Fry or Mr Mathias? It is to everyone's credit to say that I was able to re-engage for the second act as we got into the real plot and the actors were able to display their real purpose.

I thought Angela Thorne and Peter Eyre were fine. I want to add Leigh Lawson to that list but he is so gorgeous that I cannot trust my objectivity. I found the accent thing a little patronising but perhaps they are aiming at the populist audience.

The set really bothered me to the point of distraction. We were persistently asked to believe we were in the domain of wealthy people but this gazebo or whatever had a sort of laboured dilapidation. It was nicely minimal but incongruent lighting presumably installed to inform the audience of the time of day were pointedly badly maintained and a ridiculous cross member right over the centre arch was left at a jaunty angle. I was convinced this was some terrible error which would be rectified in the interval but I am informed that this is a feature of the set design.

I wasn't expecting an overly culturally fulfilling experience but this was sadly mediocre for my taste. Audience watching was fun though!

Oh -I have one last comment and I know it is probably trite but I was amused at the way JJ Feild curtain called both of his characters. Nicely done albeit rather silly.

Happy Now? by Lucinda Coxon

Michael - Stanley Townsend
Kitty - Olivia Williams
Johnny - Jonathan Cullen
Miles - Dominic Rowan
Bea - Emily Joyce
Carl - Stuart McQuarrie
June - Anne Reid

Directed by Thea Sharrock
Designed by Joanthan Fensom

Seen during it's premiere run at the Cottesloe. B 24

I made a terrible mistake with the tickets because we were in the front row and the stage was about 18 inches higher than normal to accomodate a turntable.

I adore Stanely Townsend. I suppose it's his cheeky voice and bear of a body. There is something very relaxed about watching him (and I hated that awful tv series he did last year). He comes onto the stage and made me grin for the duration of his seduction. I kept my hands cupped in case I needed to catch one of his eyes but I do love him.

The cast were fabulous. With the exception of Jonathan Cullen (who I couldn't place) I have enjoyed everyone else on stage before and they seem very much at home there.

A fabulous piece of writing to challenge Polly Stenham. I am going to see the Lucinda and Thea discuss the piece tonight so I may write more later.

The South Bank Show Awards.

Interviews with the winners are at the ITV site

The full list of winners:
Film: This Is England (Warp Films)
Comedy: Gavin And Stacey (BBC Three)

TV Drama: The Mark Of Cain (Channel 4)

Theatre: Saint Joan (National Theatre)

Pop: Arctic Monkeys for Favourite Worst Nightmare

Literature: Mohsin Hamid for The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Classical Music: Traced Overhead: The Musical World Of Thomas Adès (at the Barbican)

Visual Arts:Andy Goldsworthy at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park

Opera: The Turn Of The Screw (English National Opera)

Dance: Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company (at Sadler's Wells)

Arts Council England - decibel Award: Daljit Nagra for Look We Have Coming To Dover!

The Times Breakthrough Award: Jennifer Pike

Outstanding Achievement Award: J.K. Rowling

Critic's Circle Awards

A couple of reports about the Critics Circle Awards which seem worth a mention.

BEST NEW PLAY - A Disappearing Number by Simon McBurney and Complicite
(Award presented to Complicite’s Judith Dimant by The Times’ Benedict Nightingale)

The Peter Hepple Award for BEST MUSICAL - Hairspray
(Award presented to Leanne Jones and choreographer Jerry Mitchell by the Independent’s Paul Taylor)

BEST ACTOR - Charles Dance for Shadowlands
(Award presented to Dance by the Mail on Sunday’s Georgina Brown)

BEST ACTRESS - Anne-Marie Duff for Saint Joan
(Award presented to Duff by the Evening Standard’s Nicholas de Jongh)

The John and Wendy Trewin Award for BEST SHAKESPEAREAN PERFORMANCE - Chiwetel Ejiofor for Othello and Patrick Stewart for Macbeth
(Awards presented to Ejiofor and Stewart by, respectively, the Sunday Times’ John Peter and Time Out’s Jane Edwardes)

BEST DIRECTOR - Rupert Goold for Macbeth
(Award presented to Goold by the Guardian’s Michael Billington)

BEST DESIGNER - Rae Smith and the Handspring Puppet Company for War Horse
(Award presented to Tom Morris, War Horse co-director and associate director at the National Theatre, by the Daily Telegraph’s Dominic Cavendish)

MOST PROMISING PLAYWRIGHT - Polly Stenham for That Face
(Award presented to Stenham by Metro’s Claire Allfree)

The Jack Tinker Award for MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER - Leanne Jones for Hairspray
(Award presented to Jones by Ian Shuttleworth of the Financial Times and Theatre Record)

The Vertical Hour by David Hare

Dennis - Joseph Kloska
Oliver - Anton Lesser
Terri- Wunmi Mosaku
Philip - Tom Riley
Nadia - Indira Varma

Directed by Jeremy Herrin
Designed by Mike Britton

seen during it's UK premiere run at the Royal Court Theatre downstairs.

Actor in the audience:- Danny Lee Wynter returned to his former employers tonight and sat in the very front (and neck punishing) row.

There are some interesting textures to this production and I am going to link both The Guardian and The Times for their thoughtful insights and comparison to the Broadway premiere run. As it happens, the first review I read was from The Telegraph and I thought I'd clicked on the wrong play.

I have adored seeing Bill Nighy on the stage but as Anton Lesser revealed more and more of his character, I could not help thinking this role was much better played by an actor whom we had hitherto not considered a lothario or, forgive me Anton, particularly heart-throb material.

David Hare is a master of articulating a debate close to his heart with objectivity and intense intimate drama. I like to think that Indira Varma's elegant but personable beauty was also better cast than Julianne Moore (who I adore in less aggressive roles).

I can't stop thinking about this play. Yes, as always Hare gave great meat to his feelings on the crime of war but I enjoyed picking over the vegetables too. His political batonage seemed merely some text upon which to develop the relationship and character arcs. There were a couple of clunky moments but I'm uneasy with perfection!

In case you're wondering, Nadia says something like - In combat medicine, there's this moment after a disaster or a shooting, called the vertical hour, when you can actually be of some use.

Another line had my shoulders vibrating for several seconds! I will need to read the text to remind myself of which line that might have been.

Off the Endz! By Bola Agbaje

Boy - Jacob Anderson
Sharon - Zawe Ashton
Boy - Tito Fagbenle
Jerome - Daniel Green
Keisha - Chi Kolo
Kojo - Nathaniel Martello-WHite
David - Ashley Walters

Directed by Dominic Cooke during the Royal Court Upstairs Rough Cuts season

Very sharp bit of writing, well produced (for a reading).

We follow the lives of Kojo and David. Both from the same estate but with a different take on life and what the future means to them. David is in and out of prison blaming anyone but himself. Kojo works it out and succeeds in forming a life with a job and a girlfriend that works with a bit of hard graft......until David messes it up.

Talking Dirty edited by Clare Lizzimore

Man - John Marquez
Mother/Proprietor - Susan McGoun
Martha Warren? - Nina Sosanya
Caroline - Charity Wakefield

Rehearsed reading directed by Clare Lizzimore who assembled & edited these soundbytes together
during the Rough Cuts season at the Royal Court

Hmmm - well, I didn't like The Girlfriend Experience by Alecky Blythe in last Summer's Rough Cuts. It's not that I don't like using soundbyte's like that because I really loved Gambling by Matt Hartley last week.

As with The Girlfriend Experience, Talking Dirty was a collection of lines gleaned from interviews and in this case it was with cleaning woman. At least the performances were easier to watch in this one - in fact the cast were wonderful given how dull the subject matter was. It didn't really say anything that made me want to listen. The only thing that made me concentrate was my respect for the actors. Word must have got around because this was the only one I've been to that had several empty seats.

Ah well - I guess I would rather have seen the dull one first but at least it was short. Half the audience were grumpy on entry because they didn't want us to stay in our seats while they moved a few props onto the floor so we all had to troop out and downstairs again. Stupid, affected and quite possibly and unnecessary fire risk

This time, they didn't ask us for feedback.

The Running Machine by Joe Harbot

Hannah - Claudie Blakley
Ben - Tom Brooke
Mrs Wynters - Amelia Bullmore
Michael - Paul Copley
Receptionist - Lorna Gayle
Paul Brown - Richard O'Callaghan
Mr Barnes - Matthew Pidgeon
Mr Cooke - Barnaby Power
Alan - Reece Shearsmith
Bill - Al Weaver
Mr Warren - Peter Wight

Rehearsed reading directed and narrated by Jeremy Herrin during the Rough Cuts season at the Royal Court

Really well written piece about a quango office brought to it's knees by a mis-handled EEC directive. Funny and brilliantly performed with one exception!

Ignition1 in the Rough Cuts season at the Royal Court Upstairs

in association with Tristan Bates Theatre, three pieces written within seven days and specifically for the actors taking part.
Written by D C Moore

Woman - Christine Entwisle
Man - Paul Ritter

directed by DC Moore

This hit the ground running and was tight and funny from start to finish.
Woman with a cheery disposition recounts the minutiae of the minutes leading up to her discovery of a murdered homeless man. Her performance is interjected with a similar account from the man who eventually turns out to be her friend and he meets her in the park where she discovered the body. This is obviously more about the journey than the destination and is wonderfully put together with great performances

Written by Polly Stenham

Clare - Clare Higgins
Bill - Bill Patterson

Directed by Dominic Cooke

Clare works in advertising and takes a Big Issue seller home with her. She has several lines of coke and talks non-stop with the odd mono-syllabic interjection from Bill, in his attempt to get her to pay for a Big Issue so he can get back out there.
It transpires that Clare regards Bill as a good luck charm but only when he's wearing his red hat. An interesting exchange questioning which of our characters is the more hopeless and lost than the other. Great performances but not as intensely engaging stuff as the DC Moore.

Written by Michael Bhim

Joe - Cary Crankson
Dane - Clifford Samuel
Shane - Nathaniel Martello-White

Directed by Richard Wilson

Three fellas in a car prepare to harm Dane's girlfriend for her infidelity. All three guys have a different agenda and only one of them really wants to do any harm. It seemed to be the shorter piece but it was still dynamic.

Several young actors were in the audience but I could only put a name to Harry Treadaway.

Thrown by Mike Bartlett in the Rough Cuts season at the Royal

Jules/Steph - Sally Hawkins
David - Burn Gorman
TV License Man/Injured Man/Policeman/Philip - Robert Glenister

Directed by Mike Bartlett and I must also list the truly wonderful musicians who were Rhiannon Armstrong, Nick Gill, David O'Brien and Nicole Robson.

Simply staged during the Rough Cuts season at the Royal Court Upstairs
Dominic Cooke and Sacha Wares were in the audience and so they should be!

If this production ever forms itself into a fully formed production my notes here will be massive spoilers. In words worthy of Paul Prior himself, it doesn't become what the audience are led to believe it set out to be. Mike Bartlett has turned the harsh reality of Alzheimer's on it's head and Burn's performance as the sufferer was marvelous. We see him getting ready for a date and being accused of various things he doesn't remember. We see concerned friends and family (who he believes to be complicated internet identity thieves and police etc) at the end of their tether but it's not until the last five minutes of this 30 minute piece that we learn this apparently victimised young man is actually in his seventies. We know that sufferers often view themselves as their younger selves which is why they confuse their children with their siblings etc but this very carefully written play puts that right on a plate and serves up a chilling punch of exactly what that reality might be.

I mentioned Burn's performance because he orchestrates the entire piece. Sally and Robert feed his scenes with whatever he needs but they do a wonderful job. The last time I saw Sally was indeed with Robert in The Winterlling(unless you count her trying to kiss Rupert Penry Jones on telly) and I really wish I could see more of her. She has a way with her that I'll bet Mike Bartlett also sees in Lia Williams. Wonderful tough fragility. How do they do it? Robert took on several different characters effortlessly and convincingly. Is it damning to describe him as a thoroughly reliable actor. He had a grey-to-almost-white bit of a beardy effort which I found rather attractive but brought gravitas and compassion to his roles.

The Lion's Mouth by Alexandra Wood in the Rough Cuts season

Mum - Belinda Sinclair
Dad - Ron Cook
Ben - Adam Gillen
Annie - Antonia Campbell Hughes
Point(Tatooist) - Tom Fisher
Mike(Student) - Shane Zaza
Pipe Cleaner vendor - Katie Males
Ben's friends - Gemma Lawrence, Bunmi Mojekwu

Directed by Sacha Wares and designed by Miriam Beuther because this was a 'semi-staged performance' apparently.

Seen upstairs in the Royal Court during their Rough Cuts season

Quote: Buses have stopped. Florists have run out of flowers. Body bags are filling up. Inside, a family struggle to cope with their rising panic.

==============================================

I struggled to get all those cast names down but Google and the imdb put faces to some of the younger names and let's all watch out for Adam Gillen. I knew Antonia from her wonderful scenes in Lead Balloon and she brought the same wonderful lack of energy to this piece. Perfect casting. I think this was a comment on the end of the world but I could be wrong.

Everyone is living in fear of impeding disaster but some worry more than others. No matter because the end result is the same. Very interesting that the females are far less neurotic about it than the males.

Currently running at 50 minutes or so meaning we had over an hour to wait in the bar for the next piece. Did catch RIchard Eyer in the downstairs audience. Who would have thought he'd go for a cheap Monday night ticket? Times must be hard!

Gambling - By Matt Hartley

Tom - Tom Brooke
Sean - Sean Campion
Liz - Liz Crowther
Chris - Christine Entwisle

Rehearsed Reading directed by Raz Shaw for the Rough Cuts season in the Royal Court Upstairs.

Dominic was in the audience again and so was Samuel West and Alan Coran's daughter.....argh and that woman who did The Play's the Thing with Sonia and Neil.

Well, in marked contrast to Tuesday's reading, I had no difficulty in remembering the character names but we were given even less paperwork this time than on Tuesday. In fact we were handed a betting slip with a hard fact about compulsive gambling. As you can see, despite the lack of cast list, a quick glance at the website furnished me with both cast and characters.

We took our seats the the strains of a wonderful beat and the performers will already on stage, Chris moving, trance-like. By the time we had settled, the entire cast were dancing in their own space but in a strangely connected way. Even at this early stage you could see the individual personality type without yet knowing what they all had in common. This was so much more than a reading. Chris had a long monologue right at the start and had one sheet of paper in her hand for that but only one other chunk of text was read from a script (by Tom) and the rest was totally off book, as it were. The aforementioned entry from Chris was gloriously interrupted by the rest of the cast spouting their anxieties and justifications. Our cheeky Irishman had a wonderful line that went something like: It's like when you're watching the match and then it's half-time and you think 'Woah!' where did THAT go? The first time he said it we loved his energy but when he repeated it at various intervals the audience were highly amused.

One the back wall there were pages from those conference flip chart things. There were 20 odd points listed with a character name by them and that was about all the prompting the cast had. Tom did one of his slugs out of order but it was not really a progressive arc (unless I missed that) so it didn't matter. There were some wonderful combative exchanges and one really clever but simple section where two cast members (Liz & Sean)just repeated (in THEIR character) whatever Chris said. Virtually the entire piece was set to music and the cast mimed various gambling activities (most often slot machines) which were choreographed to great effect.

All this intensity only lasted for 30 minutes but they were so well used. A triumph in concept and performance. I think the structure might benefit from a little more work but it's something very exciting in the making.

The Astonished Heart by Noel Coward

Christian Faber - Alex Jennings
Barbara Faber - Kate Duchene
Leonora Vail - Nancy Carroll
Tim Verney - Jonah Russell
Susan Birch - Frances Jeater
Sir Reginald French.Ernest - Mark Elstob

Directed by Lucy Pitman-Wallace for a rehearsed reading/platform performance at the Lyttleton Theatre

I didn't spot anyone special in the audience but there was enough inappropriate laughter to make me wonder whether some of the Present Laughter cast were hanging around

I am used to seeing a group of people sitting on plastic chairs to do a rehearsed reading but this is the National Theatre and they already had a Coward set in place so the chairs and sofas were draped and comfy. There were doors and steps and it was a very different experience. The writing is unquestionably taught and Alex Jennings was entrancing in the role.

The cast was made up from part Present Laughter, part Women of Troy but to the best of my knowledge neither Mark Elstob or Nancy Carroll are currently in a production. I should also point out that Women Of Troy's Michael Gould was doing the rehearsed reading at the Royal Court at 7pm this same night and his WoT co-star Anastasia Hille's loyalty was to him (and Paul Hilton) rather than Kate and Jonah.

Back to the NT and this reading was so gorgeous you could almost smell the process. There was something very exciting and fresh about it. There was a tiny bit of odd behaviour in the audience including some of them thinking the piece had finished at a very dramatic moment which made the next emotional scene a little awkward to slide into. It really confused and seemed to almost anger or unnerve Kate. I must say I was amused by a couple of scenes where Alex was kissing Nancy passionately while searching his script for the next lines. So exciting and to think I will miss next week's in favour of Polly Stenham and Clare Higgins at the RC. Such bitter sweet choices I have to make.

Regeneration by Gbolahan Obisesan

Katrina - Lindsey Coulson
Toni - Ashley Madekwe
Nicholas - Justin Salinger
Dad - Wil Johnson
...we had no programme and I've forgotten the character names.....
Toni's friend - Riz Ahmed
Rag - Toby Wharton
Tag - Sid Mitchell

Rehearsed Reading
Directed by Debbie Tucker Green

First night of Rough Cuts season in the Royal Court Upstairs.

Got my usual seat and I seemed to be one of the few mere mortals in the audience. Too many to mention but worth saying RC faves were Dominic Cooke (of course), Roy Williams and Richard Wilson

Really entertaining piece with non-stop, overlapping dialogue. Katrina is pregnant with Nicholas's child and already has a daughter, Antonia from a deserted black father. 'Toni' refuses to call her Mum and sees her father behind his back. Nicholas is a lazy drug dealer who fancies his chances with Toni. Toni has a buddy she stack shelves with and he has a soft spot for her.

A couple of young kids will try anything to get the cash to pay for drugs from Nicholas.

This is really funny and really poignant. I liked the direction and the actors were utterly superb with no lightweights at all. I wish I could remember the young lads names. It was something like Rough and Tumble but they were funnier and more pertinent than that. It might come to me.

Women of Troy by Euripides translated by Don Taylor

Hescuba - Kate Duchene
Cassandra - Sinead Matthews
Adromache - Anastasia Hille
Talthybius - Michael Gould
Sinon - Johnah Russell
Menelaus - Stephen Kennedy
Helen - Susie Trayling
Chrysander - Mark Holgate

Hippe - Rachel Clarke
Illeana - Pandora Colin
Macaria - Laura Elphinstone
Thalia - Beth Fitzgerald
Rhea - Helena Lymbery
Polycaste - Penelope McGhie
Rhoda - Charlotte Roach

Directed by Katie Mitchell
Designed by Bunny Christie

In this production's premiere run at the Lyttleton - F 9

This felt like a Katie Mitchell collaboration project with so many of the wonderful elements from Waves but without the fascinating camera work. The Lyttleton is my least favourite space at the National but once it a while it is just perfect for the job in hand and this is one such instance. The entire space was used so well and whilst I had really hoped for the camera close-up tricks, there was probably so much else going on the stage, it would have complicated things. Had they been forced to stage this in the Cottesloe, it would have worked though.

After yesterday's humour, I could not have found a bigger contrast and it made me question my memory of the events between the Greeks and the Trojans. Wonderful performances from Kate, Sinead, Anastasia and all the fellas. Staged as though all the women of Troy had been interrupted during the most exotic ball having the ladies in the most delicious evening dresses. Something of a mono-chrome set worked well the heighten the claustrophobia of their incarceration as they await their fate. Gorgeous but not much fun.

I've just realised that I cannot remember the last time I went to the theatre on my own at the last minute and didn't shimmy myself into a seat better suited to my needs than the one of the face of the ticket. Nobody gets hurt and I am much happier.

Dealer's Choice by Patrick Marber

Mugsy - Stephen Wight
Sweeney - Ross Boatman
Stephen - Malcolm Sinclair
Frankie - Jay Simpson
Carl - Samuel Barnett
Ash - Roger Lloyd Pack

Directed by Samuel West
Designed by Tom Piper

Seen during it's transfer run in the very mean seated Trafalgar Studio 1 - G6 (mental note, try not to sit further back than E in this theatre)


I made several aborted attempts to see this at the Menier Chocolate Factory but once I'd played a little bit of theatre-seat-excuse-me I managed to get comfy in the bigger auditorium at the Trafalgar.

A masterpiece of writing. I found Stephen Wight was a bit too big but everyone else was wonderful and how can you go wrong with writing like this? Roger had a cold, I think but he was wonderfully controlled. Loved the set too.

Absurd Person Singular by Alan Ayckbourn

Jane - Jane Horrocks
Sidney - David Bamber
Ronald - David Horovitch
Marion - Jenny Seagrove
Eva - Lia Williams
Geoffrey - John Gordon Sinclair

Directed by Alan Strachan
Designer - Michael Pavelka

At the Garrick complete with the very special underground train noises and judders - J4.....sort of


Oh happy day. Heard great things about this and since it is a comedy I thought it was safe to see it in a matinee. I got a half-pricey earlier in the morning but by the time I got to my seat it was almost full downstairs.

Jane Horrocks spared us her usual shrillness most probably aided by using a different regional accent. The performances of David Horovitch and Lia Williams really stood out beyond the rest because they didn't overdo their parts but it was great fun and done in three acts with two intervals, which was nice! The second act was so much the better for Lia being the central character trying to commit suicide in the middle of the mayhem. What larks!

Othello by William Shakespeare

Roderigo - Edward Bennett
Othello - Chiwetel Ejiofor
Emillia - Michelle Fairley
Duke of Venice/ Lodovico - Michael Hadley
Cassio - Tom Hiddleston
Montano - Michael Jenn
Bianca - Martina Laird
Brabantio and Gratiano - James Laurenson
Iago - Ewan McGregor
1st Senator, 2nd Cyprus Gentleman - David Mara
Desdemona - Kelly Reilly
1st Officer, Messenger, 1st Cyprus Gentleman - Alastair Sims


Directed by Michael Grandage
Designed by Christopher Oram
Lighting Designer: Paule Constable
Composer and Sound Designer: Adam Cork

Seen during it's run at the Donmar - D10


Despite my efforts to avoid reviews, several people thought it was alright to tell me that Chiwe was the star and whilst I would have assumed that since he had the title role, I had to grit my teeth and just put it down to seeing it so late after Press Night. People who don't go to the theatre can't resist pretending that they have some understanding and in doing so, reveal that they have none.

So, with my expectations of Chiwe high and last experience with Ewan low I entered the evening with mixed feelings. I don't know if it was a New Year's Day fluke but every single member of the cast was absolutely staggering. I could go through each individual and detail of the manner in which they excelled. Othello is, after all a reversed rendition of Much Ado but with knives. Few of the roles are incidental and there are two very powerful females. Kelly still does the OTT head shaking thing which is such a shame when she is such a deliciously creamy confection but hopefully she will read tonight's notes with a red face and conviction. Young Mr Hiddleston was something of a revelation with a wonderful texture to his voice.........and I detect something of the Claire Higgins in Michelle Fairley. Some of these people are fresh in their career and yet they bring a great punch to this production.

Further details and pictures here.

The speediest 195 minutes I've had in a long time.

Theatre Index for 2007

▼ December (2)
Present Laughter by Noel Coward
Swimming with Sharks by George Huang
▼ November (11)
War Horse based on Michael Morpurgo, adapted by Ni...
Alex by Charles Peattie & Russell Taylor
The Country Wife by William Wycherley
The Arsonists by Max Frisch & translated by Alista...
Face to Face with Stephen Poliakoff
Statement of Regret by Kwame Kwei-Armah
The 24 Hour Plays Celebrity Gala introduced by Kev...
Notes about the 24 Hour Play proceedure
Cloud Nine by Caryl Churchill
Rafta, Rafta by Ayub Khan-Din & Bill Naughton
Vincent River by Philip RIdley
▼ October (5)
Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet
Emperor Jones by Eugene O'Neill
Moonlight & Magnolias by Ron Hutchinson
Rhinoceros by Eugene Ionesco in a Martin Crimp tra...
Fragments by Samuel Beckett
▼ September (12)
Bill Bailey - Pre Arena Shows
The Ugly One by Marius von Mayenburg & translated ...
A Disappearing Number by Simon McBurney
Awake and Sing by Clifford Odet
Burning Cars by Matt Hartley
Playtime by Gabriel Bisset-Smith and Gary Owen
Settled by George Cotts
Waiting for Leroy by Tanita Gupta and Atiha Sen-Gu...
1 in 5 by Penelope Skinner
Thank God it's Friday by Cosh Omar and Amy Rosenth...
Shoot/Get Treasure/Repeat by Mark Ravenhill
All About My Mother based on the film by Pedro Al...
▼ August (5)
Absurdia - see below
Saint Joan by Bernard Shaw
The Enchantment by Victoria Benedictsson
In Celebration by David Storey
Philistines by Maxim Gorky, adapted by Andrew Upto...
▼ July (7)
The Hothouse by Harold Pinter
The Rose Tattoo by Tennessee Williams
Gaslight by Patrick Hamilton
Rough Cuts: The Girlfriend Experience by Alecky Bl...
Rough Cuts: Posh by Laura Wade
Rough Cuts: A Liability by Sean Foley
Rough Cuts: Airbag by Leo Butler
▼ June (5)
Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre (adapted by Tanya ...
Betrayal by Harold Pinter
The Pain and the Itch by Bruce Norris
A Matter of Life and Death by Powell & Pressburger...
Alaska by Dan C Moore
▼ May (4)
Leaves of Glass by Philips Ridley
my child by Mike Bartlett
That Face by Polly Stenham
Elling adapted by Simon Bent
▼ April (9)
Whipping it Up by Steve Thompson
Dublin by Lamplight by Michael West
The Reporter by Nicholas Wright
Equus by Peter Shaffer
Landscape with a Weapon by Joe Penhall
John Gabriel Borkman by Ibsen in a version by Davi...
Attempts on her Life by Martin Crimp
Total Eclipse by Christopher Hampton
The Lady from Dubuque by Edward Albee
▼ March (9)
Extraordinary entry
The Caretaker by Harold Pinter
The Soldiers' Fortune by Thomas Otway
Dying For It by Moira Buffini(a free adaptation of...
Treats by Christopher Hampton
The Caucasian Chalk Circle by Brecht in a version ...
An Oak Tree by Tim Crouch
The Seagull by Anton Chekov in a version by Christ...
There Came a Gypsy Riding by Frank McGuiness
▼ February (6)
Boeing, Boeing by Marc Camolettiand Beverley Cross...
The Dumb Waiter by Harold Pinter
Happy Days by Samuel Beckett
Man of Mode by George Etherege
Waves by Virginia Woolf & The Company
The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
▼ January (2)
bash latterday plays by Neil LaBute
Caroline or Change by Tony Kushner

Present Laughter by Noel Coward

Daphne Stillington - Amy Hall
Miss Erikson - Anny Tobin
Fred - Tony Turner
Monica Reed - Sarah Woodward
Garry Essendine - Alex Jennings
Liz Esssendine - Sara Stewart
Roland Maule - Pip Carter
Henry Lyppiatt - Simon Wilson
Morris Dixon - Tim McMullan
Joanna Lyppiatt - Lisa Dillon
Lady Saltburn - Frances Jeater

Directed by Howard Davies
Set Designer - Tim Hatley

During it's run at the Lyttleton on Theatre Quiz Night - E21
Celebrity in the audience.......hmmmm - well Richard Curtis and family were there to support Emma for the Quiz



Almost as much fun as The Country Wife and if I'm honest, slightly less silly, in a good way. Wonderful performances all round and such a great story arc for a farce. Just the perfect thing for the Friday before Christmas.