OurReviews2026

Click here for OurReviews in earlier years –
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READ reviews with pictures for 2026, by the theatreguys (this page) and Group friends (SelectedPostings2026) by clicking on the titles here :  KENREX / Into the Woods / Orphans / When We Are Married / Indian Ink / Top Hat /End

19/01/26 Mike writes –

Orphans

By Lyle Kessler, at the Jermyn Street Theatre

I remembered the play Orphans by Lyle Kessler from way, way back, but without any detail. So I checked. It’s a popular title but this play is from 1983, not to be confused with a 1998 Scottish film nor Dennis Kelly’s similarly titled 2009 play, nor the Orphan film series with another upcoming. It was originally produced in 1983 in Los Angeles then picked up in 1985 and made famous by Chicago’s Steppenwolf Company, renowned back then for New Writers and milestone drama productions which set new trends. John Mahoney and Kevin Anderson were in the Steppenwolf production.  Over here Albert Finney starred in his own production of it in 1986, and in the 1987 film too with Kevin Anderson and Matthew Modine. Maybe it was Finney’s presence that had fixed the play in my mind.

I decided to revisit it again, at the tiny  Jermyn Street Theatre to see if it would make an impression today. My first thought is how similar it is to Pinter’s The Caretaker from 1960. Did no-one realise the similarity back then, before admiring its originality? 

Two brothers, yes orphans, are ensconced in a decrepit house – the illiterate Phillip (Fred Woodley Evans) is too scared to go outside, while the older and aggressive Treat (Chris Walley) is hostile to society, venturing out just for petty-thieving, to steal wallets and buy tins of tuna and Hellman’s mayonnaise. This minutiae of a daily existence is another Pinter trait. One day he brings home Harold (Forbes Masson), an unknown stranger with a briefcase, to keep hostage. And of course there is a turn-around power struggle with Harold (surely no homage to Pinter!?) surprising both with support, kindness, moralising…and a gun.

In its day I can understand why it was an unusual situation (if you overlook Pinter) given the clash of personalities and reversal of fortunes within its claustrophobic setting. Today it remains very much a theatrical miniature of its time. At Jermyn Street it is well performed and effectively set on a minuscule budget, and fills the 70-seater space because of, I suggest, its curiosity value. But it shrinks under Pinter’s shadow, and similar situations which have been explored since. I applaud the enterprising Jermyn Street theatre which programmed it and am pleased I was able to refresh my memory.

Our Rating: ★★★/ Group Appeal: ★★½

Photos: Charlie Flint

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01/01/2026 Fredo writes –

End

By David Eldridge, at the National: Dorfman Theatre

In the End is our beginning…

Mike and I had a busy theatrical year in 2025, and we ended on a high with the unforgettable KENREX. It seems ironic that the first play we attended in 2026 is called End. Looking at our diaries, it’s really the beginning of another busy year ahead.

Playwright David Eldridge has had a busy time as well. His adaptation of John le Carre’s novel The Spy Who Came In From The Cold was enjoyed by our group, and is still playing @sohoplace theatre. Now End has opened at the National, and this completes his loosely formed trilogy that started with  Beginning and continued with Middle.

Although the three plays stand alone, Eldrige takes a look at different stages of relationships. There’s a tentative start with the possibility of new life (that’s Beginning) and in Middle, he drops in on a couple who’ve been together for some years and it’s gone a bit stale. In End, he turns his attention to – well, guess what?

Alfie (Clive Owen) tells Julie (Saskia Reeves) that he has decided not to continue with his treatment for cancer. While they wait for their daughter to visit, they go down memory lane, considering the highs and lows of their years together. There are fewer tears than we might expect, and some laughter, and even song and dance as Alfie chooses the music for his funeral.

In an all-too-rare stage appearance, Clive Owen is affecting , and at times you could feel the silence from the audience as they listened closely to him. The always reliable Saskia Reeves (Slow Horses) has the more difficult task, as David Eldridge seems to write against her anticipated responses. This gives an unsteady quality to her character development that even an actress of Ms Reeves’s skill doesn’t overcome. 

For me, there were some deficiencies in the writing. Nevertheless, I was impressed by Eldridge’s courage in exploring a difficult subject, and I found the quiet conclusion of the play very moving.

It was good to see Clive Owen and Saskia Reeves reunited. Early in their careers, in 1991, they had an impact in the film Close My Eyes. Both have worked steadily since then, turning in performances of a consistently high standard. As a long-time fan I was pleased to find Ms Reeves looking younger and in better shape that she appears in Slow Horses!

Although I found this play less satisfying than Beginning and Middle, it made a promising beginning to our play-going year; certainly not the end.

Our Rating: ★★★/ Group Appeal: ★★★

Photos: Marc Brenner

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