Nicole
December 12, 2023
Macbeth
I’ve never heard Shakespeare’s language so clearly and so trippingly spoken on a stage. What a treat! It enabled the actors to run the whole gamut of emotion and to take us along on a rising tide of tension. And what tension! I was on the edge of my seat throughout and actually welcomed the light relief of the porter, played like a standup comedian.
The whole company was faultless but I have to single out David Tennant. I’ve watched him progress through the canon from Antipholus to Hamlet and he’s always exceeded my expectations. The bare stage and the clever use of music and lighting all added to an atmosphere of inescapable horror. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Thank you, Fredo and Mike!
Wendy Edwards
December 12, 2023
Macbeth
Wow! It was everything and more! Everything about this production was amazing. The acting, the sound system, the choreography and the intimacy of the Donmar made it a perfect evening’s entertainment. Plus it was an amazing experience for my drama student grandson. His first ‘real’ experience of theatre. Something he will never forget.
Thank you for organising it for us.
Photos by Marc Brenner
Gillian
December 6, 2023
Lyonesse
(Edited) This play had me enthralled from the very beginning with Lily James’ performance as a slightly ditsy, over-whelmed mother and career woman. I felt her dilemmas. It was a strong cast with Kristen Scott-Thomas playing an eccentric, aging actress who wanted to tell her life story now she free to do so and the parallel’s between her and Lily James soon came obvious. The story of two women who were controlled, in different ways, by the men in their lives. There was humour, there was angst and there was dismay. Well worth seeing.
Maggie
December 6, 2023
Lyonesse
(Edited) In total contrast to Gillian’s comments I was totally underwhelmed . Kirsten Scott-Thomas’s performance carried the show; Lily James was very irritating and seemed uncomfortable in the role.The story line didn’t seem to go anywhere . It could easily have been at least an hour shorter also the prolonged total blackness between scenes seemed totally unnecessary .
John Reed
December 6, 2023
Lyonesse
(Edited) I also don’t agree with Gillian and found it unconvincing, But curiously I agree with Maggie in that I wasn’t quite bored, more frustrated that the issues surrounding Being a Woman were introduced but then not developed. I also found Lily James monotonous to listen to in her extended speeches but even she had some powerful moments. Kristen Scott Thomas is a pretty interesting actor to look at and she displayed some good comic timing. But I didn’t find convincing her reasons for abandoning her career which had held so much promise. And the hoped-for comeback put me in mind of Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard.
Edwina
December 7, 2023
Lyonesse
(Edited) I can appreciate both the positive and negative comments that have been made. Agreed it was too long, sections of it drawn out for no particular gain and opportunities were missed to explore and hone some of the main points.
(The unedited versions of these comments can be found on the YourComments page.)
Andrew
Dear England
When one knows that a show has a running time of 2 hours and 50 minutes there is always, well certainly in my case, a slight degree of trepidation. But there was no need in this case. I was completely engrossed from beginning to end. Joseph Fiennes’ portrayal of Gareth Southgate was so uncannily accurate that it was almost unnerving. There were also brilliant performances from the supporting cast. Will Close gave us a sympathetically satirised Harry Kane, showing a man confident in his own footballing abilities, but struggling with the pressures of leadership. Josh Barrow as the manic hyped up Jordan Pickford was a joy to watch. But all of the cast gave faultless portrayals of their real life counterparts.
I’m not a great follower of football, but I became interested when it was clear that after Gareth Southgate’s appointment, he was going to attempt to change from the somewhat “Neanderthal” style of coaching to a more “holistic’ approach. I felt that this production told the story of his journey with great skill and clarity. Southgate’s initial meeting with the Football Association hierarchy, Greg Clarke, and Greg Dyke, showed the two men’s utterly clueless attitude to the sport that they are purported to be governing. Sadly they were so typical of the heads of most sport in this Country. I follow rugby quite closely, where the governing body are known by fans as the “Blazered Buffoons”.
Rant over! As well as brilliant characterisations, the choreography, set, and direction of this production were, to my mind, absolutely faultless. They really hit the back of the net with this one! Profuse apologies, but I couldn’t resist it.
(Photos – see this LINK)
Ian Hutcheon
November 30, 2023
The House of Bernarda Alba
Having watched some of the the film I especially wanted to see Lorca’s famous play at the NT, believing that they would do it justice by echoing the grieving Bernada’s coercive menacing of her 5 daughter’s sex lives (they will have no contact with men for 8 years) by staging the play in the the natural place for which it was written, evoking the dark sombre repressive mood of Franco’s Spain in the 1930’s. But we got none of that.
It seems at planning someone with authority (but little love for the play) set off with one decisive step in the wrong direction! Conversely, maybe it needed ‘modernising’ to attract an audience, for the staging is certainly visually stunning. We are presented with a very modern stylised doll’s house in section with 11 rooms on 3 floors bathed in a green watery light like a swimming pool. Too many things happen at the same time and I couldn’t keep up. The daughters take refuge from their authoritarian mother in their bedrooms (dressing or undressing) whilst grandma or the witty servants provide commentary on the daughter’s hopes as they turn to ashes.
Like a Spanish bull treading water the slow motion balletic dancing of a muscular brutish man weaves across the stage before returning to the garden like a metaphor for predatory male sexuality. But no, this is no metaphor, but the ‘unseen’ man Pepe el Romano, set to marry the 39 year old daughter Angustias for her money, whilst in love with the beautiful 20 year old Adela for other reasons.
Harriet Walter’s has some great lines but her role as the fiercely protective deranged mother is greatly diminished as the stylised and stunning production drowns out the dark and dramatic intensity of the play.
Overall a disappointing version of the play for me, but for all that also a curiously enjoyable theatrical experience!
Mike and Margaret
The House of Bernarda Alba (a Preview performance)
I had seen this play once before but Fredo’s introduction helped to jog my memory of a stunning production with Glenda Jackson at the Lyric Hammersmith. This version cannot match that accolade and Harriet Walter’s matriarch did not make one flinch as much. . However there were intriguing moments, dramatic shocks and intense performances. The set however seemed to be the biggest talking point. It was a slice through a three storey dwelling and the audience sees the daughters preparing for bed in a way rather more modern than in thirties Catholic Spain. But all the activity upstairs often distracted from the action downstairs. Grandma got up to some very sneaky actions in her fantasy world. Women lusting for men is rather an unfeminist idea today unless the play is firmly set in the Spanish restricted thirties Lorca was exploring. Although the play had flaws it set us talking and as ever the buzz at the National is always enjoyable.
Photos by Marc Brenner
Tony & Victoria
Oh What a Lovely War
From the time we entered Southwark Playhouse we became part of this wonderful piece of theatrical atmosphere. No glossy showroom but something to be retained for ever. As we made the way through to our seats , members of the cast interacted with the audience blurring the edges of stage & auditorium.
The set seemed to be just a simple collection of unresolved ideas & the cast were dressed in sympathy. Once the play started everything blended together. The perfect timing, the change between comedy & tragedy, the musicality, light & blackness, worked so well.
The beautiful music & songs which grew from the tragedy of war were sharply contrasted with the relentless list of casualties ticking up on the monitor hanging above the stage. Those millions who died, died for their countries & fellow soldiers not for the bits of real Estate which short lived politicians had in mind.
The last gloriously sung finale of And when they ask us…. summed it all up.
The best piece of theatre this year.
Photos: Alex Harvey-Brown
Gillian and Tony
Backstairs Billy
This play was about the Queen Mother and her relationship with her favourite butler Billy. From start to finish the play was delivered with superb acting from all the cast, especially the lead actors, Penelope Wilton and Luke Evans. There was plenty of comedy, quick witticisms, some rude words and social observations, farcical elements and emotional moments. Not forgetting the live corgis. The set was a perfect take on a royal household too.
You certainly got a flavour of the Queen Mother, her strengths and vulnerabilities and the inter-dependence between the two main characters. But there was a line that you did not cross with her Majesty….
We truly enjoyed this strong comedic play with its quick-fire one-liners and would highly recommend.
Thank you Fredo and Mike for another entertaining evening in the West End.
Photos: Johan Persson
Martin Hampson
To Have and to Hold
I’m afraid it left me cold..any plot was so weak as to be non existent,thought was overscripted and overacted..one liners appeared to be squeezed in at every opportunity…not for me I’m afraid…
Can’t win em all…!
Steve and Sandra
To Have and To Hold
We were not able to see this play with Fredo, so we booked it directly and went on Saturday.
Since the reviews of the play were poor and there were some negative reviews on your website, we were very apprehensive about whether we should have booked. We really enjoyed the play and found it very amusing. Alan Armstrong was fantastic especially the Pasti story at the end. The part of the play where the wife tried to remember the name of the film and actor was well done and a bit to near home!
Photos: Marc Brenner
Jennifer
Clyde’s
Lynn Nottage has received much acclaim for her plays, some of which depict the hard scrabble lives lived by many Americans. The chance to see her latest play at the Donmar had to be taken especially with Giles Terera adding star wattage to the cast.
The play focuses on a small group of ex-cons who have been taken on as short order cooks by Clyde, the hard bitten owner of a run down diner. As the play unfolds, we learn about their past lives and how they ended up inside, the struggles they are having to re-integrate into society, and the casual cruelty of a system stacked against them personified by Clyde’s harsh treatment and disregard for any employment rights they might have.
So far, so grim and yet the message of the play is one of hope and making progress, however limited, against the odds. Terera’s charismatic Montrellus encourages his younger co-workers to realise their potential through devising and making the very best sandwich they can inspired by the best of themselves as rounded human beings. Who knows, they might even persuade Clyde to agree to adding garnish to a truck driver’s sandwich……
In the cold light of day, this sounds like a cliche. Maybe it is. The skill of Nottage’s writing, and the excellent cast and direction, is to show us how the people who we might not notice in the sandwich shop have a right to hope and to find a better life. In these particularly grim times, that message is worth hearing.
Photos: Marc Brenner
Judith, John, Jean and David
Frank and Percy
We all booked with the certainty that these 2 big names would give us a great evening, even if it was just 2 old men on a park bench reminiscing and complaining about the state of the world and their own health.
It turned out to be rather a surprise!
A very clever play written with insight and maturity.
There were some sad points but overall we found it very funny and they seemed to be really enjoying what they were doing as much as we were in watching,
Having set the scene in the first half, we enjoyed the second half more. The sight of the pair of them dressed for the Pride march was quite something and then there was the karaoke!
The dogs off stage and comments gave us a picture of how they might look and behave without the problems of managing real animals on stage.
Overall a terrific evening at this new theatre and thank you for this memorable booking.
Photos: Jack Merriman
Old Friends
Review to be added later
Photos: Danny Kaan
Pygmalion
With the glottal stop seriously in vogue in public discourse, you might think that the play, written and premiered just before the start of WWI, is way out of date. The BBC clearly now favours Estuarian rather than R P. Who now dares to talk proper other than J Rees-Mogg? But this perky production – smart, sleek and stylish – is curiously timely. It may come over as light and droll, but it manages to poke around our social expectations and conventions, with issues of social mobility, class, feminism, male hegemony and insensitivity all alive and kicking today. All the principals were spot on in their characterisations, with Patsy Ferran’s Eliza wonderfully expressive, Bertie Carvel as Higgins mixing fatuousness and petulance, and John Marquez as Alfred Doolittle providing some monumental home truths. Matinee fare, yes, but nourishing and enjoyable.
Pygmalion
When the play opened with the scene in Covent Garden I was a little unsure about the set and even more unsettled by Eliza’s parka. However as the performance gathered pace I began to overlook the peg board set and at times incongruous costumes and became absorbed in the electrifying performances of Bertie Carvel’s Higgins and Patsy Ferran as Eliza Doolittle. Energy is the ingredient Richard Jones has chosen to bring to the scenes which border at times on slapstick but the language of GBS always saves the day. It is funny, telling and at times thought provoking. Except for the hat she donned for Albert Doolittle’s wedding Sylvestra Le Touzel as Mrs Higgins rang very true and we loved John Marquez ‘s Mr Doolittle not only for a cracking performance but because he was the spitting image of an acquaintance ! In all, a lovely matinee visit. Many thanks Fredo and Mike as well as our doughty driver Paul who had to contend with dreadful traffic
Photos: Manuel Harlan
Les Miserables
This musical is my favourite, always with wonderful music and voices. However in this production Fantine was miscast by a buxom lass when she should be slim, frail and vulnerable! Not sure how much I am leaning towards nostalgia, but recollection wants to remember better performances and I definitely prefer the old barricades. However it was a first visit for my guest who thought it was absolutely wonderful – and cried the whole way through!!
next to normal
Very exceptional singing and acting by all members of the cast there were no weak links.
The subject was not easy for a play let alone a musical.
We were drained at end of the performance.
We both enjoyed the whole experience even with the difficult subjects of the show
however it would be hard to recommend to most of our acquaintances.
Linda & I still enjoyed a lovely evening in the theatre.
Romeo and Juliet
The contrast between the stark backdrop of the institution, the group zombie-like moves and climbing the walls, brought a very powerful love story to life. Matthew Bourne always goes the extra mile and I loved his interpretation of the power of love against all odds, no matter where that may be. Thank you F and M for another amazing dance experience.
(Photos: Johan Persson)
Jewels
An evening absolutely crammed with endorphins. How could anyone leave the performance feeling less than exhilarated. We have never seen this ballet before so did not know what to expect.
The first act, Emeralds was ok and It was interesting to hear Faure put to dance but when act 2 came, things really exploded. A riot of sparkling costumes and brilliantly coordinated movement. The Stravinsky was not familiar to us and the references to ragtime and the syncopation went so well with the choreography.
Diamonds was a wonderful climax and, just when we thought it was done, it became even better with spectacular numbers on stage in dazzling white costumes. Our seats in the amphitheatre enabled us to appreciate the precision of each sequence.
The company should rightly be proud of their performances.
Not knowing any of the dancers makes it difficult to comment on them but we think it was the petite Benedicte Bemet in Diamonds that really stood out with her strong confident partner Joseph Caley.
Thanks for such a great evening. In great contrast to when we went ‘unsupervised’ to Cinderella in April, staying the night in Covent Garden, so inconvenient and expensive! It makes us really appreciative of the hard work that Fredo and Mike do.
Moulin Rouge
This show certainly brightened up a rainy evening in July. It was full of colour and energy. I preferred the quieter moments in the second half with the lovers Satine – played and sung beautifully by Melissa James and Jamie Muscato’s Christian. Ian Carlyle as Toulouse Lautrec provided the humour to lighten the drama. Mike was especially impressed by the spectacular staging. However I did find the production a bit full on at times- my age probably showing as the audience were fully appreciative at the finale.
Judith & John July 19, 2023
The Crown Jewels
The start was pretty unpromising, indistinct dialogue with a lot of shouting or mumbling. It seemed to be turning into an adult pantomime with some basic double entendres and crude references. We had the impression of a poor attempt at Upstart Crowe. Luckily things did improve somewhat with Al Murray’s King Charles interacting with the audience; we assumed the couple in the box were set a set up but was great fun. Doubling up on characters seemed to work very well, with quick changes of costume, and Mel Giedroyc as a French aristocratic lady was excellent with her accent and timing. We enjoyed the second act more although the pointless swearing and more basic references were irritating. Aidan McArdle came into his own and he made the most of the part, Carrie Hope Fletcher was not given much to sing but, although some lyrics were dubious, it was good to have narrative songs included, she reminded us of Nancy in Oliver.
It was interesting to see Neil Morrissey on stage, although the stage may not be his forte, he seemed somewhat uncomfortable when interviewed on the one show too.
The set was very well designed with revolving door scenes, they must have had a lot of rehearsal to get it right.
We look forward to the press reviews. Thanks Fredo and Mike, we are glad we went as we did enjoy it, we would consider seeing it again after a few months run to see how it evolved.
Jill July 4, 2023
Patriots
An excellent evening of theatre. The staging and lighting was especially good, mesmerisingly transitioning rooms and scenes throughout the play, with no distraction. The acting was outstanding. Was that really Will Keen? Or one of Putin’s body doubles, of which he reputedly has so many. Extraordinary performance and attention to detail, as Putin grew in authority and power.
I am especially grateful to Fredo and Mike for finding extra tickets for me at the eleventh hour. My guests hugely enjoyed the whole performance,
How fortunate we are.
Aspects of Love
Having seen the original back in 1989 we were interested to see how the 34 years had changed it.
The transition from Alex to George was well played by Michael Ball who always looked at ease, as did Laura Pitt Pulford as Rose; we just remember the late Ann Crumb in the original role but Laura had the edge.
We thought the scene changes were carried out in a interesting manner; we all get used to projections at the theatre these days but did enjoy the way they were carried out.
The songs are all favourites and the hit Love Changes Everything was delivered with ease, let’s face it Michael must have sung it thousands of times. On the night Seeing is Believing and The First Man You Remember were top of our list.
The news on Friday that the show is ending early is disappointing so a special thank you to Mike and Fredo arranging the trip.
How many stars – well it is a favourite of ours so 4 stars.
42nd Street
One Word Review – SUBLIME
WHEN WINSTON WENT TO WAR WITH THE WIRELESS
Gwen and I are newcomers to TheatreGuys but our first trip to join you to see the play above was a joy from beginning to end. Apart from the pleasure of a comfortable trip to and from the theatre we appreciated Fredo’s hospitality, efficiency and valuable insights into the background of the play before we arrived. Once there we found the production outstanding, inspiring and moving; leaving a great many areas for enjoyable discussion thereafter. As ‘newby’s’ to British theatre it was also most instructive not only to se an A-team of actors at what was plainly performing-peaks but to have their status clarified by Fredo on the way home afterwards. In short the whole experience was something close to an introduction to an exciting ‘new world’ and we look forward to joining you on many future occasions. Thank you Fredo and Mike. Gwen and Digby Fairweather.
Mike June 11, 2023 (We saw a preview on 24/05/23)
Aspects of Love
Student Alex sleeps (you know what I mean) with actress Rose; Uncle George sleeps with mistress Giulietta but is attracted to Rose who reminds him of his deceased first wife Delia. Time passes and Alex sleeps with Rose again, but then (oh dear) Rose sleeps with George. Alex shoots Rose (don’t ask!) who survives. George (oddly) thinks Rose ought to be with Alex but she sleeps with Giulietta instead. Then again with Alex and Uncle George, and somewhere along the timeline Rose marries George and gives birth to Jenny. More time passes and Jenny grows up to look like Delia who you will remember was Uncle George’s first wife. Teenage Jenny is attracted to Alex. Jenny wants to sleep with Alex who of course is old enough to be…..er..…her father, but he refuses as he still loves Rose. Giulietta gives advice but it’s complicated and, as we all know and are reminded of frequently, “love, love changes everything”.
(Here’s a non-Spoiler because it doesn’t happen) It’s a show in which time is crucial and if you add up the numbers (very approx 2+12+1=15years) the maths tells us the teenager Jenny (wearing George’s first wife’s dress) could nevertheless be Alex’s daughter. They are in France; the age of consent is lower there, only 15; Jenny loves Alex; we are on the brink of a dramatic revelation; there could be a step too far – incest! Stop, perish the thought…we are in England and remember this is a nice Lloyd Webber musical….and that is just what happens, the show stops, no dramatic revelation, no mega mix; to know that “love, love changes everything” is supposedly enough. Not enough for me though.
For this revival, Jenny’s age has been tweaked so they say she’s 18 instead of 15; that underage incest possibility is put to bed without dad. Alex becomes her cousin instead, but even that apparently is a bit risqué for London these puritan days. Aspects of Incest would have worked for me.
But I did enjoy the show. The cast are terrific with great voices; pretty views pass by on screen projections, and we even get to visit Venice and ride in a gondola on the Grand Canal. ‘Love Changes Everything’ worms its way into our heads like a dire warning. The curtain falls in a coitus interruptus sort of way before the i-word can be muttered. Uncle George (Michael Ball), portly but in good voice, gets a standing ovation, and we rush off to the Tube knowing “love, love changes everything”, and rather wishing it didn’t.
Brokeback Mountain
Not exactly theatre in the round at Sohoplace, more like in the rectangle…. The prospect of a play interlarded with country & western was for me not very inviting, but in the event, I felt that the combination was sensitive and worked well. Overall, indeed, the emotional pull of the piece strengthened after a rather starved start. Set, props and players notwithstanding, the springs of the drama – place, time and characters – needed to be more generously established. Of course, love at first sight may resist explication, yielding as the rest of the play demonstrated to a longer-lasting relationship. Quite what that relationship was built on may have remained unclear, and ultimately it fell short of full commitment. The two principals gave us full value and more. I lost count of just how many times those boots were tugged off and slipped on again.
Jennifer
When I realised that Johnny Flynn would be starring in the National’s production of The Motive and the Cue I had to see it! Does that make me any different from the fans who waited outside the theatre each night in 1964 hoping to catch a glimpse of Richard Burton or Elizabeth Taylor? Probably not…
This play within a play is, as many critics have noted, a “love letter to theatre” but it also deals thoughtfully with the conflict between fame (being a film star) and art (being a theatre actor), celebrity and artistic endeavour. Johnny Flynn as Burton, delivers a deceptively showy performance which subtly reveals the film star who longed to be A Great Actor as the play progresses. Sometimes, maintaining the Burton accent gets in the way of his performance but he uses his own charisma to convince as the tortured artist who was also a drunk and possibly a little overwhelmed by his superstar wife.
That said, the production belongs to Mark Gatiss. He has the best lines and the most sympathetic character. He Is Gielgud. Witty, laconic, sad, scared about being forgotten. The resolution of the conflict with Burton in the final act is a little too easy but his is the performance I’ll remember.
Ain’t Too Proud
Having had the opportunity to see The Drifters Girl and Tina with Fredo and Mike, the musical bar is set very high!! Sadly Aint too Proud did disappoint, it was an enjoyable night out but did not have the spark other musicals have had. If you are a Temptations fan it would have been everything and more you could have wanted, telling the story of the group dynamics and the anti black racism that was prevalent at the time. The show just ended…….the entire cast and band were on stage for what we thought may have been a ‘mega mix’ that would have left us on a high, but no. It really was a play with music rather than a musical. Not sure if it will be running next year and it’s not on of those ‘must see again’ shows
Thank you Fredo and Mike, and a special thank you to Frank for the challenging drive home.
Guys & Dolls
Guys and Dolls is one of my favourite musicals and I’ve been lucky enough to see some wonderful productions over the years with top notch casts (who could blame Jamie Parker or Imelda Staunton for wanting to show off their vocal prowess as Sky Masterson or Miss Adelaide?). Nick Hytner knew he had big shoes to fill when taking on G&D and boy did he go for it! The mise en scene was so clever even if the narrow gangways restricted the movement of the dancers at times. And, unfortunately, I couldn’t always see what was happening on the floor (particularly during the scenes in Havana). Like others, I found the movement of the stage props and the stream of groundlings walking out of the auditorium to get another drink distracting. However, these are quibbles; you know you’re enjoying a show when, even if you know what’s coming next, it’s a pleasure to see how it’s done. I was particularly struck with the characterisation of Nathan and Miss Adelaide. Daniel Mays and Marisha Wallace brought real poignancy to their portrayal of the lovers stuck in a, ahem, rut. I was less convinced by the chemistry between Sky and Sister Sarah; both were tall and handsome and could sing beautifully but they didn’t “sizzle” for me at least. Was that because Sky would rather have been dancing with the boys back at the bar in Havana? In my mind, I’m still there now, singing along.
Judith & John April 12, 2023
Private Lives
We had a wonderful evening with this production. Fabulous seats, so close to the stage that there was nowhere for the cast to hide! It was a very brave thing for the director to put his own ideas into it in the way he did. The scenes of domestic violence did understandably disturb some people and it is a sad commentary on life today, when we hear so much about it, that we seem to become rather hardened to it. However, the elements of farce did soften things for us.
The cast were terrific and, in particular, the connection between Stephen Mangan and Rachael Stirling was so powerfully convincing. At the start, in the veranda scene, Stephen Mangan seemed slow to settle in with rather hasty dialogue but he got into his stride and gave a fine performance. Watching Rachael Stirling at close quarters was a real treat; every expression, the movement of her hands, her body language all blended to convincingly portray her character.
After previous experiences with reading reviews before seeing a production, we said never again so this time we looked afterwards and stuck to reviews of other productions, happy to wait for press night reviews of this one. A production with Nigel Havers and Patricia Hodge must have been very different, it is hard to imagine him as the perpetrator of domestic violence.
We much enjoyed the health and safety break to sweep up broken glass and the actors burying faces to try not to laugh and there were instances where they seemed to struggle to keep composure during the coffee and brioche episode!
It is also very brave of the Donmar to make the scene change in the way they did. We wonder if it will go well every night and what will be the state of the set at the end of the run.
The musical side of the production was excellent, Stephen Mangan doing his bit on the piano and the viola and cello players in the interval having their own domestic dispute with the cellist finally dragged off as he started to play the Elgar cello concerto!
Thanks Fredo and Mike for this visit; it joins the long list of memorable productions.
Sue Webster April 5, 2023
Shirley Valentine
My first theatre trip for a very long while and I was overwhelmed by a truly powerful performance by Sheridan Smith in the title role. Busy in her kitchen we were not distracted by her domestic routines as she was able to include the audience ( and “wall” of course) in her dissatisfaction with her marriage, her demanding husband and the possibility of a brief escape to a Greek island…..I found the Act 1 to be be very amusing but was also aware of latent unhappiness……
Act 2 was in every way more thought provoking – enhanced by the simple set and Shirley being more static. She coped well with being left alone, enjoyed a holiday romance and after a lot of agonised thought made a brave decision to stay on the island. As Fredo asked on the coach what do we think happened after Joe’s visit to take her home? Sadly we will never know but the various possibilities kept me awake last night!
John Reed
March 27, 2023 Marjorie Prime
This was a fascinating and involving play. The hush in the audience from the outset was maintained throughout, and at certain points you could hear people taking a sharp intake of breath, either in surprise or recognition. I would think that most of the audience were in the 60+ age bracket and I wondered if this play were for, as opposed to about, older people. I suspect that younger people give no real thoughts to their own mortality, whereas the older one gets, the more such thoughts impinge. I have heard people with no religious/traditional beliefs about life after death, say that one is “alive” as long as one is remembered but when the last memory dies, then that’s it. I felt this was the main point of the play, but given a modern twist with the “prime” theme. It was wonderful to see this cast, especially the women, give such subtle and nuanced performances. Ann Reid is extraordinary in her ability to enable one to read exactly what is or might be in her thoughts while remaining utterly still. It was like viewing a film performance in close-up (oh the joy of being in row C in a small theatre. I found the themes haunting and kept myself awake last night pondering the complexities of this play. I was initially disappointed to learn that it was to be so short, but it’s exactly the right length.
The set was clever and I liked the lowering of the blinds to indicate change of act – rather like theatre curtains that the Menier doesn’t have. I would like to see this play again, and I don’t often say that.
theatreguys 