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theatreguys 
A Month In The Country
A well acted and humorous play .John was immersed in the production particularly seeing Sophie Okonedo again having seen her in Medea a few years ago. The play adapts very well in the intimate venue of the Donmar so that the audience feels involved with the characters . Natalya feels stifled her marriage to her boring husband Arkady and rebuffs the attention of a family friend but falls in love with her wards young tutor Aleksey, Although I had difficulty with my hearing I managed to pick up the Irish accent of Patrick Gibbons Aleksy.
Thank you again
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A Month In The Country
A well acted and humorous play .John was immersed in the production particularly seeing Sophie Okonedo again having seen her in Medea a few years ago. The play adapts very well in the intimate venue of the Donmar so that the audience feels involved with the characters . Natalya feels stifled her marriage to her boring husband Arkady and rebuffs the attention of a family friend but falls in love with her wards young tutor Aleksey, Although I had difficulty with my hearing I managed to pick up the Irish accent of Patrick Gibbons Aleksy.
Thank you again
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A month in the country
Wonderful set and very clever. The acting was excellent as always, but particularly liked Rachelle Diedricks in her role . Where we were seated in the auditorium made you feel part of the action and therefore absorbed in the dialogue. Thank you both for another great evening.
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A Month in the Country
What a wonderful evening at the Donmar! Sophie Okonedo’s Natalya was captivating, as was the quiet and enduring Michel Rakitin (played by Alastair Petrie who seems to have cornered the market in smouldering in the shadows so well), and all brilliantly undercut by the buffoonery of Herr Shaaf and the hilarious Dr Shpigelsky.
We thought this was a compelling and hilarious performance of the Turgenev classic with all the Russian hallmarks of ‘cunning serfs’, doomed affairs and the seductive promise of freedom and transformation that love can offer. The clever use of the ascending panels of foliage situated us in the heart of the Russian countryside, and along with the lightness of some of the performances brought a new freshness and distinctiveness to this classic play.
Excellent seats as always, we were but a sigh away from Natalya, thank you Fredo and Mike!
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A Month in the Country
Entering the Donmar to see a high hedge was an intriguing way to start the evening. I have not read nor seen the original but had an idea of the plot from seeing the Royal Ballet’s one act ballet several times. I hadn’t expected so much humour and, despite Dr Shpigelsky’s predictable jokes, I couldn’t help but laugh. Sophie Okonedo’s Natalia was full of unpredictability but was so well acted. I thought the entire cast was excellent and would be hard pressed to single any of them for individual praise.
As always, thank you to Fredo and Mike: a great evening at the theatre.
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A Month in the Country
We love The Donmar and only once before have I been disappointed by a production. Neither of us warmed to this play. Personally I always think it may be me and not the play. Yes it was acted as well as usual. The humour in the play caused laughter and although there were serious moments there were few tears. Sophie Okonedo was elegant and involved in her role but I found her Natalya rather irritating at times. I couldn’t really empathise with her inner turmoil. But although Ivan Turgenev is a great writer. His novel Fathers and Sons is a masterpiece. I loved Brian Friel’s Dancing at Lughnasa But for me this particular marriage of talent did not work. Could still be me !
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A Month in the Country
Despite going along to this play with an open mind I had expected it to be hard work. Fredo’s Setting the Scene was so complicated I thought I might lose the will to live. Not so! Yes, the plot was complicated but it had great humour and cleverly unraveled by the end. The actors appeared to be thoroughly enjoying their roles which communicated well with the audience. All cast members came across well in their roles and the leading lady was excellent. How do all these actors remember their lines? Rarely do you see a hesitation. Well done once again, Donmar, for another evening of good entertainment. JEAN BIRCH
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How the other half love.
An enjoyable afternoon,Roger Allan has a wonderful voice & his timing was spot on .DorothyAtkinson who played his wife, was rushing around bringing coffee, trying to avoid her husband’s questions as to where she was .
Mary with her little voice so meek , until she wasn’t..
It was great fun , thank you Fredo & Mike .
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Monica
How The Other Half Loves.
With all the doom and gloom around us at the moment it was so refreshing to hear such laughter in the theatre and the audience who were thoroughly enjoying the wonderful Alan Ayckbourn’s production which hasn’t lost its touch despite written so many years ago.
Well done Fredo and Mike for booking us this delightful afternoon of entertainment.
Everyone has sung its praises.
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How The Other Half Loves
Oh, we did laugh! So much fun packed into this hilarious production. Well done to all the actors, but we especially loved Roger Allam’s character who had us in fits with his rather pompous, befuddled view of the world, seemingly knowing it all but blind to his own wife’s infidelities. Funny and very clever.
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Another very enjoyable afternoon at the theatre. The play how the other half loves was both funny and clever. The set inter changing kept the audience riveted. Roger Allam and Dorothy Atkinson providing superb timing with all the cast following.
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How the Other Half Loves.
It was a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon at the theatre and I was spellbound by the fabulous performances and the enjoyment of initially puzzling out the plot, especially in the dinner party scene. The manipulation of chairs, cutlery and glass was wonderful, and there was some good fun in the use of phone calls. The cast was superb with Allam and Dorothy especially funny, And Laura Elsworthy’s voice rather reminded me of Sophie Thompson’s, or that was perhaps the role, as Sophie also played a downtrodden wife in When we are Married, and they were joyous moments in both plays when the worm turned,
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How the other half loves .
Brilliant comedic timing by all the cast but Roger Allan and Dorothy Atkinson outstanding. The setting and direction excellent. A very entertaining afternoon. Nice to go back in time with this production. Thank you.
Pat Bladon
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How the Other Half Loves
I chuckled along with huge admiration, especially for Roger Allam and Dorothy Atkinson giving perfect performances worthy of awards. This period piece is a classic of its time, well worth revival when produced and directed as well as this. I was reminded of the revival of Boeing Boeing a few years ago when an old farce, well beyond it sell-by date, was given a new lease of life by an amazingly talented cast, and was truly funny for a new generation. The same has happened here. You could say this was an anachronistic horror (so out-of-keeping with today’s gender politics) but that makes it now even funnier and more outrageous than it was in its time! Other period plays are acceptable when presented with period details and manners intact, so why do some fret when we are presented with out-dated sexual manners? The play is not ‘approving’, but ridiculing, both now and back in its day, and not without affection for all its characters. Here, in fact, the women are the stronger characters in two of the relationships and the third, meek Mary, triumphs over her coercive husband by the final scene. This may be the play’s first West End revival since it first appeared, but has been popular with provincial audiences, despite the complexities of the overlapping sets and the physical mayhem this causes. In fact, one of the delights of the play is this production device and watching the manipulation of the players. And the other delight is of course the players themselves, on top form here. It’s quite surprising to realise that Roger Allam’s next role will be King Lear at the Orange Tree Theatre.
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How the Other Half Loves
“A masterclass of comedy” – well we certainly agreed with your sentiment Fredo, particularly with Roger Allam and Dorothy Atkinson playing Frank and Fiona.
Sharp dialogue with great comic timing and good use of In The Round staging, in particular the dinner party scenes involving the Featherstones.
We wondered when the lies would unravel…..which of course they did, in a very entertaining and funny way.
We laughed and smiled throughout, thanks Fredo and Mike for a fun afternoon!
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How the other half loves
It can be illuminating to see a play from the fairly recent past; as others have said, it reminds us of our younger days and how times have changed, for better or worse, in the intervening years. The Old Vic rightly presented HTOHL in the time it was written which lets us savour Ayckbourn’s still sparkling wit and mastery of the theatrical form while noting with relief the changes in social attitudes since the late 1960s.
Another reason for seeing the play was the outstanding cast: Roger Allam was the main draw, along with Dorothy Atkinson, and together they gave us a masterclass in comic acting with just the right amount of pathos mixed in. The actors playing the other two couples held their own and revealed depths to their characters with skillful direction from Philip Breen. Laura Elsworthy as Mary the downtrodden wife, in a time before coercive control was recognised, goes on the most significant “journey” and gets a well deserved cheer as the mouse who finally roars.
Fredo informs us when setting the scene that HTOHL is considered one of Ayckbourn’s best plays. As some of the later plot twists stretched credibility to breaking point, I don’t feel I need to see another. That said, the chance to spend the afternoon in the company of such skilled actors making the most of every witty line was a pleasure especially with Marvin Gaye’s mellifluous tones entertaining us during a scene change.
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How the other half loves
Wonderful afternoon of fun . We loved the concept of the different situations on stage by the three couples . It was plain to understand from the beginning of the first act with the red and green phones setting the scene. Roger Allam was a joy and the perfect timing of the cast particularly at the dinners going on at the same time was impeccable. Thank you for a very enjoyable day out and also to Matt for getting us there and back so speedily
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