Present: Nic, Brian, Gill, Kauser, Sandra, Ron, Hanneke, Pierre-Yves, Luuk, Nicola DL, Barbara (and special guest, Kate)
Dinner: pre-theatre at Menier's restaurant
Drinks: post-theatre at Katzenjammers Bierkeller, Southwark Street
A decent meal (though the Pimco folks were running late and had to eat quickly!) and good beers after the event too (albeit in a hot house!).
The play was funny, as expected, and unexpectedly quirky, which is very much in keeping with the book. Those who had not read the book seemed to enjoy the performance as much as those who had and there was much to enjoy. A stark and simple stage provided all locations with minimal set movement - just the odd prop promoted to the foreground or withdrawn to the back occasionally - and just four actors graced the stage, each dressed in matching, sombre, retired-bank-manager, grey suits. Yet, in this garb and within this set, they played every role, in every location, in every country visited by globe-trotting Aunt Augusta and her suffering side-kick. All four played Henry, sometimes switching mid-speech, may be mid-sentence, and each also undertook one or more other roles. One (from House of Cards - the original version) played Aunt Augusta, hands fluttering under her chin and voice soaring to new heights. One played both Wordsworth and Mr Visconti. One played both young female and old male Tooley to great success. The character changes added to the sense of frivolity, chaos and charm. We all left smiling.
