Saturday 7th December 2024
The day of the LGMC Christmas Bop at QEC, was too rainy and cold for Christmas shopping so, after lunch at Rosa's Thai, Nita and I took to the theatre for the afternoon. The singers were great, the volume was ridiculous, the life story was well told.
Saturday 1 June 2024
Magical, fantastical, energetic and enigmatic portrayal of Nye Bevin by Michael Sheen. A surreal but engaging reminder of what the NHS meant for the poor, and its impact on child mortality; a timely reminder of what we are in danger of losing, which didn't shy away from its problematic birth and the compromises that Nye made, creating ripples that have persisted through the decades.
A wonderfully, heart-warming anti-tory sentiment was crackling through the audience. What a perfect place and time to see this, following their Welsh wipe-out in the UK general election. (Just don't think about the Send elections in 2026!).
Wednesday 10th April 2024
Present: me, Riley
The driver for seeing this one was purely timing: a uncommonly late 3pm kick-off (see what I did there), when Riley had a lunch until 2-2.30. As it happens it was a low-key, enjoyable little gem showing to an unusually diverse audience.
The 3 stars began with a little footie with some of the younger audience members. Once the lights went down, it became clear this play was dialogue-heavy in authentically solid south/east London accents. I rightly surmised that Riley might take a while to get his ear attuned.
Via several enjoyable vignettes, Red Pitch explored themes around friendship, poverty, ambition and regeneration and had a few emotional and heart-warming moments along the way.
I don't like the fashion for a standing ovation at every performance and, had I not wanted to see the stage and the actors and the kids from the warm-up (tee tee) at the end, I'd have stayed seated for this one but I would have been grinning and given a hearty applause.
I went with no prior knowledge and no expectations but this was a perfectly enjoyable and refreshing afternoon at the theatre.
Friday, 8th March 2024, at the Hafren
Present: Nic and Brian
Our first NT Live experience and what a way to start, with a production that was both bonkers and sublime. Andrew Scott was sensational even in the most absurd moments of this one man show. A lesser actor may have appeared ridiculous.
The filmed NT experience is obviously very different to being at the theatre but, if this was anything to go by, still compelling and powerful. This was up-close and personal, every nuanced facial expression, every flick of the mouth corners and crease of the brow at which Andrew Scott excels was visible on a huge screen in a way that may have been missed in a live production.
Brilliant.
Thursday 7 March, 2024
Colin Baker starred in this "Radio Show" play. The story-telling was fine but it was disappointing that the howling dog was taped and played from off stage and not created on the on-stage "sound effect" desk. Still nice to get to the theatre, though west end it isn't.
Saturday 3rd February
Huge thanks go to Avanti West Coast, whose strike stopped me going home this morning, for enabling this treat.
A powerful, sad, funny play with affectionate but not unduly flattering portrayals of Geilgud and Burton. Mark Gatiss was extraordinary. Johnny Flynn produced a great and moving physical performance but, of course, could not fully capture the mellifluous, yet clipped, Welshness of Burton’s voice. Tuppence Middleton was charming as Elizabeth Taylor.
Exceptionally moving - not least because one knows how Burton’s demons and drinking lead to his self-destruction.
Standing ovations seem de rigeur for any show these days but this one was truly deserved. Many left the theatre wiping a tear from their eye. And the bloke in the row behind me said “well, that was worth missing the rugby for”.
Wednesday, 6th December 2024
If I hadn’t seen Dame Harriet in this, I’d have felt like I was missing out. Now I know I wouldn’t have been.
The set was a bizarre (seemingly) meaningless monotone pale green. The rifle, the only thing not green, was so obvious a signpost that it failed entirely to build any tension or curiosity as to the inevitable ending. HW’s accent was strangely inconsistent though her delivery was otherwise compelling while everyone around her simply projected their lines into the audience as though the National has no sound system. Tedious in the extreme.
