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We quite liked this play, although I think we were more taken by the excellent production and cast than the play itself.
I think that means that we basically agreed with Michael Billington’s take on it – click here.
British Theatre Guide was luke warm – here.
London Theatre summarises the other, mixed reviews.
We went on a Friday evening to see part of a preview run of this play/production, which went on to have a good long stint at the Aldwych and which had previously been tested at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford (according to my notes) and/ot Theatre Royal Bath according to the Theatricalia entry.
Anyway…
…I have always been partial to a bit of Simon Gray and also partial to a bit of Alan Bates’s acting and Harold Pinter’s directing, so this was a “must see” for me and Janie – hence the Friday evening booking.
Below is a rare review of the actual Richmond performances from the Ealing & Acton Gazette:
Life Support Ealing & Acton Gazette Tim Harrison 20 Jun 1997, Fri Ealing and Acton Gazette (Ealing, London, England) Newspapers.com
Below is a charming interview piece from the Guardian about the genesis of this play:
Life Support Simon Gray Claire Amitstead Guardian 26 Jul 1997, Sat The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com
Nicholas de Jongh in The Standard didn’t much like the play when he saw it at The Aldwych:
Life Support de Jongh Standard 06 Aug 1997, Wed Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com
Whereas Suzannah Clapp liked it more in The Observer:
Life Support Clapp Observer 10 Aug 1997, Sun The Observer (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com
We voted it “good”, which is not great, but we did rate the piece and the performances highly enough.
This was a West End transfer from the Chichester Festival, which had been so well received that even we set aside our West-End show scepticism to see it in Theatreland.
We weren’t disappointed. This was a very good production of a very good play. It is basically about the denazification investigation of the German conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler.
Michael Pennington & Daniel Massey played the lead roles, investigating officer major Arnold & Furtwängler respectively. Harold Pinter added yet more gravitas by directing it.
The Theatricalia entry for the play/production can be found here.
Michael Billlington really liked it when he saw it in Chichester that spring:
Billington taking Sides Tue, May 23, 1995 – 2 · The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com
Michael Coveney also liked it while comparing it with Absolute Hell:
Coveney on Taking Sides Sun, May 28, 1995 – 75 · The Observer (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com
Janie and I were very keen on Pinter and also very keen on Complicite, so we took the opportunity to see both on one Saturday during that crazy autumn during which Z/Yen was born.
According to my contemporary log:
Landscape is a short play, seen late afternoon/early evening before seeing “Out of a House Walked a Man”. Very good.
Ian Holm and Penelope Wilton. Top notch performers both,with great Pinter pedigrees too.
Here is the Theatricalia link on this production.
Wikipedia describes this short play thus.
Michael Coveney reviewed this production:
Coveney On Landscape Sun, Nov 27, 1994 – 84 · The Observer (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com
Here’s Michael Billington’s review:
Billington On Landscape Sat, Nov 26, 1994 – 30 · The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com
A TV version of this production was broadcast on the BBC in 1995. Someone has upped it to YouTube here:
We were very taken with this piece.
Then on to see the Complicite piece:
Angels In America is a two part play. I can only talk about the first part, Millenium Approaches, which Janie and I both thought was very good indeed.
We were both due to see the second part, Perestroika, the next day, but I got a bout of the raging trots and was confined to my bed instead.
Here is a link to the Theatricalia entry for Angels In America, which covers both parts.
What a cast! Daniel Craig, Susan Engel, Clare Holman, Stephen Dillane, Harry Towd…directed by Declan Donnellan too.
I insisted that Janie go alone to see Perestroika and she told me at the time that it was not as good as Millenium Approaches. But was she saying that just to be kind or was she saying that because she got less enjoyment without me or was she saying that because actually the first part is the better part?
Here is the Wikipedia entry for both.
No on-line reviews from the RNT production back then, sadly. Here is a New York Times transcript from 1993…
…and here is Michael Billington’s review from 1992:
Billington On Angels Kushner Sat, Jan 25, 1992 – 21 · The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com
My log reads,
Don’t remember this one too well, which says something.
I have managed to find a synopsis, click here, but it doesn’t really help me much.
Here is the Theatricalia entry for this play/production. Still only a vague memory.
I don’t think we liked it.
I don’t think we walked out at half time. I suspect the performances from that top notch cast kept us going. But I don’t think we liked the play.
I’ve managed to find an on-line review for this one, in the Variety archive – click here.
Here is the Michael Billington clipping:
Billington On Wildest Dreams Thu, Dec 16, 1993 – 34 · The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com
Here’s Michael Coveney’s clipping:
Coveney On Wildest Dreams Sun, Dec 19, 1993 – 58 · The Observer (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com
This was the Saturday before my life-changing first encounter with Janie at Kim & Micky’s party.
I went to see this play with Bobbie Scully. I remember it very well; both of us were very taken with it. It did prove to be a big hit, transferring and being produced again many times.
Here is a link to the Theatricalia entry for this production.
This original production really was a cracker. I think it pretty much made Jane Horrocks’s name; I don’t think she was all that well known before – perhaps she was known on the TV. Pete Postlethwaite and Alison Steadman were terrific.
I’m not sure what we did for food, but we tended to go to The Archduke or possibly RSJs after the show in those days.
No on-line reviews from those days, so you’ll just have to take my word for it – it was a cracking show. I rated the evening very good in my log, that’s for sure. Several reviews on-line for subsequent versions refer to the 1992 production – click here for the search term that brings those up.
Better yet, below is Michael Billigton’s Guardian review:
Billington on Little Voice Fri, Jun 19, 1992 – 36 · The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com
Below is Michael Coveney’s Observer preview, mostly about Alison Steadman:
Michael Coveney Preview’s Little Voice Sun, Jun 14, 1992 – 63 · The Observer (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com
Then the following week Coveney reviewed Little Voice:
Coveney reviews Little Voice Sun, Jun 21, 1992 – 56 · The Observer (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com
I think I’d grown out of Alan Ayckbourn by the time I saw this one. Or perhaps I just had grown out of Ayckbourn that was aimed at a young audience.
Not really my sort of thing
…I said.
Another Saturday evening at the Cottesloe with Bobbie.
The Theatricalia entry for this one can be found here.
Michael Billington explains what the play and production was about, recommending that adults should only attend if accompanied by children!
Billington on Invisible Friends Fri, Mar 15, 1991 – 37 · The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com
Michael Coveney in The Observer makes no excuses for the play/production, simply suggesting that invisible was risible.
Coveney on Invisible Sun, Mar 17, 1991 – 56 · The Observer (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com
I do recall Bobbie telling me about her imaginary friend, some time before this production. But as far as I know that didn’t all go horribly wrong for her. I certainly don’t remember this production generating additional revelations from Bobbie.
My log says “little recollection” for this one, so I guess it didn’t make a big impression. Bobbie was with me.
Pirandello is one of those playwrights whose work I want to like more than actually do like. Or perhaps it is more accurate to say that I tend to enjoy reading his plays, because the ideas are fascinating, but many of them are difficult to produce in an entertaining way – at least to the eyes of the modern audience.
Man, Beast And Virtue is an early Pirandello, written in 1919 (100 years ago as I write in 2019), about two years before his breakthrough play, Six Characters In Search Of An Author.
A relatively straightforward, slightly farcical, love-triangle piece, there is a synopsis of the 1950s film version, in somewhat broken English at the time of writing, on Wikipedia.
Trevor Eve played Paolino, the lover, Terence Rigby played Captain Perella and Marion Bailey (best known for her Mike Leigh connections both professionally and privately) played Mrs Perella. William Gaskill directed. Charles Wood had written a new adaptation of the play fro this production. A fine supporting cast too – here is the Theatricalia entry.
So did all that research just now bring the experience flooding back to me? Ever so slightly yes…but basically no.
Probably not really my type of play. I do recall the setting being very imaginative and a sense that I felt entertained for the evening.
Below is Michael Billington’s Guardian review:
Billington on Man Beast Sat, Sep 9, 1989 – 21 · The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com
Michael Ratcliffe in The Observer thought little of it:
Ratcliffe on Man Beast Sun, Sep 10, 1989 – 46 · The Observer (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com
Perhaps Bobbie remembers something more about it?
I rated this production very good indeed at the time and I can understand why. Superb cast, with Michael Gambon as Vanya, Imelda Staunton as Sonia, Greta Scatcchi as Yelena, Jonathan Pryce as Astrov, Michael Blakemore directing…
…here is a link to the Theatricalia entry for this production.
Bobbie and I went to this one. I recall sitting very near the front although probably not the very front row.
In 1988 I hadn’t yet formed an aversion to those old-fashioned theatre-land theatres, although we didn’t go to those places all that frequently.
I suspect that we had a late evening Chinese meal in Soho after the show – perhaps Poons, perhaps Mayflower, perhaps Joy King Lau…
A pretty darned good evening as I recall it.
Below is Michael Billington’s Guardian review of the production:
Billington on Vanya Thu, May 26, 1988 – 19 · The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com
Michael Ratcliffe’s Observer review is below:
Ratcliffe on Vanya Sun, May 29, 1988 – 38 · The Observer (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com
