Our Town by Thornton Wilder, Almeida Theatre, 18 October 2014

An unusual play and production, this.

An American classic, performed on a very sparse set in a sort-of workshop style.

It worked for us.

There are elements of this play that could easily seem cheesy to the modern and non-US audience, yet this production managed to avoid the worst excesses of fromage and mawkishness – the piece came across to us as charming and touching.

Here is a link to the Almeida resource on this production.

Below is the trailer, with some interviews:

It didn’t please all the critics, but it did please many of them – click here for a search term that finds the reviews.

Factors Unforeseen by Michel Vinaver, Orange Tree Theatre, 16 May 2009

This is one of those rare plays about the workplace; in this case a suntan lotion business. The impecunious Orange Tree is one of the few theatres with solid production stubs going back as far as 2009 – click here for all the details on this one.

As is often the case with workplace plays, this one didn’t quite work for us. The stage was incredibly busy – a huge cast for the tiny Orange Tree. The humour didn’t quite translate/make the grade either.

Still, it was well acted and did provide some interesting points for us to discuss over a Don Fernando Spanish meal afterwards.