Month: April 1988

The Common Pursuit by Simon Gray, Phoenix Theatre, 30 April 1988

I went to see this production of The Common Pursuit with Bobbie.

It had received a lot of publicity at that time, due to its stellar cast of comedy folk: Rik Mayall, Stephen Fry, Sarah Berger, John Sessions, John Gordon Sinclair and Paul Mooney.

We didn’t realise at the time that the piece was a rewrite/revival of a play produced at the Lyric a few years earlier. The Wikipedia entry for The Common Pursuit explains.

I remember thinking it was actually a very good play. I had already formed a liking for Simon Gray plays by reading many of them in the mid 1980s. This might have been the first one I saw on the stage.

I also recall not liking the sycophantic audience who seemed to think it was hilarious if Rik Mayall or Stephen Fry merely walked onto the stage. But that was the audiences problem, not the play’s. Nor the production’s, really.

I think the play has been somewhat under-rated in the Simon Gray canon as it has not often been revived in the 30 years since.

My log registered “very good” for this one.

The next time Simon Gray was partnered with Rik Mayall and Stephen Fry in the West End was Cell Mates in 1995, which did not end up so well; especially for Stephen Fry. Janie and I missed that one as I guessed that “sycophantic audience syndrome” would displease Janie even more than it had displeased me and Bobbie in 1988. But Janie and I did go to the revival of Cell Mates at the Hampstead in 2017:

Cell Mates by Simon Gray, Hampstead Theatre, 9 December 2017

But back to The Common Pursuit. Bobbie’s memory of it has yet to be tested. I’ll get back to this piece in the unlikely event that something specific about this piece or this evening emerges.

Below is Michael Ratcliffe’s Observer review:

Ratcliffe On Common Pursuit & Faust Part OneRatcliffe On Common Pursuit & Faust Part One Sun, Apr 10, 1988 – 37 · The Observer (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com

Below is Michael Billington’s review:

Michael Billington On Common PursuitMichael Billington On Common Pursuit Sat, Apr 9, 1988 – 17 · The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com

I vaguely remember taking after theatre supper with Bobbie at one of those West End restaurants after this one but cannot recall which particular restaurant it was.

Playbill: The Browning Version & Harlequinade by Terence Rattigan, The Royalty Theatre, 26 April 1988

The Browning Version is one of Rattigan’s best known plays, originally performed, as it was in the production we saw, jointly with Harlequinade. This Wikipedia piece explains all that background and has good links.

I have little recollection of this particular production and midweek evening at the theatre with Bobbie.

Starry cast, we saw, with Paul Eddington and Dorothy Tutin as the Crocker-Harris couple in The Browning Version. The same cast and crew performed/produced both plays.

Here is the Theatricalia entry for this production of The Browning Version.

Below is Steve Goldman’s Guardian review:

Steve Goldman on RattiganSteve Goldman on Rattigan Mon, Mar 21, 1988 – 32 · The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com

Below is Kate Kellaway’s Observer review:

Kate Kellaway on RattiganKate Kellaway on Rattigan Sun, Mar 20, 1988 – 40 · The Observer (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com

I think I concluded that Rattigan isn’t really my thing when I saw these plays. It all seemed rather old-fashioned in style, although I do also recall that there were interesting themes and the plays were well written.

Bobbie might remember more…but I doubt it.

Tis Pity She’s A Whore by John Ford, Olivier Theatre, 16 April 1988

A superb run of seeing amazing productions started to break down just a little with this one.

Again a Saturday evening, again with Bobbie. My log says the production was good. It also says:

Suzan Sylvester was indisposed that day, so we saw Michelle Evans understudy the lead

Tis pity that, as I think Suzan Sylvester must have been a very good Annabella opposite Rupert Graves as Giovanni. I do remember Bobbie and I feeling that the understudy did well, though.

My friend Michael Simkins was also in it, as Soranzo. Coincidental at the time of writing, in early 2019, as we saw Michael at the Hampstead Downstairs just a couple of weeks ago:

Eden by Hannah Patterson, Hampstead Theatre Downstairs, 16 February 2019

Here is the Theatricalia entry for this production.

Alan Ayckbourn directed the production – there is some additional information about it on his site – click here.

It’s not a happy story and matters unsurprisingly…spoiler alert…do not end well for the protagonists. The Wikipedia entry gives a good synopsis.

In those days I think we were quite partial to some Jacobean blood and gore. It’s only latterly that I’ve gone all snowflake.

Below is Michael Radcliffe’s review from The Observer:

Tis Pity RadcliffeTis Pity Radcliffe Sun, Mar 6, 1988 – 40 · The Observer (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com

Michael Billington in The Guardian found this production “too tasteful”:

Tis Pity BillimgtonTis Pity Billimgton Sat, Mar 5, 1988 – 16 · The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com