Month: July 2000

Dolly West’s Kitchen by Frank McGuiness, Abbey Theatre Dublin at The Old Vic, 29 July 2000

I remember thinking this play and production was rather good, although I wrote nothing positive or negative about the experience in my log. We’re both partial to Frank McGuiness and the Abbey Theatre Dublin as an ensemble rarely lets us down.

Perhaps I was too exhausted to write a comment after a week of total culture-vulturing – three museums/galleries, two concerts, two plays and a heck of a lot of work in-between.

Here’s the Theatricalia entry for this play/production.

Nicholas de Jongh wrote highly of it in The Standard:

Dolly de Jongh Standard

Article from 18 May 2000 Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England)

Paul Taylor also wrote highly of it in The Independent:

Dolly Taylor Independent

Article from 18 May 2000 The Independent (London, Greater London, England)

Charles Spencer positively raved about it in The Telegraph:

Dolly Spencer Telegraph

Article from 27 May 2000 The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England)

Lyn Gardiner in The Guardian similarly heaped the praise:

Dolly Gardiner Guardian

Article from 19 May 2000 The Guardian (London, Greater London, England)

In short – this play/production was a good ‘un. Surprising it has never been revived.

Bach Anniversary Concert: Purcell Quartet & Fretwork, Wigmore Hall, 28 July 2000

To mark the 250th anniversary of Bach’s demise, the Wigmore Hall treated us to a concert entirely comprising his music:

  • Johann Sebastian Bach – Contrapuncti Nos 1-5 from The Art of Fugue BWV 1080
  • Johann Sebastian Bach – Cantata: Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit BWV 106
  • Johann Sebastian Bach – Cantata: Lass, furston, lass noch einen Strahl “Trauerode” BWV 198
  • Johann Sebastian Bach – Contrapunctus No 18 from The Art of Fugue

I don’t think the Purcell Quartet ever recorded The Art of Fugue. It does sound great in the string quartet format – here’s the Emerson Quartet’s recording:

The Purcell Quartet did record Bach trio sonatas around that time – the recording sounds great to my ears. I’ll be listening to all of these later – here’s a sample:

I cannot find Fretwork recordings of the pieces we heard that night, but this Netherlands Bach Society recording of “Trauerode” is rather lovely – albeit a larger orchestra than we heard at The Wig:

Here’s a recording of Nancy Argenta singing an aria from a different Bach cantata. It’s a rather yummy sound:

This concert will have been just the ticket for us after a busy week. No doubt one or both of us nodded off during some stage of the proceedings…in a good way.

Beethoven’s 1st Piano Concerto & Mahler’s 6th Symphony, BBC Proms, Royal Albert Hall, 26 July 2000

This one has Pauline, Duchess of Castlebar’s fingerprints all over it. Not in terms of who paid for the evening, obviously, but in terms of who chose that concert.

Here is the BBC Proms stub for that concert.

A Wednesday evening (virtually guaranteeing a rush job for me and Janie after work), a large concert hall, big sound music…

…Janie does not much go for Beethoven orchestral works nor Mahler on a large scale. Mahler’s 6th would not be my first choice of Mahler symphony. I’m not sure it would even be my 6th choice.

Tim Ashley in The Guardian rated this concert “unmissable”. I always think that a bit harsh on anyone who wasn’t there at a concert, as they are by definition one-offs so anyone who wasn’t there missed it:

Jarvi Prom Ashley Guardian

Article from 28 Jul 2000 The Guardian (London, Greater London, England)

Rick Jones in The Standard also rated this one highly. He also informs me (25 years later) that this was Paavo Järvi’s first Prom.

Prom 16 Jones Standard

Article from 27 Jul 2000 Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England)

So, it was no doubt a seriously good concert, and in those days I still enjoyed the opportunity to hear large orchestral works…

…even if The Duchess was part of the price, both additional ticket-wise, plus the costly sense of nervous tension before and after the concert.

“Did the evening continue on to dinner with The Duchess, even after such a long concert?” I hear sympathetic readers cry, while sensing a wave of pity for me and Janie.

Yup, if Janie’s bookings diary is to be believed. Atlantis in Pitshanger Lane – one of the few restaurants in Ealing that would take such a late booking – probably still would 25 years later:

Welcome

No doubt The Duchess insisted on one more cigarette, one or two more anecdotes hurled in the direction of the tolerant…some might say sycophantic…waiting staff, and zero appreciation that Janie and I both had really early starts the next day.

At sparrow-fart the next morning, Janie headed off to Ham to visit patients, while I headed off crack of dawn to Bristol to visit a Children’s Society site. It was “just what we did” back then – we wouldn’t dream of packing it in like that 25 years later.

Art Nouveau 1890-1914, Victoria & Albert Museum, 24 July 2000

crowded!

That’s all he wrote, folks.

Janie and I concluded our culture vulture odyssey day (we had already visited the British Museum & the Tate Modern)…at the V&A.

It was clearly a well received show, if the following “review of reviews” from The Guardian is anything to go by:

Art Nouveau Guardian Review of Reviews

Article from 14 Apr 2000 The Guardian (London, Greater London, England)

That might explain why it was crowded.

A First Visit To The (New) Tate Modern, “Between Cinema & A Hard Place”, 24 July 2000

This was the second part of a culture vulture odyssey day out with Janie, visiting the British Museum, the (then brand new) Tate Modern and then the V&A.

I recall that we were both taken with the new Tate Modern generally. I recall the sense of hugeness and we both especially remember the Louise Bourgeois giant spider piece in the Turbine Hall.

This Richard Holliday piece from The Standard pretty much sums it up.

Tate Modern Opening Standard

Article from 11 May 2000 Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England)

As for the specific exhibition I was keen to see – Between Cinema & A Hard Place – my verdict in the log was pretty short and clear:

weird crap.

I suspect that we moved swiftly on to the V&A.

Burma And The Art Of Lacquer, British Museum, 24 July 2000

Janie and I went on a bit of a culture vulture odyssey that day, visiting the British Museum, the (then brand new) Tate Modern and then the V&A.

Of the three visits, this was the one that got the top rating from me…I’m pretty sure from both of us, in my log:

Marvellous.

This write up by Sue Arnold in the Observer provides some additional words of praise.

Burma Arnold Observer

Article from 11 Jun 2000 The Observer (London, Greater London, England)

But words can’t do it for for this type of exhibition. You’d either need some sort of virtual reality, metaverse retrospective…or you had to be there.

Mr Peters’ Connections by Arthur Miller, Almeida Theatre, 22 July 2000

In truth, I remember little detail about this piece. My impressionistic memory of it is that we found the piece impenetrable and sensed that Miller was, sadly, well past his prime when he wrote it. I didn’t write anything positive or negative about it in my log…which is a tad negative.

We leapt in early and saw a preview on 22 July.

Here is a link to the Theatricalia entry for this production. The production toured subsequently.

Susannah Clapp compared it unfavourably with the Steppenwolf production that was touring at the same time.

Peters’ Clapp Observer

Article from 30 Jul 2000 The Observer (London, Greater London, England)

David Benedict slammed the piece directly in the Independent:

Peters Benedict Indy

Article from 27 Jul 2000 The Independent (London, Greater London, England)

While Kete Bassett Telegraphed her antipathy in the ehadline:

Peters’ Bassett Telegraph

Article from 28 Jul 2000 The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England)

Nicholas de Jongh gave it a dreaded Standard blob rating, with words of damnation and occasional faint praise:

Peters’ de Jongh Standard

Article from 27 Jul 2000 Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England)

Would our friend, Michael Billington, rescue this one with his trademark kindness and positivity? The almost unheard of two star review says, “no”.

Peters’ Billington Guardian

Article from 28 Jul 2000 The Guardian (London, Greater London, England)

Even Arthur Miller, even the Almeida (which was terrific back then) could muster the occasional dud and this was one of those.

Janie and I quietly agreed that we’d think twice before again booking to see plays written by great writers once they were quite so deep into their dotage.

The Brandenburg Consort, Wigmore Hall, 17 July 2000

Janie really was on a Baroque kick at that time – we even booked a Monday evening concert on a working day. Janie had cunningly arranged to see Carita, our dental hygienist, around the corner in Cavendish Square, but then ended up having to move that appointment. Once again, in the end, I recall that Janie hot-footed it (if you can hot-foot in a car) to the Wig, after making a late client visit.

But it was worth it.

I had encouraged Janie to see Roy Goodman and The Brandenburg Consort, as her treasured recording of the Brandenburg Concertos is their 1992 recording – and jolly good it is too.

Anyway, this concert focussed more on CPE than JS Bach, and was mostly an opportunity for Rachel Brown to show off her flute skills, which she did with aplomb.

We heard:

  • Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach – Flute Concerto in G Wq 169
  • Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach – String Symphony in C Wq 182/3
  • Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach – Flute Concerto in D minor Wq22
  • Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach – String Symphony in G Wq 182/1
  • Johann Sebastian Bach – Sinfonia from Cantata “Non sa che sia dolore” BWV 209

Here is a link to the album of CPE Bach Flute Concertos that this consort, including Rachel Brown, recorded, in 2001.

Below is a link to Rachel Brown performing some utterly delightful Quantz with Roy Goodman and his other lot – The Hanover Band.

Here is the JS Bach Sinfonia from BWV 209 which we heard at the end of the concert:

You’ll get the idea – the concert on 17 July 2000 was a feast for our ears – we metaphorically floated home.

Stolen by Jane Harrison, Tricycle Theatre (Kiln Theatre), 15 July 2000

The following cutting, which I found inside my programme, explains the story depicted in this play.

This might have been our first visit to the Tricycle – latterly renamed Kiln Theatre, in Kilburn.

Clare Colvin in the Standard was moved by the story:

Stolen Colvin Standard

Article from 5 Jul 2000 Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England)

Kate Kellaway felt somewhat over-tear-jerked, but still felt that the piece worked:

Stolen Kellaway Observer

Article from 9 Jul 2000 The Observer (London, Greater London, England)

This piece certainly won us over to the Tricycle, where we saw many more interesting plays and films over the years.

My First Ever Book Signing, Clean Business Cuisine (the book), Actors’ Workshop Halifax (the venue), Yet Something Was Missing, 5 July 2000

Clean Business Cuisine, Released 30 June 2000

Michael Mainelli and I, (through Milet, our publisher and Tanya Aslan whom we assigned to the promotion task), organised an intensive promotion campaign around the book, starting with an opportunistic book signing in Yorkshire 5 July.

I had a long association with Mike Ward and The Actor’s Workshop (as it was then called), mostly through my song lyrics.

Mike had started writing plays by 2000. As coincidence would have it, the first of these; The Elland Affair, was due to launch around the same time as Clean Business Cuisine.

Further, I had written some extensive programme notes for The Elland Affair – click here or below:

Programme Notes For The Elland Affair by Mike Ward, I Wrote The Notes 9 May 2000

So, Mike and I hatched the plan that my first book signing would be on the night of the gala premier of The Elland Affair; 5 July 2000.

This would have been a grand plan, had advance copies the book arrived when expected; a couple of weeks before the big night. But of course…

…anyway, the publishers pulled out all the stops, had a box or two of the first batch of books diverted to me for Halifax purposes and I went off on a mini road trip, most of the details of which are lost in the physical diary scrawl and only limited use of e-mail back then.

I know I went via my alma mater, because this e-mail from Professor Lawrence survives:

Dear Tanya,

Thanks for diverting Ian to Keele – it was good to see him and hear about the book. He left me with copies for colleagues and this email is partly to let you know how to chase me up- this is better than the phone!

Take care,

Peter

Janie must have joined me by train to Halifax, as my diary scribble shows that I booked bed and breakfast for two at the Imperial Crown, Halifax, £95. (The price has barely changed in 18 years, I note, while writing in September 2018). We went on to The White Swan, Pickering afterwards – our first visit there – the following year we made our second visit there ahead of visiting Mike’s next production of his own work.  

Anyway, I am pretty sure I met Janie at the hotel where I changed into my evening suit (Gala Evenings at The Actors’ Workshop were black tie affairs) and Janie changed into her glad rags.

Then off we set to get to the theatre early, for my first ever book signing and the show.

Mike Ward had kindly arranged a small stack of my books on a prominent table for me. I sat at the chair and a small queue of eager locals (is there no word for people from Halifax? Hartlepool folk are known as Monkey Hangers, for example), formed to procure and have their en primeur book signed.

I reached into my jacket pocket and discovered…a vacancy. I had no pen in my pocket.

I had turned up to my first ever book signing, without a pen.

Strangely, just to add to my embarrassment, finding a suitable pen for book signing at a place like the Actors’ Workshop was a non-trivial matter. Plenty of marker pens and thick felt tip pens to be found, but it took a while for someone to find a regular type of pen that would look right for book signing.

Still, once that initial (albeit existential problem in the matter of book signing) had been resolved, the rest of the evening passed very successfully. Not only the signing, but the play was well received and I seem to recall a most excellent meal at Mike and Lottie’s place late in the evening, once all of the theatrical excitement was over.