Author: Ian Louis Harris

Tiger Country by Nina Raine, Hampstead Theatre, 12 December 2014

Talk about bad timing.

Less than a week earlier we’d seen a play about dementia (albeit a truly excellent one), while mum’s dementia was fast deteriorating:

Visitors by Barney Norris, Bush Theatre, 6 December 2014

…little did we know that we were seeing this play about NHS hospital chaos less than a fortnight before mum was to make her final, one-way trip to such a place.

In truth, although we quite enjoyed this play/production, we found it a bit fast and furious without really saying all that much. We’d felt similarly about the police one, Wildefire, at the same venue a few weeks before:

Wildefire by Roy Williams, Hampstead Theatre, 7 November 2014

As with Wildefire, there was some great acting, some wonderful lines and some super vignettes in there. Indira Varma was excellent, as usual; in fact the whole cast was good.

Perhaps it was just a bit too near the bone for me – not just in the mum aspect but also because I was doing so much work with NHS Foundation Trusts at that time. Definitely worth seeing, but no wow factor for either of us.

Below is a “behind the scenes” video:

Below is the actual trailer for the production:

Here is a link to the reviews – the critics pretty-much universally loved the piece.

Z/Yen Seasonal Event At 90 Basinghall Street, 11 December 2014

On this occasion, we decided to make the Z/Yen seasonal event “a musical house party” at our offices in Basinghall Street.

We weren’t exactly flush that year and we had a lot of musical people in our midst…

…well, one or two genuinely musical people and quite a lot of people who like to have a go.

It was the year that Mike Smith had induced me to start playing the baritone ukulele.

It was a bit like the definition of jazz – i.e. the musicians were enjoying themselves more than the audience. But that was OK because almost everyone WAS the musicians. And everyone was enjoying the party.

I’m grateful that Janie took pictures to help mark this event.

The usual traditions of Secret Santa, a little giftie for everyone and of course the seasonal song were all in play.

A rare offering in the lyrics department by Michael Mainelli that year. I think we agreed that, as Mike and I were putting together a whole load of musical entertainment, a revival of Michael’s contribution to the 2011 medley would do.

The lyric is not bad at all (is it possible I tweaked it a bit?) and well suited to an event in Basinghall Street:

OH LITTLE STREET OF BASINGHALL

(Sung to the tune of “Oh Little Town of Bethlehem”)

Oh little street of Basinghall,
On Guildhall’s shady side;
Above old Gresham College Hall,
Z/Yen’s offices reside.

Yet on the fourth floor slaving,
Z/Yen staff work till they sink;
While past the fifth floor sliding door,
Directors eat and drink.

How noisily, how noisily,
They party with the swish;
To show off Z/Yen’s new office and,
Promote “The Price of Fish”.

But now Z/Yen’s Christmas party,
Is here so we can sell;
This gastro dome, that wondrous time,
To the tune of Jingle Bells.

Visitors by Barney Norris, Bush Theatre, 6 December 2014

This was a really excellent piece, performed beautifully.

We went to see this only a month before mum died, by which time her dementia was getting rapidly worse. So I went with a mixture of trepidation and eager expectation.

I needn’t have worried – the play handled dementia as its central theme with great balance and dignity. An excellent effort from a young playwright in his 20s.  Barney Norris, you are now on our watch list.

Here is a link to the Bush resource on this play/production.

All of the performances were good, but Linda Bassett and Robin Soans were both exceptional.

There’s a neat little interview with Barney Norris (playwright) and Eleanor Wyld, one of the performers:

Mostly well received by the critics – click here for a search term that finds the reviews.

Solomon And Marion by Lara Foot, The Print Room At The Coronet, 28 November 2014

We rather liked this piece.

Very South African. It reminded us of Athol Fugard’s style of rural chamber plays.

Both of the performers were excellent – we expected nothing less from Janet Suzman but Khayalethu Anthony was also excellent.

Here is a link to a search term that finds the (mostly excellent) reviews.

We’d like to see more Print Room at the Coronet, but since this piece, on the whole they seem to be choosing stuff that isn’t up our street. Sort it out, Print Room folk.

 

Chimera by Deborah Stein, Gate Theatre, 21 November 2014

Chock full of interesting ideas, this one generated lots of topics for me and Janie to discuss afterwards and had some lovely vignettes within it, yet it didn’t work quite so well for either of us as a coherent piece of drama.

Here is a link the The Gate resource on this production.

Still we enjoyed and were glad we saw this production.

I think it left some of the critics as confused as we were – click here for a search term that finds the reviews.

Pomona by Alistair McDowall, Orange Tree Theatre, 15 November 2014

Just occasionally we see something that is stunningly good…

…breathtaking, both Janie and I saying “wow” to each other as we leave the theatre good.

Pomona was that good.

It cemented our view that Paul Miller’s new regime at the Orange Tree really was going places, despite the dreaded Arts Council cuts.

We saw the play on the first Saturday. Had I been “real time Ogblogging” back then I’d have implored friends to drop everything and somehow get a ticket.

Here is a link to the Orange Tree resource for the production we saw in 2014.

Below is the trailer:

Here is a link to the Orange Tree online resource for the 2015 revival of the  production – after it had triumphed with a run at the RNT and elsewhere.

Finally, here is a link to a search term that finds the (mostly rave) reviews.

CSFI 21st Anniversary Reception, Nouriel Roubini Speech and City of London Sinfonia Recital, Old Library Guildhall, 11 November 2014

A very unusual and pleasant evening in the City, at the Old Library, Guildhall.

The Old Library and Print Room, Guildhall, London (1)

It was the Centre For The Study Of Financial Innovation (CSFI)‘s 21st birthday party.

We were treated to a drinks reception, a talk by New York economist Nouriel Roubini who had many interesting insights into the post 2008 crisis world.

Then a delightful recital performed by the City Of London Sinfonia with Dame Felicity Lott. Writing this up more than three years later (February 2018), I nevertheless can report on all the pieces we heard…

…because my memory is so superb…

…especially when supported by some scribbled notes on my programme:

  • Elgar – Serenade For Strings;
  • R Strauss – Morgen!;
  • Vaughan Williams – The Lark Ascending;
  • Schubert – The Shepherd On The Rock.

No video from the actual evening, of course, but below is a short video of the City of London Sinfonia performing something else (a charming Mozart presto) somewhere else…

…and here is a live performance of Felicity Lott (with a different lot in a different grand setting) performing Strauss’s Morgen! which will give you a reasonable idea of the sounds we actually heard:

Thanks CSFI – a truly memorable evening.

Wildefire by Roy Williams, Hampstead Theatre, 7 November 2014

A play about modern policing in the inner-London suburbs, the central character being a policewoman who might have bitten off more than she can chew in that environment.

Roy Williams is a highly skilled playwright and this subject-matter is right up his street.

Lots of subplots – domestic violence, police corruption (or is it) in attempts to infiltrate criminal gangs etc.

In some ways the play was all over the place and in that sense unsatisfactory. We went on a Friday after work (and Harry Mograns) – we were quite exhausted by the end of it, despite the fact that it is a short piece (not even 90 minutes long).

But it was gripping and had some great scenes and some superb acting in it – we were glad to have seen this piece.

Here is a link to the Hampstead resource on this play/production.

Below is a little “behind the scenes” vid with Roy Williams & more:

On the whole the critics were underwhelmed by the piece – click here for a link to the reviews.

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.

The Distance by Deborah Bruce, Orange Tree Theatre, 11 October 2014

This was a good play and a very good production – further confirming our view that the Orange Tree had moved on positively to a bold new generation.

Here is a link to the Orange Tree resource for this production.

It wasn’t just us who liked it – it was very well received on the night and by the critics – click here for a link term to reviews.

Unusually, I mislaid the programme for this one. Perhaps abandoned at Don Fernandos – who knows? – I didn’t realise it was missing until it was far too late to do anything about it – such was the way back then…

…Stop Press – March 2021 – rummaging in a file for something completely different (don’t ask) I found the programme.  Hurrah.

Deborah Bruce wrote it, Charlotte Gwinner directed it, Helen Baxendale, Clare Lawrence-Moody and Emma Beattie were especially good in it, as was the supporting cast.

Meanwhile this production did so well that Paul Miller revived it the following year as part of his “hunkering down because we have no Arts Council funding” programme. It is a real shame that the Arts Council was so far behind the curve with regard to the Orange Tree. Some would even say more than shame…disgrace.