Category: Theatre

The Empty Quarter by Alexandra Wood, Hampstead Theatre Downstairs, 25 October 2013

A strangely sinister play this one, about a young couple of expats in Dubai who get themselves into difficulties and fall foul of some older, exploitative expats.

The story seemed somewhat extreme, although apparently it is possible to get into extreme difficulties in Dubai and similar places and some young people do thus get exploited.

Click here for a link to the Hampstead resource on this play/production.

It had its moments but was not the best thing we’ve seen downstairs at the Hampstead – mind you we have seen some absolute crackers down there.

We didn’t regret our visit, but we were a little disappointed given the high hopes we now always take with us to the Hampstead Downstairs.

Below is the (very short) trailer:

No formal reviews downstairs, but what there is to be seen should be found through this search term – click here.

The Ritual Slaughter of Gorge Mastromas by Dennis Kelly, Royal Court Theatre, 19 October 2013

A weird and dark play about an extreme capitalist. We like Dennis Kelly’s plays – they are always entertaining with dark twists and lots to think about. This one was no exception.

Writing up this play now (march 2018), in our Brexit/Trump infused society, the play seems very relevant and prescient.

The fine actor Tom Brooke seems to thrive on Dennis Kelly plays. Actually the whole cast was good. I think this was our first sighting of Ned Bennett’s work as a director (assisting Vicky Featherstone on this one) – our next sighting being the tremendous Pomona at the Orange Tree – even weirder:

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

The Ritual Slaughter of Gorge Mastromas certainly kept me and Janie entertained  during and debating afterwards.

Click here for a link to the Royal Court resource for this play/production.

Below is the trailer vid, which is intriguing but not illuminating:

Below is an interview with Vicky Featherstone and Dennis Kelly:

This one divided the critics. Click here for a search term that finds the reviews.

The Herd by Rory Kinnear, Bush Theatre, 21 September 2013

An engaging play at the Bush with an excellent cast, not least Kenneth Cranham and Amanda Root. This must have been Rory Kinnear’s first go as a playwright. Howard Davies directed.

We found it witty as well as moving – basically about a birthday party for a young man with severe learning difficulties.

Click here for the Bush resource on the play/production.

Below is the promotional interview vid:

It subsequently transferred to the Steppenwwolf Theatre in the States, which counts as a big win for a British playwright’s first play, I think.

Click here for links to the reviews, which were mostly, deservedly, very good ones.

The Same Deep Water As Me by Nick Payne, Donmar Warehouse, 24 August 2013

This was an excellent play/production.

We had loved Constellations by Nick Payne, so he was very much on our list of writers to watch…

…yet this one was far more down to earth, subject-wise and style wise…

…but still excellent, just differently so.

Basically about ambulance-chasing lawyers and insurance fraudsters.

It reminded me in style of Mamet plays of the Glengarry Glen Ross type.

Click here for the Donmar’s excellent “Behind The Scenes” document on this play/production.

Below is an interview with Nick Payne about this piece:

Click here for a search term that finds the reviews. This one really split the critics – we’re with the critics who got it, but some of the critics found this piece shallow after Constellations.

Josephine And I by Cush Jumbo, Bush Theatre, 13 July 2013

Not normally our type of show, but we loved the idea of this one – performed cabaret style and about Josephine Baker, who had such an interesting life.

Cush Jumbo, who wrote and performed this show, is clearly a very talented young person.

We enjoyed our unusual evening at the Bush. In truth, though, we thought the show a victory of style over substance – we wanted to learn a lot more about Josephine Baker and or experience more drama. We were there very early in the run – in effect at a preview – so the show might have matured/improved after we saw it.

Click here for a link to the Bush resource on this production.

Below is a little promo vid/interview with Cush Jumbo about the show:

Click here for a link to a search term that finds the reviews – which were mostly excellent.

The show got a transfer to New York too, so our relative indifference towards the show wasn’t shared by the critics nor the producers.

Janie and I also recall running into our theatre friends John and Linda at this show – this is a couple we often see at the theatre – but because of the nature of this show we got a chance to have a proper chat with them in this cabaret-style setting of the Bush.

The Night Alive by Conor McPherson, Donmar Warehouse, 22 June 2013

Janie and I are partial to a bit of Conor McPherson. We absolutely loved The Weir, but then you can’t expect a playwright to achieve such giddy heights every time.

Further, this was our second visit to the theatre that weekend, having seen the superb Dances Of Death at The Gate the night before – click here or below:

Dances Of Death by August Strindberg in a new version by Howard Brenton, Gate Theatre, 21 June 2013

So I suppose this particular evening was all set up for disappointment.

A wonderful cast, especially Ciarán Hinds and Caoilfhionn Dunne, plus a good script, provided plenty of entertainment for the evening – so in that sense we were not disappointed. It just wasn’t quite the jaw-dropping, mouth-watering night of theatre we had hoped for when we booked it. Greedy pair, we are, me and Janie.

Having been critical of the Donmar’s lack of on-line resource on many Ogblog occasions – I have now discovered (perhaps it has only recently opened up and/or was well-buried) a wonderful trove of Behind The Scenes resource guides on many productions – click here…

…including this production of The Night Alive, which I have uploaded and which you can specifically click here. Excellent resources – well done Donmar.

Below is a Donmar trailer, mostly talking about the music – interesting to hear and see Conor McPherson talking about his own work:

Click here for a search term that finds the reviews for this production. It was mostly very well received and transferred well. I’m glad. It deserved to do well, even though it didn’t bowl us over. We’ll still look out for Conor McPherson’s work, though – he’s a special talent.

Dances Of Death by August Strindberg in a new version by Howard Brenton, Gate Theatre, 21 June 2013

Yes, yes, yes! This was really good.

I have seen The Dance of Death before – indeed both parts – but this tight version by Howard Brenton, enabling both parts to pan out in one play, worked really well for me and for Janie too.

Superbly well acted – Michael Pennington and Linda Marlowe were sensational in the leading roles (my previous experience of Edgar and Alice was Alan Bates and Franbcis de la Tour, so I know my top notch Edgar and Alices). The youngsters in the tightened up Part Two were also excellent.

An extraordinary production too, in that tiny theatre, managing to get so much out of that small space.

Click here for a link to the Gate resource for this play/production.

Click here to a search term for the (mostly very good) reviews.

A cracker.

Chimerica by Lucy Kirkwood, Almeida Theatre, 1 June 2013

Janie and I both really really liked this play/production.

In many ways not the sort of play we normally like. It was quite long and very broad in its sweep – spanning continents and decades.

But it was such a good play and so well done.

Fine cast; not least Claudia Blakley (who we think of as an Orange Tree regular), Stephen Campbell Moore (who I got to know quite well shortly afterwards at BodyWorksWest) and Benedict Wong (who we’ll forever think of as Ai Weiwei – or at least Janie will).

We liked Lucy Kirkwood’s previous play, NSFW...we loved Chimerica.

Click here for a link to the Almeida resource on this Chimerica production.

It subsequently transferred (pretty much intact, I believe) to the Harold Pinter that autumn.

Below is the trailer vid:

It got rave reviews, deservedly – click here for a search term that finds them.

London theatre at its very best.

Race by David Mamet, Hampstead Theatre, 31 May 2013

Not David Mamet’s best play, but even modest Mamet on the subject of Race provides plenty tension and interesting drama. We needed to suspend belief a little too much on this one – as is the way with lesser Mamet.

Click here for Hampstead Theatre’s resource on this play/production.

Below is a backstage vid for this production:

The critics were less forgiving than we were for this short play – click here for a link to a search term that finds the reviews.

Still, excellent cast, well directed by Terry Johnson. It was an enjoyable evening at the theatre.

Seven Year Twitch by David Lewis, Orange Tree Theatre, 25 May 2013

Perhaps the irritating pun in the title should have warned us off this one – but we like the Orange Tree and the cast included some excellent Orange Tree regulars so we went for it.

We found this a tame, irritating comedy on the whole. We stuck it out – it wasn’t that bad – but it wasn’t that good either and we felt it could have been so much better.

It is often a mistake for an playwright to direct their own play – especially with comedy – this one was an object lesson for that theory.

Click here for a link to the Orange Tree resource on this play/production.

Here is a link to a search term for reviews – which were middling on the whole.