Category: Theatre

Pidgin MacBeth by Ken Campbell, Cottesloe Theatre, 1 August 1998

This was a preview of a show Ken Campbell put on at The Piccadilly Thetre later that year.

I loved Ken Campbell’s work and I seem to recall a very funny monologue in one of his earlier one-man shows when he talked about his fascination with the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu) and vaguely posited the idea of performing MacBeth in pidgin.

In this piece, Campbell goes into far more detail about the language and his desire to establish pidgin as a world language, or Wol Wontok, which he believed could be achieved in just a few days as the language is so easy.

Here is Ken Campbell’s Guardian piece shown on the back of the programme note above, in proper clipping/readable form:

Guardian Wol NambawanGuardian Wol Nambawan 22 Jul 1998, Wed The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

The first part of the prodcution was fascinating and funny, but, in truth, Janie and I found the delivery of MacBeth in pidgin less funny than the idea of it being done.

Never mind. An evening in the hands of Ken Campbell is never dull and I remember this evening more fondly than my log note suggests I would:

Not as much fun as we thought it might be – the idea is funnier than the delivery

Somewhat strangely, through work, soon after seeing this play, I met Patrick Ellum, who was a former Attorney General of Vanuatu. Through Patrick, I met one of that nation’s visiting Prime Ministers and his entourage. No, I didn’t try out my pidgin on them, although I did ask them about the deification of Prince Philip in Tanna. Hopefully I’ll Ogblog that event in the fullness of time.

But I digress.

“Prince Philip” in pidgin was, “nambawan bigfella emi blong Misis Kwin“, by the way.

I digress again, but no more.

Lyn Gardner in the Guardian gave Pidgin Macbeth a guarded thumps up, while signally failing to translate The Bard’s name into pidgin properly – it’s “Macbed Blong Wilum Sekspia“, dear, not Sekstia – typical Grauniad:

Gardner Guardian PidginGardner Guardian Pidgin 14 Oct 1998, Wed The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Charles Spencer was less sure about it:

Spencer Telegraph PidginSpencer Telegraph Pidgin 13 Oct 1998, Tue The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Nick Curtis in The Standard was far more forgiving :

Curtis Standard PidginCurtis Standard Pidgin 12 Oct 1998, Mon Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

This post production article by Dan Glaister in The Guardian describes Ken Campbell’s campaign taking this play to Papua New Guinea. Cool.

Glaister Guardian Pidgin TourGlaister Guardian Pidgin Tour 19 Nov 1998, Thu The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

I wish I could write stuff like that.

Mebi Wilum Sekspia, No Mebi Wilum Sekspia

The Unexpected Man by Yasmina Reza, Duchess Theatre, 25 July 1998

Performed without an interval. Not special.

That was our verdict on this one.

Michael Gambon & Eileen Atkins couldn’t save this slight play for us.

Yasmina Reza was all the rage at that time, not least because of Art, so this play transferred for a while – indeed we missed it at The Pit, seeing it at The Duchess (but not WITH The Duchess).

Nicholas de Jongh in the Standard really liked it:

de Jongh Standard Unexpectedde Jongh Standard Unexpected 16 Apr 1998, Thu Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Paul Taylor in the Independent was less sure:

Taylor Independent UnexpectedTaylor Independent Unexpected 17 Apr 1998, Fri The Independent (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Let’s leave the casting vote to our friend Michael Billington. “A bit too self-consciously exquisite for my carnivorous taste.” So there we have it.

Billington Guardian UnexpectedBillington Guardian Unexpected 16 Apr 1998, Thu The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

The Old Neighbourhood by David Mamet, Royal Court Theatre at the Duke Of York’s Theatre, 11 July 1998

All I wrote in my log was:

No interval.

That suggests that we didn’t get a great deal out of this one, unusually for Mamet. Possibly we just felt that we’d seen a lot of material like this before.

Was it three short plays or one play with three somewhat disconnected scene?. I wrote down

The Disappearance of the Jews, Jolly and Deeny.

Splendid cast: Linal Haft, Colin Stinton, Zoe Wanamaker, Vincent Marzello and Diana Quick, directed by Patrick Marber.

Nicholas de Jongh really liked it:

de Jongh, Standard, Mametde Jongh, Standard, Mamet 24 Jun 1998, Wed Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Our friend, Michael Billington also liked it a lot:

Billington Guardian MametBillington Guardian Mamet 24 Jun 1998, Wed The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Charles Spencer in the Telegraph was less sure:

Spencer Telegraph MametSpencer Telegraph Mamet 25 Jun 1998, Thu The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Kate Kellaway’s interview with Patrick Marber is very interesting:

Kellaway Observer Marber InterviewKellaway Observer Marber Interview 14 Jun 1998, Sun The Observer (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Reading these reviews and the interview, I think I should, 25 years later, re-read the play(s) and see what I think of them now.

Copenhagen by Michael Frayn, Cottesloe Theatre, 4 July 1998

We both thought this one was superb. Indeed, my log entry has just that one word:

Superb.

I’ve always been partial to a bit of Michael Frayn. This piece helped maintain and enhance my high regard for his work.

Great cast and crew; Sara Kestleman, David Burke and Matthew Marsh performing, Michael Blakemore directing.

Here is a link to the Theatricalia entry.

Our friend Michael Billington loved it and even came up with the sort of witty headline that pleases me…

Billington Guardian CopenhagenBillington Guardian Copenhagen 30 May 1998, Sat The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

…although personally I’d have gone for “Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhagen”, but then what do I know?

Nicholas de Jongh in TheStandard also liked it:

de Jongh Standard Copenhagende Jongh Standard Copenhagen 29 May 1998, Fri Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Kate Kellaway in The Observer also raved, rating Matthew March “magnificent”:

Kellaway Observer CopenhagenKellaway Observer Copenhagen 31 May 1998, Sun The Observer (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Heck, Copenhagen ran for years and has been revived several times.

Finally, this Michael Frayn interview with Max Davidson just ahead of the first night is fascinating (at least it is to me):

Max Davidson Sunday telegraph with FraynMax Davidson Sunday telegraph with Frayn 24 May 1998, Sun Sunday Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Outside On The Street by Wolfgang Borchert, Gate Theatre, 27 June 1998

By gosh was I pleased when I learnt that my local, The Gate Theatre in Notting Hill, was to put on this play. Some years earlier, I had bought a book of European plays in translation and had read this play, along with some narrative about it, with a mixture of fascination and wonderment. Part of my wonderment was thinking about how on earth the play might be performed, but I suspected at the time that I would never see the piece in production.

Unlike my “how on earth might this play be performed?” musings, it worked remarkably well in this imaginative production in the Gate’s small-scale, theatre-above-a-pub environment. The Gate has reliably been extremely good at doing this sort of thing over the years.

Superb…

…was my single word verdict, which summed it up for both me and Janie.

Our friend, Michael Billington, gave a similar verdict in The Guardian, lauding performers Sean Gallagher and Jenny Quayle, plus translator Thomas Fisher in particular:

Billington Guardian OutsideBillington Guardian Outside 18 Jun 1998, Thu The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Susannah Clapp gave it a glowing and quite lengthy review in the Observer, especially praising the director, Gordon Anderson and the designer, Jane Singleton:

Clapp Observer Outside 1 of 2Clapp Observer Outside 1 of 2 21 Jun 1998, Sun The Observer (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com Clapp Observer Outside 2 of 2Clapp Observer Outside 2 of 2 21 Jun 1998, Sun The Observer (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Nick Curtis in the Standard, on the other hand, found it all far too bleak for his liking:

Curtis Standard OutsideCurtis Standard Outside 18 Jun 1998, Thu Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

While John Gross gave it a short but sweet review in The Sunday Telegraph:

Gross Sunday telegraph OutsideGross Sunday telegraph Outside 28 Jun 1998, Sun Sunday Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

A Long Weekend In Stratford-Upon-Avon & Hay-On-Wye, Including Trips To The Walnut Tree & Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons, 19 to 22 June 1998

Stratford-Upon-Avon picture by ianpudsey, CC BY 3.0 Wikimedia Commons

Let’s just say that we wouldn’t now (writing 25 years later) attempt quite such a full itinerary for a Friday through Monday long weekend jaunt. Three plays at Stratford, a motorised hike to the Welsh Borders for lunch at The Walnut Tree before going on to Hay-On-Wye for some overnight- second-hand-book-buying on my part before stopping off for a long lunch at Raymond Blanc’s place (Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons) in Oxfordshire and then home. 

I think we stayed in the Shakespeare for this trip. Janie booked it but only wrote down “Twelfth Night Room £115 per night” which I suspect in those days was a suite or certainly a superior room. 

One of the nights (I think the Saturday) we ate at Desport’s, an attempt at modern fusion dining in Stratford-Upon-Avon that was perhaps ahead of its time there. The other night I think we simply took the after theatre offering at The Shakespeare.

I have written up the three plays thusly:

Bad Weather by Robert Holman, The Other Place, 19 June 1998
Talk Of the City by Stephen Poliakoff, Swan Theatre, 20 June 1998
Goodnight Children Everywhere by Richard Nelson, The Other Place, 20 June 1998

The RSC does far less modern material at Stratford these days (he says 25 years later), which is one of the main reasons why we go there far less frequently now.

On the Sunday morning, we drove on to Abergavenny. One of Janie’s clients had recommended The Walnut Tree Inn, with very good reason – we had a magnificent Sunday lunch there. It seems that the place didn’t have a Michelin Star yet when we visited, but it was certainly star-standard food and service. It has had a chequered history in-between times, improving and then losing its reputation, but in more recent years it seems to be doing extremely well. We’re glad.

Philip Halling / The Walnut Tree Inn

Then on to Hay-On-Wye, where we stayed at my favourite stop-over place there – The Old Black Lion. I recall buying rather a lot of second-hand books at relatively high speed – some late afternoon/early evening on the Sunday, and then more first thing in the morning Monday. I think this was the trip upon which I found a pristine copy of The Boundary Book in a most unlikely place, something I had been seeking for several years. These days such things are not so hard to find while simply sitting on your backside, although my copy with the original bat-shaped cardboard book mark on a piece of ribbon is possibly still a rare find.

We had allowed more than two hours to get from the Welsh Borders to Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons, but should have allowed far longer for a cross-country narrow road hike on a Monday – lots of slow-moving rural vehicles with no chance of overtaking for miles. Janie phoned in to say that we would be at leats half-an-hour late for our 13:30 booking and was told that technically they take last roders at 14:00 but they would be flexible on that as long as we arrived soon after two…which we did.

Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons cpchannel, CC BY 2.0 Wikimedia Commons

It was a beautiful day and Raymond Blanc himself came out to greet us soon after we arrived, telling us with great charm that he had heard that we had experienced a difficult journey but that we should be sure to relax and enjoy our lunch at leisure. Fabulous food. Possibly the first time I had spent quite so much money on a single meal (£260, when that amount was real money), despite the fact that we only had a glass of wine each. An absolutely wonderful and unforgettable experience.

Here’s a link to the website for the place in its 2023 incarnation. Raymond Blanc is still there, in name although possibly not quite so hands-on any more.

Goodnight Children Everywhere by Richard Nelson, The Other Place, 20 June 1998

Very good…

…was my conclusion on this one.

Janie and I were partial to a bit of Richard Nelson at that time – the RSC put on several of his works in the late 1990s.

We saw this one as part of an extraordinary whistle-stop long weekend which took in three plays at Stratford (this the third of them), a motorised hike to the Welsh Borders for lunch at The Walnut Tree before going on to Hay-On-Wye for some overnight- second-hand-book-buying on my part before stopping off for a long lunch at Raymond Blanc’s place (Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons) in Oxfordshire and then home. Friday to Monday. The other bits have been written up separately from this piece – click here or below.

A Long Weekend In Stratford-Upon-Avon & Hay-On-Wye, Including Trips To The Walnut Tree & Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons, 19 to 22 June 1998

I think we stayed in the Shakespeare for this trip. Janie booked it but only wrote down “Twelfth Night Room £115 per night” which I suspect in those days was a suite or certainly a superior room. I did the rest of the trip, including The Old Black Lion in Hay.

I guess the RSC was on a nostalgia-trip for its older audience at that time, with Talk Of the City at The Swan about the cloud of Nazism and this one at The Other Place set just after the Second World War.

Excellent cast, as you’d expect from the RSC. Catheryn Bradshaw, Sara Markland, Robin Weaver and Simon Scadifield to name but a few. Here is a link to the Theatricalia entry.

Charles Spencer didn’t like the play, but it did pick up an Olivier award so what does he know?

Spencer Telegraph GoodnightSpencer Telegraph Goodnight 11 Dec 1997, Thu The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Nicholas de Jongh absolutely hated the play. But it did pick up an Olivier Award so what does he know?

de Jongh Standard Goodnightde Jongh Standard Goodnight 10 Dec 1997, Wed Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Richard Edmonds in The Birmingham Post loved it:

Birmingham Post Edmonds GoodnightBirmingham Post Edmonds Goodnight 12 Dec 1997, Fri The Birmingham Post (Birmingham, West Midlands, England) Newspapers.com

Talk Of the City by Stephen Poliakoff, Swan Theatre, 20 June 1998

Good, but not his best…

…was my log note for this one. “His” referring to Stephen Poliakoff, whose best I rate very highly.

Janie and I saw this one as part of an extraordinary whistle-stop long weekend which took in three plays at Stratford (this the second of the three), a motorised hike to the Welsh Borders for lunch at The Walnut Tree before going on to Hay-On-Wye for some overnight- second-hand-book-buying on my part before stopping off for a long lunch at Raymond Blanc’s place (Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons) in Oxfordshire and then home. Friday to Monday. The other bits have been written up separately from this piece – click here or below.

A Long Weekend In Stratford-Upon-Avon & Hay-On-Wye, Including Trips To The Walnut Tree & Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons, 19 to 22 June 1998

I think we stayed in the Shakespeare for this trip. Janie booked it but only wrote down “Twelfth Night Room £115 per night” which I suspect in those days was a suite or certainly a superior room. I did the rest of the trip, including The Old Black Lion in Hay.

As for Talk Of the City, Poliakoff directed this one himself, if I recall correctly, which I think might have been (and often is) a minor mistake – i.e. playwrights, even if superb directors, can usually do with an external eye as director on their own works.

Great cast, including David Westhead, John Normington, Sian Reeves and a young Dominic Rowan. Here’s a link to the Theatricalia entry for this one.

Charles Spencer thought the play a muddle:

Spencer Telegraph TalkSpencer Telegraph Talk 01 May 1998, Fri The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Nicholas de Jongh didn’t much like it either:

30 Apr 1998, Thu Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Bad Weather by Robert Holman, The Other Place, 19 June 1998

Superb…

…was our verdict on this one.

We saw this one as part of an extraordinary whistle-stop long weekend which took in three plays at Stratford (this the first of them), a motorised hike to the Welsh Borders for lunch at The Walnut Tree before going on to Hay-On-Wye for some overnight- second-hand-book-buying on my part before stopping off for a long lunch at Raymond Blanc’s place (Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons) in Oxfordshire and then home. Friday to Monday. The other bits have been written up separately from this piece – click here or below:

A Long Weekend In Stratford-Upon-Avon & Hay-On-Wye, Including Trips To The Walnut Tree & Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons, 19 to 22 June 1998

I think we stayed in the Shakespeare for this trip. Janie booked it but only wrote down “Twelfth Night Room £115 per night” which I suspect in those days was a suite or certainly a superior room. I looked after most of the rest of the trip, including The Old Black Lion in Hay and Le Manoir.

Fabulous cast for Bad Weather – Emma Handy, Paul Popplewell, Ryan Pope, Susan Brown, Barry Stanton & Susan Engel, directed by Steven Pimlott. Here is a link to the Theatricalia entry for this one.

Nick Curtis in The Standard liked it:

Curtis Standard WeatherCurtis Standard Weather 11 May 1998, Mon Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Our friend, Michael Billington, liked the performances more than the play:

Billington Guardian WeatherBillington Guardian Weather 09 May 1998, Sat The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Whereas Richard Edmonds in The Birmingham Post loved the piece and the performances:

Edmonds Brum Post WeatherEdmonds Brum Post Weather 09 May 1998, Sat The Birmingham Post (Birmingham, West Midlands, England) Newspapers.com

A Kind Of Alaska, The Collection, The Lover by Harold Pinter, Donmar Warehouse, 13 June 1998

This was one heck of a good evening at the theatre. A triple-bill of Pinter. I think it was Janie’s and my first visit to the Donmar Warehouse, not least judging by the detailed notes Janie wrote down while booking this, including the full address etc.

Janie paid £15 a ticket for Row C centre stalls. Not bad to say the least, even if £15 was real money in 1998. In those days, the Donmar was still regarded (and priced) as fringe. Janie noted the following timings:

  • A Kind Of Alaska 7.00 to 7.50;
  • Interval 25 minutes;
  • The Collection 8.15 to 9.10;
  • Interval 25 minutes;
  • The Lover 9.30 to 10.25.

What a cast…or should I say, what casts – as this triple bill had a separate cast for the first play and then one cast for both the second and third.

A Kind of Alaska starred Penelope Wilton, Bill Nighy & Brid Brennan.

The Collection starred Harold himself (always good value as an actor as well as a playwright & director), Douglas Hodge, Lia Williams & Colin McFarlane. The latter three also starred in the Lover.

We thought all three plays excellent and the whole production top notch.

Nicholas de Jongh in The Standard only really liked the first play:

de Jongh Standard Pintersde Jongh Standard Pinters 14 May 1998, Thu Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Our friend Michael Billington clearly liked all three, although he did share de Jongh’s view that three Pinters in one night was possibly a Pinter too many:

Billington Guardian PintersBillington Guardian Pinters 14 May 1998, Thu The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Charles Spencer also deemed three to be one too many, but unlike de Jongh, Spencer didn’t like the first and did like the other two:

Spencer Telegraph PintersSpencer Telegraph Pinters 15 May 1998, Fri The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Oh well. We were happy.