Category: Theatre

Further Than The Furthest Thing by Zinnie Harris, Cottesloe Theatre, 7 October 2000

Janie and I gave this one a single word review in my log:

Superb.

A very memorable evening in the theatre. Set on and about the people of the remote island of Tristan da Cunha, we were both captivated by this play and production.

The cast: Paola Dionisotti, Gary McInnes, Kevin McMonagle, Darrell D’Silva, Arlene Cockburn and Greg Knowles were all superb, with Paola Dionisotti being the stand out performer. Here is a link to the Theatricalia entry.

We saw a London preview, although the production was a transfer from Edinburgh.

Nicholas de Jongh was pretty pleased with it, rating it very good:

Further de Jongh Standard Further de Jongh Standard 11 Oct 2000 Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

The production had played in Edinburgh at the Traverse a couple of months earlier – most of the national papers’ reviews were from Edinburgh.

Here’s Charles Spencer gushing about it:

Further Spencer Telegraph Further Spencer Telegraph 8 Aug 2000 The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Paul Taylor in the Independent also spoke highly:

Further Taylor Indy Further Taylor Indy 19 Aug 2000 The Independent (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

A few of the reviews, including this anonymous one from The Guardian, suggest that the play was too long – but clearly Janie and I were sufficiently captivated, as long plays rarely got “superb” ratings form us:

Further Guardian Further Guardian 8 Aug 2000 The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Under The Blue Sky by David Eldridge, Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, 30 September 2000

In truth I remember little about this one. Terrific cast: Justin Salinger, Samantha Edmonds, Lisa Palfrey, Jonathan Cullen, Stanley Townsend and Sheila Hancock, directed by Rufus Norris.

It got neither plaudits nor roasting in my log, which probably means that we didn’t feel strongly about it either way.

Our friend, Michael Billington, really liked it:

Under Billington Guardian Under Billington Guardian 21 Sept 2000 The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Whereas Nicholas de Jongh gave it a dreaded Standard blob:

Under de Jongh Standard Under de Jongh Standard 20 Sept 2000 Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

I’ll give the casting vote to Paul Taylor in the Independent, who really liked it.

Under Taylor Indy Under Taylor Indy 30 Sept 2000 The Independent (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov, Cottesloe Theatre, 23 September 2000

The previous week we saw Yasmina Reza’s “Conversations…”, which Michael Billington described as Chekhovian…

Conversations After A Burial by Yasmina Reza, Almeida Theatre, 16 September 2000

Well if you thought that Reza’s work was Chekhovian, Michael, just wait until you see The Cherry Orchard.

Another Saturday night at the theatre which didn’t raise a comment in my log at the time. Perhaps we were overdoing at bit at that time.

Amazing cast: Maxine Peake, Roger Allam, Michael Bryant, Vanessa Redgrave, Eve Best, Corin Redgrave (yes, that was two Redgraves for the price of one), and many other fine acting folk, directed by Trevor Nunn.

Nicholas de Jongh liked it but didn’t gush:

Cherry de Jongh Standard Cherry de Jongh Standard 22 Sept 2000 Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Michael Billington also rates it good without rating it great:

Cherry Billington Guardian Cherry Billington Guardian 23 Sept 2000 The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Perhaps my null log entry was about right for this one.

Conversations After A Burial by Yasmina Reza, Almeida Theatre, 16 September 2000

I should describe this as “the weekend of the playwright Rezas”, shouldn’t I, having seen Reza de Wet’s play Crossings on the Friday…

Crossing by Reza de Wet, Riverside Studio 3, 15 September 2000

…we ventured to the Almeida for Yazmina Reza’s much anticipated follow up to Art…except it turned out to be an earlier play, not a subsequent one.

I wrote nothing in the log about this one, and sense that we weren’t overly impressed, but nor were we especially disappointed. I remember little about it other than it being a very high-end Almeida cast and production.

Paul Higgins, Amanda Root, Clare Holman, Claire Bloom, Matthew Marsh & David Calder were the cast. Howard Davies directed it. Here is a link to the Theatricalia entry.

Let’s see what the pundits had to say.

Susannah Clapp was not impressed, other than with Claire Bloom:

Burial Clapp Observer Burial Clapp Observer 17 Sept 2000 The Observer (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

On the other hand, John Gross in the Sunday Telegraph really liked it:

Burial Zinc Gross Sunday Telegraph Burial Zinc Gross Sunday Telegraph 17 Sept 2000 Sunday Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Nicholas de Jongh also talks up Claire Bloom while damning the production with faint praise:

Burial de Jongh Standard Burial de Jongh Standard 13 Sept 2000 Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Casting vote to our friend Michael Billington, who liked its Chekhovian quality:

Burial Billington Guardian Burial Billington Guardian 13 Sept 2000 The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Crossing by Reza de Wet, Riverside Studio 3, 15 September 2000

To the Riverside Studio on a Friday evening to see this unusual South African play.

very good

I said in my log.

I don’t remember much about it without help, so thank goodness for Patrick Marmion in the Standard…

Crossing Marmion Standard Crossing Marmion Standard 13 Sept 2000 Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

…and Lyn Gardner in The Guardian

Crossings Gardner Guardian Crossings Gardner Guardian 15 Sept 2000 The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

My Zinc Bed by David Hare, Royal Court Theatre, 9 September 2000

We saw a preview of this play/production. My log note:

very good indeed.

What else could there possibly be to say?

Steven Mackintosh, Tom Wilkinson and Julia Ormond were the superb cast. I think David Hare directed it himself…the formal reviews will probably cover that point. Let’s tale a look at those.

Paul Taylor in the Independent was impressed:

Zinc Taylor Indy

Article from 15 Sept 2000 The Independent (London, Greater London, England)

Susannah Clapp in The Observer, like Paul Taylor, especially lauds Julia Ormond’s memorable performance:

Zinc Clapp Observer

Article from 17 Sept 2000 The Observer (London, Greater London, England)

Predictably, Charles Spencer was not keen on this play – he tends to dismiss Hare plays:

Zinc Spencer Telegraph

Article from 15 Sept 2000 The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England)

John Gross in the Sunday telegraph seemed to like it:

Burial Zinc Gross Sunday Telegraph

Article from 17 Sept 2000 Sunday Telegraph (London, Greater London, England)

Our friend, Michael Billington, in The Guardian, liked it for sure:

Zinc Billington Guardian

Article from 15 Sept 2000 The Guardian (London, Greater London, England)

Bernard Haitink, Berliner Philharmoniker, BBC Prom, Royal Albert Hall, 28 August 2000

This concert will have been a birthday/bank holiday present to myself (and Janie). No chance that Pauline would be joining us for this one! My diary pointedly says “J&I” while Janie’s, equally pointedly, reads, “Ged & Me”.

We had already celebrated birthdays with John & Mandy at their place (Cambridge Road in those days) on the Saturday evening.

Back to the Monday Prom – just two big Germanic pieces:

  • Richard Wagner – Tristan and Isolde (Prelude and Liebestod)
  • Anton Bruckner – Symphony No. 7 in E major

Top orchestra, top conductor, top notch concert.

In fact, we were due to hear Claudio Abbado conduct this concert, but he had to withdraw due to ill health. I was hoping to do for Janie what Jilly had done for me a few years earlier, viz “you’ve got to see Abbado at least once”…but it was not to be.

My First Night At the Proms: Me, Jilly & Claudio, 1 September 1983

Tim Ashley in the Guardian was really taken with the concert as done by Haitink:

Haitink Ashley Guardian

Article from 31 Aug 2000 The Guardian (London, Greater London, England)

The Good Samaritan by David Haig, Hampstead Theatre, 25 August 2000

Neither Janie nor I remember much about this play/production. Nor did I write any comments about it in my log – just the details of the visit.

The play is about a Samaritan helping a desperate young woman and the Samaritan becoming emotionally entangled with her. Janie would doubtless look on the whole thing very differently 25 years on, having been a Samaritan since the pandemic – i.e. for over five years at the time of writing.

The leads were played by Julian Wadham and Claudie Blakely, both of whom we rate highly. I do recall that I had been to see Julian Wadham perform more than once “back in the day” with Bobbie and her work colleagues from the law reports, as Julian’s sister, Sarah, worked with them. I also recall that this theatre visit came up in conversation at Bobbie’s place a few day’s before we went to see this play, when Janie and I visited her for dinner the previous Saturday.

Bobbie’s place… Jim Linwood, CC BY 2.0

Thank goodness for some good theatre reviews, to stop me from waffling and to inform the passing reader about the theatrical event itself.

Michael Billington in the Guardian wrote pretty well of the piece:

Samaritan Billington Guardian

Article from 13 Jul 2000 The Guardian (London, Greater London, England)

Charles Spencer thought the piece worthy but flawed:

Samaritan Spencer Telegraph

Article from 21 Jul 2000 The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England)

Paul Taylor in the Independent

Samaritan Taylor Indy

Article from 22 Jul 2000 The Independent (London, Greater London, England)

Enough said.

All My Sons by Arthur Miller, Cottesloe Theatre, 5 August 2000

I gave this production a one word review in my log:

Marvellous.

I remember that Janie and I had awaited this one eagerly. I remember that Ben Daniels was especially good in it, as were James Hazeldine, Paul Ritter, Julie Walters and Catherine McCormack. Howard Davies directing – and indeed the Cottesloe, now Dorfman as a location – were consistently good back then.

Charles Spencer in the Telegraph had to set aside his antipathy towards Arthur Miller because he thought this production so good:

Sons Spencer Telegraph

Article from 10 Jul 2000 The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England)

Susannah Clapp loved the play and the production:

Sons Clapp Observer

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

Patrick Marmion in The Standard issued a rare “outstanding” mark:

Sons Marmion Standard

Article from 7 Jul 2000 Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England)

John Gross, like his mate Charles Spencer, liked the production more than the play:

Sons & Samaritan Gross Sunday Telegraph

Article from 16 Jul 2000 Sunday Telegraph (London, Greater London, England)

A rare and unexpected downbeat note comes from our friend, Michael Billington, who didn’t like the choice of play, nor did he like the production.

Sons Billington Guardian

Article from 8 Jul 2000 The Guardian (London, Greater London, England)

I guess you cannot please all of the people all of the time.

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.