I always was partial to a bit of Strindberg and had avidly read all the Strindberg I could readily get hold of. But I hadn’t read these short plays and thought this triple bill looked most enticing.
Annalisa was partial to this sort of theatre and herself brought authentic Swedish upbringing into the equation too. For sure she was up for this idea.
At that time, Annalisa, who was still at Keele, lived with her parents in Harley Street, just a stone’s throw from Cavendish Square, so meeting up with her while she was still on her summer vacation was a doddle.
This evening was especially memorable for me. It was my first ever visit to The Gate, in Notting Hill. Little did I realise in 1985 that, three years later, I would make my home just around the corner from there.
I remember this particular evening of theatre well, as it was so darned good. Typical Strindberg themes. I remember one scene with pipe-smoking women which seemed terribly Scandinavian.
I expect the Italian meal that Annalisa and I had afterwards was at the Notting Hill incarnation of Il Carretto, which was a reliable Italian place in that 1970s mould.
Let’s see if I can find some professional reviews of that excellent Strindberg production at The Gate.
Yes! Of course I can.
I knew I could rely on my friend, Michael Billington, who wrote highly of the evening, although he didn’t like the play with the pipe-smoking women by the looks of it:
Strindberg Guardian Billington 4 Sept 1985 The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com
RS in the Sunday Telegraph also wrote well of the triple bill:
Strindberg, Telegraph, RS 8 Sept 1985 Sunday Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com
Ros Asquith in The Observer loved the production but found these stripped down Strindberg pieces too slight:
Strindberg Observer Asquith 15 Sept 1985 The Observer (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com
I wonder whether Annalisa remembers this evening? I’ll ask her.