Tag: Anthony Sergeant

Juicy Bits by Kay Adshead, Lyric Hammersmith, 29 August 1998

Fun

That was my single word review of this one.

We’d been having a fun few weeks, it seems from the diary. Boating with family and friends late July…

A Day Boating On The Thames At Bray With Kim & Micky, Tony, Phillie & Charlie, 26 July 1998

…followed by, based on diaries:

  • 9 August – lunch with Mum & Dad (did Charlie & Phillie join us for that? Janie’s diary suggest they might well have done);
  • 15 August, Andrea’s party;
  • 22 August – BBQ at Elisabeth & Michael’s place (following, in my case, Bridge at Henry’s the night before);
  • 30 August – Kim & Micky’s party (bank holiday Sunday evening – a late one if I recall correctly).

So this theatrical interlude of fun must have been…fun.

Nick Curtis in the Standard absolutely hated it:

Curtis Standard JuicyCurtis Standard Juicy 13 Aug 1998, Thu Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

It was received a bit more kindly in the local Hammersmith press:

Morgan Hammersmith JuicyMorgan Hammersmith Juicy 14 Aug 1998, Fri Hammersmith, Fulham and Shepherds Bush Gazette (Hammersmith, London, England) Newspapers.com

Tis Pity She’s A Whore by John Ford, Olivier Theatre, 16 April 1988

A superb run of seeing amazing productions started to break down just a little with this one.

Again a Saturday evening, again with Bobbie. My log says the production was good. It also says:

Suzan Sylvester was indisposed that day, so we saw Michelle Evans understudy the lead

Tis pity that, as I think Suzan Sylvester must have been a very good Annabella opposite Rupert Graves as Giovanni. I do remember Bobbie and I feeling that the understudy did well, though.

My friend Michael Simkins was also in it, as Soranzo. Coincidental at the time of writing, in early 2019, as we saw Michael at the Hampstead Downstairs just a couple of weeks ago:

Eden by Hannah Patterson, Hampstead Theatre Downstairs, 16 February 2019

Here is the Theatricalia entry for this production.

Alan Ayckbourn directed the production – there is some additional information about it on his site – click here.

It’s not a happy story and matters unsurprisingly…spoiler alert…do not end well for the protagonists. The Wikipedia entry gives a good synopsis.

In those days I think we were quite partial to some Jacobean blood and gore. It’s only latterly that I’ve gone all snowflake.

Below is Michael Radcliffe’s review from The Observer:

Tis Pity RadcliffeTis Pity Radcliffe Sun, Mar 6, 1988 – 40 · The Observer (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com

Michael Billington in The Guardian found this production “too tasteful”:

Tis Pity BillimgtonTis Pity Billimgton Sat, Mar 5, 1988 – 16 · The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com