Tag: Ellie Jones

Once We Were Mothers by Lisa Evans, Orange Tree Theatre, 13 October 2007

My recall of this one is extremely sketchy. I vaguely recall the scenarios, as set out in the Orange Tree Archive – click here. I remember the cast being a collection of Orange Tree regulars and a few new faces. I remember the play not really fitting together – it was basically three separate stories, merely linked by being essentially mother and daughter scenarios.

Michael Billington wasn’t too sure about it – see here.

John Thaxter in British Theatre Guide quite liked it – here.

We’ll have dined at Don Fernando afterwards, that I can say for sure.

Hurting by David Lewis, Orange Tree Theatre, 15 April 2000

We don’t often do last nights of runs, but, ahead of spending several weeks on our travels, we booked the only night of this run that we could do.

This was a good four-hander of a play with a reliable Orange Tree cast.

Kate Bassett in the Telegraph liked it, in similar “good but not great” terms as we might have used:

Hurting Bassett TelegraphHurting Bassett Telegraph 21 Mar 2000, Tue The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Nick Curtis in The Standard, on the other hand, hated it:

Hurting Curtis StandardHurting Curtis Standard 13 Mar 2000, Mon Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Paul Taylor in The Independent gets the casting vote – he liked it a lot:

Hurting, Paul Taylor, IndependentHurting, Paul Taylor, Independent 18 Mar 2000, Sat The Independent (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Where was Michael Billington, who was a regular Orange Tree reviewer back then, that’s what I want to know? And where did Janie and I eat? That second question is easier – for sure we’d have eaten at Don Fernando’s back then.

The Story of Jude by Geoffrey Beevers, Orange Tree Theatre, The Room, 22 October 1999

This was the last ever production in the Room above The Orange Tree pub itself. The bespoke Orange Tree Theatre had been up and running for a while by then and the decision was made to stop doing some shows above the pub still. A shame in a way, as we loved that small venue. But understandable.

Here is a preview of the show from the Richmond & Twickenham Informer:

Jude Richmond InformerJude Richmond Informer 01 Oct 1999, Fri The Richmond and Twickenham Informer (Richmond upon Thames, London, England) Newspapers.com

Judging by the markings in both of our diaries, we had planned to go away for a couple of weeks that October and then changed our minds. Probably because we didn’t think we could leave Gavin unmanaged doing the works at Clanricarde Gardens. This was one of several things we booked up to replace the holiday. We both did some work but worked light during those weeks.

It wasn’t a great play or production, but the story was interesting and Mairead Carty was always very watchable.

We went to a restaurant named Burnt Chair in Duke Street afterwards. It was loved more for its wine list than its food, according to my 2003 Hardens and also this tombstone piece in The Standard when the place died in 2014.