Tag: Eve Matheson

My Best Friend by Tamsin Oglesby, Hampstead Theatre, 11 February 2000

In truth we don’t remember much about this one. I made no notes in my log about it. I think we quite liked it, but it felt like fairly standard Hampstead Theatre fare.

The Hampstead was still in the portacabins back then, so small, chamber-style work was all the place comfortably could do. Still, we liked the place and went occasionally.

Paul Taylor in the Indy liked it:

Best Friend Taylor IndyBest Friend Taylor Indy 05 Feb 2000, Sat The Independent (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Charles Spencer in the Telegraph also liked it quite a bit:

Best Friend Spencer TelegraphBest Friend Spencer Telegraph 27 Jan 2000, Thu The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

On the other hand, Nicholas de Jongh in The Standard described it as bland:

Best Friend de Jongh StandardBest Friend de Jongh Standard 25 Jan 2000, Tue Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

We saw it on a Friday evening, so no doubt, in those days, we went to Harry Morgans in St John’s Wood for some crazy=cracing-J-food on the way to the theatre.

The Tragedy of Richard III by William Shakespeare, Lyttelton Theatre, 28 July 1990

Bobbie & I were both very keen to see this one – hence our appearance on the first Saturday after press night, booking the tickets long before.

We weren’t disappointed. My log reads:

Superb. The setting was 1930’s style and they made a movie based on this production.

Below is a link to a National Theatre clip:

While below is a clip from the 1995 movie:

Janie would have got less out of this than Bobbie and I did – she is not so keen on Shakespeare, Sir Ian McKellen nor Dame Maggie. (The latter was not in the National Theatre stage production – Susan Engel played Queen Margaret.)

Here is a link to the Theatricalia entry for that Richard Eyre stage production.

Below is Michael Billington’s Guardian review. He also thought this production excellent:

Billington on Dick The ShitBillington on Dick The Shit Fri, Jul 27, 1990 – 31 · The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com

In The Observer, Michael Coveney reviewed this Dick The Shit production and also the King Lear with which it was repping:

Coveney on Dick Shit & LearCoveney on Dick Shit & Lear Sun, Jul 29, 1990 – 51 · The Observer (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com

While Kate Kellaway (also in the Observer) interviewed the two protagonists, Ian McKellen (Dick) & Brian Cox (Lear).

Kate Kellaway with Cox & McKellenKate Kellaway with Cox & McKellen Sun, Jul 29, 1990 – 51 · The Observer (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com