Tag: Hayden Griffin

New England by Richard Nelson, The Pit, 11 March 1995

We were spending a fair bit of time at The Pit in those days – our previous visit to the theatre was also to The Pit:

Easter by August Strindberg, The Pit, 25 February 1995

Haven’t been there for years – the RSC does so little modern stuff these days.

But back then they were packing The Pit with top notch names to act and direct, quite often in modern dramas.

New England was “superb” according to my log. Peter Gill directed it. Several really good names in it; David Burke, Angela Thorne, Mick Ford, Selina Cadell, Duncan Bell, Diana Hardcastle and Annie Corbier to be precise.

I also noted that:

Richard Nelson was in the audience that night for some reason, as it was well into the run.

Here is a link to the Theatricalia entry.

It transferred to New York later in 1995 with a different cast, getting this NYT notice. But I can’t find an on-line review for the version we saw.

It was superb – believe us…

…or believe this Michael Billington clipping:

Billington On New EnglandBillington On New England Thu, Dec 1, 1994 – 35 · The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com

…or this Michael Coveney clipping:

Michael Coveney On Out Of A House & New EnglandMichael Coveney On Out Of A House & New England Sun, Dec 4, 1994 – 77 · The Observer (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com

A Life In The Theatre by David Mamet, Theatre Royal Haymarket, 9 December 1989

This was my last visit to the theatre in the 1980s.

I don’t remember much about it. Even when I wrote up my notes, while the memory must have been a bit fresher (more than 30 years have now passed; just a few years would have passed when I first logged this production).

Bobbie was with me that night, but I doubt if she remembers it much either.

I was fresh back from the USA and had by chance seen some Mamet while there…

Oh Hell!: The Devil And Billy Markham by Shel Silverstein, Billy Gould In Hell by David Mamet, Lincoln Center, Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, 26 November 1989

…so A Life In The Theatre probably seemed comparatively tame Mamet. Indeed, the one thing I do recall about it was feeling that it was tame Mamet.

One reason I wanted to see this production was the presence of Samuel West in the cast. I knew young Sam from school. He had been polite enough to come with his parents to watch me in the school play, Twelfth Night. more than 10 years earlier…

Twelfth Night, Alleyn’s School, 12, 14, 15 & 16 December 1978

…so I felt I ought to return the favour. After all, perhaps his nascent career could do with some assistance. As it has transpired, Sam’s subsequent, extremely successful “life in the theatre” did not need my help. I have seen him on stage a couple of times since.

Denholm Elliot was also a draw to this production.

Fortunately, despite my poor memory of the piece and production, there are well-crafted reviews to be had which confirm that it was a very good production.

Michael Billington gave young Sam a good review as “an admirable foil” for Denham Elliot’s character. Would Billington have praised my “conviction and self assurance” if he had seen Twelfth Night in 1978? Mercifully, we’ll never know. But I did get to know Michael Billington quite well over the years, through theatre and cricket.

Billington On A Life In The TheatreBillington On A Life In The Theatre Thu, Nov 2, 1989 – 30 · The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com

Michael Ratcliffe’s tepid review begins at the bottom of the previous column with the words, “David Mamet’s A Life In The”…and then goes on:

Ratcliffe on A Life In the TheatreRatcliffe on A Life In the Theatre Sun, Nov 5, 1989 – 50 · The Observer (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com