This play/production was hugely hyped and got rave reviews when it opened a few week’s before we attended. I think we applied for our tickets before the show opened, opting to wait until good seats were available. Even then, we needed to opt for a Friday rather than a Saturday to get what we wanted. Such was the pull of the West End, not least Maggie Smith…or rather “Dame Maggie”…in those days.
Here’s a link to the Theatricalia entry for this one.
Here’s a gushing preview from The Telegraph, by way of example:
Dame Maggie Telegraph Preview 03 Dec 1999, Fri The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com
Despite Janie’s reservations about Dame Maggie, we were drawn in and actually rather enjoyed this production. The play is a little contrived and mawkish, but the performances, especially Dame Maggie’s, were excellent, as was the intriguing van-themed set.
Van Butler Independent 12 Dec 1999, Sun The Independent (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com
Charles Spencer also loved it:
Van Spencer Telegraph 09 Dec 1999, Thu The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com
Some equivocation in Nicholas de Jongh’s Standard review, that reflects my thoughts on the play/production more than the utter gush reviews:
Praise with some equivocation also from our friend Michael Billington in the Guardian:
Van Billington Guardian 08 Dec 1999, Wed The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com
Looking back 25 years Janie and I are both glad we saw this one.