Tag: Ivan Kyncl

Aunt Dan And Lemon by Wallace Shawn, Almeida Theatre, 1 May 1999

We thought this play/production was wonderful and we both remember this particular evening at the Almeida extremely well.

I had been especially keen to book this production, as I had read the play in the late 1980s, found it very interesting and wondered whether I would ever get to see it performed.

Janie and I attended a preview, as oft we do. Wallace Shawn was there and we chatted with him for quite some while. He came across as being exactly the sort of slightly-awkward, self-effacing type that he depicted in the film My Dinner With Andre, which is a great favourite of ours. A couple of times I said to Wallace, “I’m sure you need to speak with some other people”, to allow him to move on without discomfort, but he made it quite clear that he was happy chatting with us and continued to do so.

We talked about his other plays, many of which I had read and several of which Janie and I had seen together. We also chatted about the Almeida production of Aunt Dan & Lemon. He told us how thrilled he was that Miranda Richardson was playing Aunt Dan, as he was a huge fan of hers. I remember reflecting afterwards, with Janie, that Wallace Shawn seemed more star struck about Miranda Richardson than we were star struck by chatting with him.

Wallace Shawn. Photo by Sam Felder, CC BY-SA 2.0

The production was truly excellent. I had wondered, when I read the play, how it could possibly be staged well. Director/designer Tom Cairns and the production team had a myriad of clever answers, not least the hugely effective but not overpowering use of video projections on a screen.

Glenne Headly was superb as Lemon, as was Miranda Richardson as Aunt Dan. An excellent supporting cast including Corey Johnson and Kerry Shale.

Our friend Michael Billington loved this play/production:

Aunt Dan Billington GuardianAunt Dan Billington Guardian 06 May 1999, Thu The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

It’s a shame that the Guardian mis-labelled the photo as Natasha Richardson (daughter of Vanessa Redgrave, no relation to Miranda). I wonder whether Wallace Shawn laughed or cried at that mistake back then?

Nicholas de Jongh in The Standard also liked it:

Aunt Dan Standard De JonghAunt Dan Standard De Jongh 06 May 1999, Thu Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Suzannah Clapp also really liked the production:

Aunt Dan Clapp ObserverAunt Dan Clapp Observer 09 May 1999, Sun The Observer (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Charles Spencer in The Telegraph considered the piece to be pernicious and wrong-headed, which is an interesting counter-argument to those coming at the piece from a more liberal perspective:

Aunt Dan Spencer TelegraphAunt Dan Spencer Telegraph 07 May 1999, Fri The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Thinking about the play some 35 years after reading it and 25 years after seeing it, I am struck by the thought that the play would, today, seem implausible, because an academic with Aunt Dan’s views would be lucky to survive even one semester as an Oxford don. Mind you, Wallace Shawn probably wouldn’t last much longer in an elevated academic institution either. Having thought provoked in this manner is not for wimps.

One of the very best and most memorable evenings we have spent at the theatre.

A Weekend During Which Janie & I Did More Than Plenty, including…Plenty by David Hare, Albery Theatre, 17 April 1999

Richard Croft / The George Hotel Wikimedia Commons

Elvis Has Entered The Building

The highlight of this weekend – or at least the most memorable event – was me being recognised by Elvis Costello when he and his misses were heading for their seats just behind us at the Albery.

I have written that up in my piece about the play/production:

Plenty by David Hare, Albery Theatre, 17 April 1999

Prior To the West End, A Jaunt To Lincolnshire & Nottingham

Our diaries indicate a flurry of activity on the Friday and the Saturday, which I only vaguely remember. Janie had a podiatry course at Nottingham University on the Saturday morning and we had chosen to take the Friday off to make that a more palatable affair, not least because Janie didn’t fancy the crack of dawn start to go to Nottingham and back in a day.

We lunched at The George At Stamford, in Lincolnshire, a place I knew and linked from “back in the day” when business took me up that way. Janie checked us in to The Village Hotel and Leisure Club in Nottingham, which enabled me to enjoy facilities while she was on her training course. Janie’s diary reminds me that she arranged for both of us to have massages there on the Friday evening when we arrived, which we both deemed to be a very ordinary “pitty-pat” experience, unlike our regular arrangements in London.

After Janie’s course we legged it back down to London and then on to The Albery. It all reads very hectic in the diaries – we’d for sure avoid such a crush 25 years later, as I write.

And The Next Day…

We went to the Barbican Hall for a concert, which I have written up here, with yet more celebrity name-dropping potential for me and Janie:

Janie, Me & MTT At The Barbican, 18 April 1999

Plenty by David Hare, Albery Theatre, 17 April 1999

A star-studded audience our night: me, Janie, Elvis Costello…

…we didn’t/don’t normally go to celebrity gala preview evenings for productions. Indeed, I think we ended up at this one by accident.

If I remember correctly, Janie booked this one on an early priority booking as she was a member of the Almeida Theatre, which was responsible for (or at least heavily involved with) this production. We tend to like and book previews, because they are usually low key and precede the hullabaloo of press nights and the like. For some reason this one seemed to be different.

We got to the Albery and our seats in good time. Then someone in the row behind me taped my shoulder and said “hello” as he was going past towards his seat. It was Elvis Costello, whom I had got to know reasonably well in the 1990s at Lambton Place Health Club (now BodyWorksWest).

In fact, for several years at Lambton Place, I was aware of this friendly fellow who was obviously in the music business, as indeed were many members at Lambton’s. I had not recognised him as Elvis Costello, despite my having several of his albums and having seen him live several times in the 1980s. On one occasion, a few years before The Albery, he and I were chatting in the steam room and I asked him what he did. He said that he used to be in a band called Elvis Costello and the Attractions. “Oh yes”, I said “I have several of your albums and saw the band live more than once. Do you mind telling me your name?” He told me, and clearly found my embarrassment at my gaff funny.

I even reviewed one of Elvis Costello’s gigs for Concourse, our student newspaper, in 1983. That was only seven or eight years before I first met him.

Anyway, roll the clock to April 1999 again. We were still on “chat quite regularly at the health club” terms, hence Elvis Costello tapping me on the shoulder, saying hello and stopping for a brief chat as he was going through to his seat.

“Who was that?” asked Janie after he and his Mrs had moved on. “Elvis Costello”, I said, quietly and matter-of-factly I thought, but my words caused a flurry among a group of celebrity-spotters in the row in front of us, who proceeded to keep turning around at regular intervals, looking at Elvis Costello and quizzically looking at me and Janie whom, I suppose, they now suspected of being celebrities worth spotting in our own right. I found this more amusing than Janie did.

Unfortunately, the pre-show hullabaloo was probably the most entertaining aspect of the evening from my point of view. I didn’t much like the play and found Cate Blanchett’s character Susan incredibly irritating.

Not as good as we had hoped it would be

…was my log comment, so I am pretty sure Janie felt the same way.

It was all very well produced and had a tip-top cast under Jonathan Kent, but that couldn’t rescue the evening for us. Here’s a link to the Theatricalia entry.

Paul Taylor in The Independent shared our doubts about this play/production, although saying that he would sooner spend three weeks stuck in a lift with Hedda Gabler than have a drink with Blanchett’s character Susan is harsher than I could have been:

Taylor Independent PlentyTaylor Independent Plenty 28 Apr 1999, Wed The Independent (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Charles Spencer in The Telegraph hated the play but fell in love with Cate Blanchett

Spencer Telegraph PlentySpencer Telegraph Plenty 29 Apr 1999, Thu The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

We had posh nosh at The Beaumont afterwards. I think it had recently had a makeover at that time – it will have had a makeover or two since (he says, writing 25 years after the event).

Good by CP Taylor, Donmar Warehouse, Followed By Dinner At Zafferano, 20 March 1999

By gosh, we seemed to be specialising in previews of Nazi stuff that month, having been to see Speer at the Almeida a couple of weeks earlier:

Speer by Esther Vilar, Almeida Theatre, 6 March 1999

My log comment for Good was less complimentary than that for Speer:

Didn’t quite do the business for us.

Great cast, with Charles Dance, Emelia Fox, Ian Gelder, John Ramm and several other stalwarts under the direction of Michael Grandage.

It might not have done the business for us, but it sure did for Nicholas de Jongh in The Standard:

Good Standard de JonghGood Standard de Jongh 24 Mar 1999, Wed Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Charles Spencer in The Telegraph shared our sentiments:

Good Spencer TelegraphGood Spencer Telegraph 25 Mar 1999, Thu The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Anthony Holden in teh Observer also seemed equivocal in his praise:

Goood Holden ObserverGoood Holden Observer 28 Mar 1999, Sun The Observer (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

We ate at Zafferano after Good. Zaffs was very good indeed.

The Weir by Conor McPherson, Duke of York’s Theatre, 2 January 1999

With the Royal Court in exile, we missed the original “Upstairs” version of this at the Ambassadors. With all the stuff we had been dealing with in 1998, this one almost passed us by completely when it transferred “downstairs” to The Duke of York’s. So when the Duke of York’s production returned to that Royal Court “home in exile”, at the start of 1999, to kick off a major tour, we booked early and were there at the outset.

Excellent play and production

I wrote.

That was to say the least. It was truly memorable and awe-inspiring drama. No wonder many critics had fawned over it when it first came out in 1997.

Here’s John Gross in The Sunday Telegraph:

Weir Gross Sunday TelegraphWeir Gross Sunday Telegraph 13 Jul 1997, Sun Sunday Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Nicholas de Jongh thought that the Royal Court overdid Irish drama, but still liked this one:

Weir de Jongh StandardWeir de Jongh Standard 11 Jul 1997, Fri Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Charles Spencer thought it superb:

Weir Telegraph SpencerWeir Telegraph Spencer 14 Jul 1997, Mon The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

We saw a great cast and crew – most if not all the originals – Kieran Ahern, Brendan Coyle, Dermot Crowley, Michelle Fairley and Jim Norton acting, Ian Rickson directing. Here is a link to the Theatricalia entry for the production we saw. It was a privilege to have seen that production.

Via Dolorosa by David Hare, Royal Court Theatre At The Duke Of York Theatre, 19 September 1998

Janie and I thought this piece and performance was simply superb. In fact, I wrote:

Superb!!

…in my log and I am not normally the double-exclamation-mark type.

This was David Hare’s brave dive into performing a one-man-show on one of the thorniest topics he might possibly choose – the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Talk about high risk, but we thought Hare pulled off a blinder with this piece/performance.

Nicholas de Jongh in the Standard loved it:

Dolorosa de Jongh StandardDolorosa de Jongh Standard 09 Sep 1998, Wed Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Charles Spencer also gives the piece high regard:

Dolorosa Spencer TelegraphDolorosa Spencer Telegraph 09 Sep 1998, Wed The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Irving Wardle guesting in The Sunday Telegraph also spoke very highly of the piece:

Dolorosa Sunday Telegraph Wardle Dolorosa Sunday Telegraph Wardle 13 Sep 1998, Sun Sunday Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

The only slight equivocation came from the Guardian, which chose to have a diplomatic correspondent review the piece rather than a theatre critic:

Dolorosa Black GuardianDolorosa Black Guardian 12 Sep 1998, Sat The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

A Kind Of Alaska, The Collection, The Lover by Harold Pinter, Donmar Warehouse, 13 June 1998

This was one heck of a good evening at the theatre. A triple-bill of Pinter. I think it was Janie’s and my first visit to the Donmar Warehouse, not least judging by the detailed notes Janie wrote down while booking this, including the full address etc.

Janie paid £15 a ticket for Row C centre stalls. Not bad to say the least, even if £15 was real money in 1998. In those days, the Donmar was still regarded (and priced) as fringe. Janie noted the following timings:

  • A Kind Of Alaska 7.00 to 7.50;
  • Interval 25 minutes;
  • The Collection 8.15 to 9.10;
  • Interval 25 minutes;
  • The Lover 9.30 to 10.25.

What a cast…or should I say, what casts – as this triple bill had a separate cast for the first play and then one cast for both the second and third.

A Kind of Alaska starred Penelope Wilton, Bill Nighy & Brid Brennan.

The Collection starred Harold himself (always good value as an actor as well as a playwright & director), Douglas Hodge, Lia Williams & Colin McFarlane. The latter three also starred in the Lover.

We thought all three plays excellent and the whole production top notch.

Nicholas de Jongh in The Standard only really liked the first play:

de Jongh Standard Pintersde Jongh Standard Pinters 14 May 1998, Thu Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Our friend Michael Billington clearly liked all three, although he did share de Jongh’s view that three Pinters in one night was possibly a Pinter too many:

Billington Guardian PintersBillington Guardian Pinters 14 May 1998, Thu The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Charles Spencer also deemed three to be one too many, but unlike de Jongh, Spencer didn’t like the first and did like the other two:

Spencer Telegraph PintersSpencer Telegraph Pinters 15 May 1998, Fri The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Oh well. We were happy.

From Square (14 February) To Naked The Next Weekend: Naked by Luigi Pirandello, Almeida Theatre, 21 February 1998

The Square (Restaurant), 14 February 1998

“Dinner with some chick”

…reads my diary entry for that evening…

“8:00 Valentine Night The Square Restaurant” 6 Bruton Street W1 Karine”

…reads Janie’s more helpful entry.

Janie’s diary also informs me that we went to Sound On Wheels in North Harrow that morning, where the indomitable Maurice & Ray will have sorted out the latest arrival in our household, my souped-down Honda CRX, Nobby, with a sound system.

Picture borrowed from allinlondon.co.uk

25 years on, Sound On Wheels has gone. As has The Square, which presciently closed down just before the Covid 19 pandemic.

When we went it was all the rage, having relatively recently moved to Mayfair. It was in the process of collecting its second Michelin Star had it not done so already.

Also borrowed from allinlondon.co.uk, for consistency’s sake

Janie remembers this as one of the finest meals we have had, with superb service too. It was a very special evening.

Naked by Luigi Pirandello, Almeida Theatre, 21 February 1998

There had been a lot of hype about Juliette Binoche coming to tread the Almeida boards, so we were really looking forward to this one.

Our review:

Not as good as we expected – the critics were more convinced by Ms Binoche than we were

My recollection is that we found it hard to hear what she was saying despite the fact that we were sitting in the front row.

The critics fell in love with her, though. My friend, Michael Billington, going a little overboard. I agree with him about Juliette Binoche’s “eccentric inflections” and that Oliver Ford Davies put in a blinder of a performance.

Naked Billington GuardianNaked Billington Guardian 19 Feb 1998, Thu The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

David Benedict in The Independent leapt to Juliette’s defence, like a knight in shining armour, denying even the accusation that the inflections were eccentric:

Naked Benedict IndependentNaked Benedict Independent 25 Feb 1998, Wed The Independent (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Nicholas de Jongh in The Standard hated the play but loved Juliette Binoche. I would agree that part of the problem was the play – not one of Pirandello’s best:

Naked de Jongh StandardNaked de Jongh Standard 19 Feb 1998, Thu Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Unsurprisingly, Charles Spencer was star struck by Juliet Binoche in The Telegraph:

Naked Spencer Telegraph (for real)Naked Spencer Telegraph (for real) 19 Feb 1998, Thu The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

I stand by our own review – we couldn’t hear clearly what Juliet Binoche was saying in a play that, in any case, would have been a fairly difficult watch.

We ate at Pasha afterwards. Another once-excellent eatery that is no longer there 25 years later:

A hat trick of thanks for pictures to allinlondon.co.uk

The Government Inspector by Nikolai Gogol, Almeida Theatre, 20 December 1997

“Back in the day” when we didn’t mind going off to the theatre in the pre-Christmas maelstrom.

Also back in the heyday of the Almeida. I’m glad we went, as this was a very good production indeed.

Tom Hollander as Khlestakov, the civil servant mistaken for the Government inspector. My neighbour, Iain McDiarmid, performing as the Lord Provost (rather than directing this time), Jonathan Kent directing. There is a Theatricalia entry for this one – here.

Nicholas de Jongh in The Standard was more taken with the production than the play…I am inclined to agree, not being a great lover of farce:

18 Dec 1997, Thu Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

However, my friend Michael Billington in The Guardian suggests that it is the production, not the play, that, if anything, errs towards farce in this instance:

20 Dec 1997, Sat The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

John Gross in The Sunday telegraph seemed to like it, admiring its universal appeal:

Waste Land & Government Inspector Sunday telegraphWaste Land & Government Inspector Sunday telegraph 28 Dec 1997, Sun Sunday Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

My records tell me that we ate at Granita after the show. As far as I know Janie and I didn’t make any sort of deal there in the Blair/Brown style.

Heartbreak House by George Bernard Shaw, Almeida Theatre, 6 September 1997

I’ve never been sure about Shaw, but we thought we’d give this a try because it was The Almeida and because top flight Shaw productions were few and far between at that time.

Great cast and crew – see Theatricalia entry – including Emma Fielding, Richard Griffiths, Patricia Hodge, Penelope Wilton, Malcolm Sinclair and Peter McEnery, with David Hare in the director’s chair.

Despite all those good people, this one added to my/our sense of interminability, which had already been piqued by Suzanna Andler the previous week, which was soon followed by wall-to-wall coverage of Princess Diana’s tragic demise, which took ceaselessness to new levels.

Anyway, my contemporaneous words on Heartbreak House, speaking for both me and Janie:

Seemed interminable in the second half. Had “moments”, but all too few.

Nicholas de Jongh in The Standard liked it a lot:

Heartbreak de Jongh StandardHeartbreak de Jongh Standard 04 Sep 1997, Thu Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Paul Taylor in the Indy also loved it:

Heartbreak Taylor IndyHeartbreak Taylor Indy 05 Sep 1997, Fri The Independent (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Kirsty Milne in The Sunday Telegraph at least nodded to the idea of Shaw being wordy.

Heartbreak Milne TelegraphHeartbreak Milne Telegraph 07 Sep 1997, Sun Sunday Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Like Milne, Michael Billington did a compare and contrast between Shaw and Wesker:

Heartbreak Billington GuardianHeartbreak Billington Guardian 06 Sep 1997, Sat The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

So maybe it was us, not them. Or maybe Shaw is/was simply too wordy for our modern eyes and ears.