Tag: James Ellis

The Playboy Of The Western World by J M Synge, Cottesloe Theatre, 16 June 2001

Janie and I thought this play/production was…

…excellent.

The RNT put on terrific stuff in the Cottesloe at that time. Fiona Buffini directed an excellent cast, including Sorcha Cusack, Patrick O’Kane & Derbhle Crotty. The Theatricalia entry for this production can be found here.

Despite the fact that we thought it was excellent, our friend, Michael Billington, really didn’t like it, bemoaning the fact that the only Synge that ever gets revived is this one.

Playboy Billington Guardian Playboy Billington Guardian 22 Feb 2001 The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Charles Spencer in The Telegraph loved it:

Playboy Spencer Telegraph Playboy Spencer Telegraph 21 Feb 2001 The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Nicholas de Jongh in the Standard rated it good, which is sort-of medium:

Playboy de Jongh Standard Playboy de Jongh Standard 21 Feb 2001 Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

In that case, the casting vote must go to me and Janie. It was excellent.

Don Giovanni, English National Opera, London Coliseum, 10 June 1989

I don’t have great memories of seeing this opera, but I think my memories of it are more closely linked to my general mood that weekend than to any intrinsic issue with the opera/production…

…other than to say that this experience probably helped to kick off the view, which has become a prevailing one, that opera ain’t me.

Bobbie was there for this one, as was Ashley Fletcher – yes, my memory definitely serves me correctly for this one, as the diary makes clear that Ashley was down for the weekend and stayed in the tower – i.e. the annex to my flat in Clanricarde Gardens – so named, by Ashley, as he felt that the place would be suitable for the detention of a mad and/or elderly relative. That annex now serves as my office – renamed the ivory tower – a more liberal purpose and name.

But I digress.

Not much about it on the net, given its antiquity, but here’s some stuff from the translator, Amanda Holden.

While here is a rather cute link to a fan’s piece:

I'm off to ENO's Don Giovanni tonight. Here's the programme for the version I saw there last. In 1989

Below is Tom Sutcliffe’s Guardian review:

Sutcliffe on GiovanniSutcliffe on Giovanni Fri, Mar 24, 1989 – 31 · The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com

I’ll write more about other aspects of the weekend after I have had a chance to liaise with Ashley on’t matter. Bobbie and I had a rather entertaining conversation about in 28 February 2019…

Dinner At Spring Restaurant With Bobbie Scully, 28 February 2019

…a few days before I wrote up this piece, about Don Giovanni.

Postscript after seeing Ashley in April 2019: Ashley has no recollection of that weekend. So we must rely on Bobbie’s memory that I was tripping out on tiredness and rather freaked at the thought of going out to get some additional soap, as there was none for Ashley in the shower of the tower. If I really did say words to the effect:

I did not envisage this weekend as a soap buying weekend…

…that would have to be up there amongst my most autistic utterances ever. I have a dreadful feeling that Bobbie’e memory is going to be bang on regarding that point.