Mayfly by Joe White, Orange Tree Theatre, 21 April 2018

We thought this was another really good Orange Tree production of a new play by a new playwright. Once again Paul Miller and his team showing a consistently good eye for talent.

On paper it sounds like yet another small-scale drama about lonely lives and handling grief. But the dialogue sparkles, the mix of tragedy and comedy is elegantly handled and the production values are quite outstanding for a tiny theatre like the Orange Tree. Very clever design with the odd coup de theatre thrown in for good measure.

Here is a link to the Orange Tree’s excellent resource for this play/production.

Below is the trailer:

All four performers were excellent, with Irfan Shamji as Harry the standout performance amongst stiff competition…not that it IS a competition.

In truth, it is a slightly slow play – a lot of build up and back story – but the dialogue is so well written and the piece so well acted and directed, the 105 minutes seemed to whizz by in a jiffy…

…much like the life of a mayfly.

No reviews at the time of writing – ahead of press night – but I’d expect this one to be well received, so (if you are reading this during the run, which ends 26 May), book early to avoid disappointment.

Here is a link to a search term that will find all the reviews once they get here.

For once we did not indulge in Spanish food after the show – my indulgences over the preceding 24 hours, which included a sashimi feast when I returned from Chelmsford…

A Day At Chelmsford With Charles “Charley The Gent Malloy” Bartlett, Essex v Lancashire Day One, 20 April 2018

…had done me in food-wise – but in any case we both felt sated by this excellent evening at the theatre.

The Same Deep Water As Me by Nick Payne, Donmar Warehouse, 24 August 2013

This was an excellent play/production.

We had loved Constellations by Nick Payne, so he was very much on our list of writers to watch…

…yet this one was far more down to earth, subject-wise and style wise…

…but still excellent, just differently so.

Basically about ambulance-chasing lawyers and insurance fraudsters.

It reminded me in style of Mamet plays of the Glengarry Glen Ross type.

Click here for the Donmar’s excellent “Behind The Scenes” document on this play/production.

Below is an interview with Nick Payne about this piece:

Click here for a search term that finds the reviews. This one really split the critics – we’re with the critics who got it, but some of the critics found this piece shallow after Constellations.