Tag: Orange Tree Theatre

The Memorandum by Vaclav Havel, Orange Tree Theatre, 8 April 1995

Consternation! Consternation!!

The log says:

I quite liked it, but Janie and The Duchess hated it.

The Duchess is Janie’s mum, Pauline. You don’t mess with Pauline. If she hates a play, it is a hateful play. End of.

What was I thinking?

I recall it was a bit of an absurdist, farcical piece – Havel’s like that.

Not much to find about it on-line. No Theatricalia. No reviews…

…except for this newspaper clipping:


Kate Kellaway’s review, Observer, 9 April 1995 Sun, Apr 9, 1995 – 78 · The Observer (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com

I believe I placated The Duchess by taking her and Janie to Don Fernando for a decent meal afterwards.

Temporary ceasefire, not armistice.

No Big Deal by Rod Beacham, Orange Tree Theatre, 30 April 1994

I cannot find much about this one. My log claims that we thought the piece was very good.

I have managed to find an obituary post for Rod Beacham, the playwright – click here. Interesting to learnt hat his biggest success was Lies Have Been Told, a play about Robert Maxwell, which, like NoBig Deal, also starred Philip York.

Also interesting to learn that No Big Deal toured under then name Friends Like This with Barbara Dickson and Roy Hudd.

Also interesting to learn that Rod Beacham was instrumental in the oorigins of the Orange Tree Theatre. Sounds like a good bloke.

We’ll have dined at Don Fernando after the play, even in those days.

We would occasionally take The Duchess with us to the Orange Tree back then, but the log suggests not on this occasion. Small mercies. No big deal.