Tag: Paul Daintry

Equally Divided by Ronald Harwood, Richmond Theatre, 24 October 1998

We were on a Richmond kick that quarter, for some reason, with three visits to The Orange Tree and two visits to the Richmond Theatre. Coincidence really, I should imagine.

Janie liked it more than I did.

That is my log’s pithy conclusion.

Excellent cast, with Stephanie Cole, Stephanie Beacham, Benjamin Whitrow & Gerald Harper. Christopher Morahan directed it. A transfer from Bath, as was often the case at Richmond.

Here is the Theatricalia entry.

Here is Jody Lindbeck’s take on it in the local gazettes:

Equally GazetteEqually Gazette 23 Oct 1998, Fri Ealing and Acton Gazette (Ealing, London, England) Newspapers.com

Reading that review 25 years later, all I can think of is the wonderful Peter Cook quote: “I go to the theatre to be entertained. I don’t want to see plays about rape, sodomy and drug addiction – I can get all that at home.“

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.

Taking Sides by Ronald Harwood, Criterion Theatre, 7 October 1995

This was a West End transfer from the Chichester Festival, which had been so well received that even we set aside our West-End show scepticism to see it in Theatreland.

We weren’t disappointed. This was a very good production of a very good play. It is basically about the denazification investigation of the German conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler.

Michael Pennington & Daniel Massey played the lead roles, investigating officer major Arnold & Furtwängler respectively. Harold Pinter added yet more gravitas by directing it.

The Theatricalia entry for the play/production can be found here.

Michael Billlington really liked it when he saw it in Chichester that spring:

Billington taking SidesBillington taking Sides Tue, May 23, 1995 – 2 · The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com

Michael Coveney also liked it while comparing it with Absolute Hell:

Coveney on Taking SidesCoveney on Taking Sides Sun, May 28, 1995 – 75 · The Observer (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com