The Stock Da’Wa by David Eldridge, Hampstead Theatre Downstairs, 22 April 2011

David Eldridge plays are like buses – you wait ages then two come along at more or less the same time – this was two David Eldridges in a row for us.

I think this was the first production we ever saw at the Hampstead Theatre Downstairs, quite early in the era of Ed Hall using that downstairs space for experimental works.

It was the evening of Good Friday; an unusual night for a theatre visit.

No formal reviews down there of course, but a few informal ones and other resources through the search term linked here…

…e.g. There Ought To Be Clowns Blogspot – click here.

I remember we thought this was a very good production and made a mental note to seek out subsequently the Hampstead Downstairs, which, by jingo, we have done.

The Walls by Colin Teevan, Cottesloe Theatre, 10 March 2001

We went to a preview of this one and decided…

…so awful we walked out at half time!

Very unusual for us and almost unheard of at The National. Fabulous cast: Toby Jones, Clare Higgins, Karl Johnson, Michael Culkin, Gary Lydon, Declan Conlon, Monica Dolan, Tony Rohr.

What went wrong? In truth, we don’t tend to recall the bad experiences unless they are bad for a memorable reason Let’s see if the reviews help me.

Twos tars from Michael Billington…”dated Dublin Ionesco”…that’s NOT good:

Walls Billington Guardian Walls Billington Guardian 19 Mar 2001 The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Nicholas de Jongh tries to be balanced, but awards a dreaded blob nonetheless:

Walls de Jongh Standard Walls de Jongh Standard 15 Mar 2001 Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Charles Spencer’s phrase, “as dire an evening as I have spent in a theatre so far this year” kinda sums it up.

Walls Spencer Telegraph Walls Spencer Telegraph 16 Mar 2001 The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

It wasn’t just us, then.