The Haystack by Al Blyth, Hampstead Theatre, 7 March 2020

For some unknown reason, we didn’t book this when it first came out. I think Janie was on a bit of a “let’s be more selective about what we see” spree at the time and at a glance I thought this play might be a bit geeky and not to her taste.

But I was wrong and I’m so glad we had the opportunity to put matters right before the end of The Haystack’s run.

Below is the short trailer vid:

If it looks like a bit of a thriller, that’s because it is a bit of a thriller. Also, the subject matter is, technically, very geeky indeed. Yet the topic; the use of technology for surveillance in our culture, is covered in a fascinating, human-interest story way. The geeky elements are covered well, but also in a way that ordinary folk can understand and relate to. Trust me, if Janie comes out of seeing a play saying that, it has done a very good job.

Here is a link to the Hampstead Theatre resources on this one.

Ironically, those resources, including the programme, enabled us to place the writer, Al Blyth, under surveillance. Janie and I deployed our sophisticated facial recognition systems (otherwise known as our eyes) to spot Al Blyth in the audience that night…sitting next to us. Fiendish we are.

Janie nearly blew our cover by engaging him in polite conversation, but thought better of it, not least because he seemed quite engrossed with his own guests.

Proof positive though, if such proof were needed, that I know how to choose good seats at The Hampstead.

Meanwhile, the play and this production of it were cracking good. Really, really good. This is the first piece we have seen Roxana Silbert direct for some time; if it indicates the quality she is going to bring to The Hampstead in her role as Artistic Director, her appointment is seriously good news for one of our favourite places.

The play is called The Haystack because looking for lone wolf security threat types is like looking for a needle in a haystack…or is it, if you have a plethora of machine learning and surveillance tools at your disposal? Further, if you deploy those tools and techniques, are you in danger of turning the society you are trying to preserve into the very type of society you are trying to avoid?

The acting was all very good, with special mentions to Oliver Johnstone & Rona Morison as the central pair plus Sarah Woodward as a believably creepy spook.

It has been very well received as a production – click here (or look within the Hampstead resource above) for reviews – it deserves a West End transfer and I hope it gets one.

Jumpy by April de Angelis, Royal Court Theatre, 22 October 2011

We really enjoyed this play/production. It was witty, enjoyable and made us think too.

Here is a link to the Royal Court resource on this production.

Tamsin Greig was terrific, as was Bel Powley as the daughter. Actually the whole cast was terrific.

Here is a search term that finds the (mostly excellent) reviews.

It got a deserved West End transfer to the Duke Of York’s – here is the trailer for that:

I’m not sure the trailer does the piece justice, but there you go.

Judgment Day by Ödön Von Horváth, in a new version by Christopher Hampton, Almeida Theatre, 10 October 2009

We love the Almeida Theatre, despite the extra shlep involved in getting there from West London. At the time of writing (29 May 2017) we have just been again.

One really excellent thing about the Almeida is the quality of on-line resource they put up for the productions, with lots of information about the play, the creatives involved in the production, plenty of pictures and links to many reviews (the favourable ones of course).

Here is the Almeida’s on-line resource for Judgment Day.

The other really excellent thing about the Almeida is the quality of stuff it puts on. This play/production was no exception.

Ödön Von Horváth (imagine answering the “how do you spell it?” question with that name) has long fascinated Christopher Hampton. This seemingly small canvas German play, about the moral consequences of covering up the true reason for a deadly train crash, is in reality a pre-war allegory with the wilful blindness that led to Nazi power.

It was an especially good evening in the theatre; Janie and I both remember it fondly well. I also recently (when we saw The Ferryman) remembered that we had seen the excellent Laura Donnelly before, but didn’t at the time connect it with this play/production.

Most of the reviews – eight to ten of them included in the Almeida resource link above and here – are very good, but:

We thought it was top notch.

The Real Thing by Tom Stoppard, Albery Theatre, 26 February 2000

This production was credited as “Donmar Warehouse at the Albery” and everything about it was Donmar Warehouse, but playing away from home. This production had received glowing reviews and awards the year before at the Donmar. We missed out then but were not about to miss out on it now.

Excellent cast, Nigel Lindsay, Sarah Woodward, Stephen Dillane & Jennifer Ehle leading, with David Leveaux directing.

Here is a Theatricalia entry link for this one.

No notes in the log, but I remember it as a very good production and I am pretty sure that Janie warmed to it.

We had seen an amateur production of The Real Thing at The Questors a few year’s earlier, along with The Duchess (Janie’s mum)…

Our “Donmar Warehouse at The Albery” experience was a more relaxing evening and a very fine production. Janie doesn’t really warm to Stoppard, but she did warm to this one.

I won’t overdo the reviews, as they are from the original production 9 months earlier, but here’s just a couple of examples of the raving – the first from our friend Michael Billington in The Guardian…

Real Thing Billington GuardianReal Thing Billington Guardian 03 Jun 1999, Thu The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

…followed by a fairly rare example of Charles Spencer in the Telegraph lining up with Billington to praise the same production to the rafters:

Real Thing Spencer TelegraphReal Thing Spencer Telegraph 03 Jun 1999, Thu The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

I think Janie must have sourced these tickets, because her diary notes that we’ll be sitting in the fifth row. Great diary detail, 25 years on, that one.