Tag: Stephen Gray

Absolute Hell At the Questors Before A Weekend In Bristol, 9 to 11 November 2001

We went to The Questors with the Duchess of Castlebar to see Absolute Hell by by Rodney Ackland.

It was absolute hell.

We walked at half time.

Things had to be pretty bad for us to walk at half time, especially when The Duchess was treating us to some of her freebie tickets for The Questors.

We had a late reservation at an Ealing restaurant named Parade. I suspect that they were grateful to see us much earlier than our promised arrival at 10:45.

Here is a review of that place from the Standard about a year before our visit:

Parade Campion Standard Parade Campion Standard 26 Oct 2000 Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

The next day, we set off for Bristol to join the Boswell branch of the family for Scott’s birthday. We stayed at The Swallow Hotel. We were no doubt generously entertained at chez Boswell for the birthday.

I don’t think the Duchess joined us on that occasion; hence the theatre visit and dinner with her grace the night before. Absolute Hell on the Friday evening – redemption for the rest of the weekend.

My Night With Reg by Kevin Elyot, Questors Theatre, 13 October 2000, Followed By 48 Hours With Hilary, Chris, Phillie & Tony In Bristol

Who in their right minds would arrange a night with the Duchess on Friday 13th, ahead of a weekend with the in-laws…or, as I used to describe them before Janie and I got married, out-laws?

We probably fancied seeing this play – we’d seen other Kevin Elyot & enjoyed it…

The Day I Stood Still by Kevin Elyot, Cottesloe Theatre, 24 January 1998

…but had missed My Night With Reg when it premiered.

As usual, The Questors Theatre did a more than serviceable job of putting on this type of play. And as usual, The Questors puts professional theatres to shame with the consistency and quality of its archive – click here for all the resources on the production we saw.

We have no record of where we ate afterwards. We must have eaten somewhere. Probably a local place chosen on the basis of who would be open once the play had ended.

We do know where we stayed in Bristol on this occasion. Janie wrote down Swallow, but then detailed notes on the Thistle Hotel, which I am sure would have been Phillie & Tony’s pick, for reasons of their own. Janie and I would have been more enthusiastic about the Swallow, which at least had good swimming pool and “spa-like” facilities, whereas the Thistle was more than a little mere.

Still, we all helped Chris celebrate his birthday, which was the purpose of the visit. I’m pretty sure this was a big extended table family do at Hil & Chris’s house. Not quite as much drama as My Night With Reg, but surely some.

The School For Scandal by Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Olivier Theatre, 19 May 1990

I thought this one was very good and I am pretty sure Bobbie thought so too.

An amazing cast directed by Peter Wood. Here is a link to the Theatricalia entry – feast your eyes on that list of names. the big draw names were Jane Asher, John Neville, Prunella Scales and Dennis Quilly, but there is a plethora of fine actors and actresses on that list, several on the up with small parts in this production. Also notable was Richard Bonneville, who played Charles Surface, and is latterly very well known as High Bonneville.

Michael Coveney in The Observer was not so keen on this:

Coveney on ScandalCoveney on Scandal Sun, Apr 29, 1990 – 54 · The Observer (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com

Nicholas de Jongh in The Guardian seemed to like it a bit better:

de Jongh on Scandalde Jongh on Scandal Thu, Apr 26, 1990 – 24 · The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com