Tag: Theatre Royal Haymarket

A Life In The Theatre by David Mamet, Theatre Royal Haymarket, 9 December 1989

This was my last visit to the theatre in the 1980s.

I don’t remember much about it. Even when I wrote up my notes, while the memory must have been a bit fresher (more than 30 years have now passed; just a few years would have passed when I first logged this production).

Bobbie was with me that night, but I doubt if she remembers it much either.

I was fresh back from the USA and had by chance seen some Mamet while there…

Oh Hell!: The Devil And Billy Markham by Shel Silverstein, Billy Gould In Hell by David Mamet, Lincoln Center, Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, 26 November 1989

…so A Life In The Theatre probably seemed comparatively tame Mamet. Indeed, the one thing I do recall about it was feeling that it was tame Mamet.

One reason I wanted to see this production was the presence of Samuel West in the cast. I knew young Sam from school. He had been polite enough to come with his parents to watch me in the school play, Twelfth Night. more than 10 years earlier…

Twelfth Night, Alleyn’s School, 12, 14, 15 & 16 December 1978

…so I felt I ought to return the favour. After all, perhaps his nascent career could do with some assistance. As it has transpired, Sam’s subsequent, extremely successful “life in the theatre” did not need my help. I have seen him on stage a couple of times since.

Denholm Elliot was also a draw to this production.

Fortunately, despite my poor memory of the piece and production, there are well-crafted reviews to be had which confirm that it was a very good production.

Michael Billington gave young Sam a good review as “an admirable foil” for Denham Elliot’s character. Would Billington have praised my “conviction and self assurance” if he had seen Twelfth Night in 1978? Mercifully, we’ll never know. But I did get to know Michael Billington quite well over the years, through theatre and cricket.

Billington On A Life In The TheatreBillington On A Life In The Theatre Thu, Nov 2, 1989 – 30 · The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com

Michael Ratcliffe’s tepid review begins at the bottom of the previous column with the words, “David Mamet’s A Life In The”…and then goes on:

Ratcliffe on A Life In the TheatreRatcliffe on A Life In the Theatre Sun, Nov 5, 1989 – 50 · The Observer (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com

Orpheus Descending by Tennessee Williams, Theatre Royal Haymarket, With Jilly, Followed By Annalisa’s Party, 10 December 1988

Obviously I was better from my 48 hours of food poisoning by the Saturday. I’m pretty sure I went in to work on the Friday and then a full weekend of activities.

Now I have had written complaints from Jilly already about my handwriting, so the above page is only for artistic effect. Here is the entry for the Saturday:

Saturday 10 December: Driving lesson & Orpheus Descending With Jilly & Annalisa Party

There – that wasn’t so challenging, now, was it?

I remember really liking this play and production. What a fabulous cast.

The Theatricalia website lists the production thus.

Note that we saw this production three days before the stated first performance, so Jilly and I must have gone to see a preview.

Below is Michael Billington’s Guardian review:

Billington on OrpheusBillington on Orpheus Thu, Dec 15, 1988 – 28 · The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com

Below is Kate Kellaway’s Observer review

Kate Kellaway on OrpheusKate Kellaway on Orpheus Sun, Dec 18, 1988 – 40 · The Observer (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com

They made a film based on that Peter Hall production with some (but not all) of the cast we saw in it. Here is the trailer for that movie – far more melodramatic looking than the stage production I remember, but still it should give you some idea:

For that particular evening, I’m sure that the original idea was that Bobbie would join me to see this play/production. But when she had to pull out for some reason, it made a great deal of sense for Jilly to act as sub, especially as we were both invited to Annalisa’s party and were given leave to be fashionably late arrivals.

In truth, I cannot remember specific details of this particular party at Annalisa’s place in Hinde Street, but her parties were always popular, always lavish in hospitality and always late nighters. At that time, just a couple of years after Annalisa had finished at Keele, I suspect it was a very Keeley crowd that night.

As the diary says, on the Sunday, I:

…went to G Jenny with Ma & Pa…

…the next day, quite probably a little tiredly and sore-headedly. But Grandma Jenny no doubt wanted to know all about my new flat and my new job, so I’ll guess that I was centre of attention that Sunday afternoon.

Long Day’s Journey Into Night by Eugene O’Neill, Theatre Royal Haymarket, 16 August 1986

I was reminded of this strange 1986 evening at the theatre in December 2019 by two events:

Rodgers & Hammerstein, For One Half Only, With Bobbie Scully, Theatre Royal Hanley, 2 September 1984

What is it about visits to theatres named Theatre Royal with Bobbie Scully, I wondered?

My log records the following from our 1986 visit to the Theatre Royal Haymarket:

This production was notable for the overlapping dialog to speed it up. Despite that mercy, we attended on one of the hottest days of the year and the air conditioning was poor or non existent. Quite literally, a fight broke out in the audience (just in front of us) at one point. Luvvie rage?

Ah yes, I remember it well.

I liked Jonathan Miller’s idea to use overlapping dialogue. While Long Day’s Journey is regarded as a great play, it is normally incredibly long for a play in which pretty much nothing happens. The overlapping dialogue shortens the play a fair bit. Further, it added a sense of realism to the drama. A family pretty much at war with itself probably would comprise people speaking a lot without really listening to anything the others are saying.

This was a Broadway production on transfer to the West End – the Haymarket was doing quite a few of those back then.

Here is a link to Frank Rich’s New York Times review from the April.

Jack Lemmon played the lead in this production and I thought he was very good.

A young unknown (to us) named Kevin Spacey played James Jr – I thought he overacted a fair bit, but then what do I know. In fairness, when Janie and I saw him 10-12 years later play the lead, Hicky, in The Iceman Cometh, I felt he had come on leaps and bounds as an actor.

As for the heat and the poor air conditioning and the flight – that for sure is my most abiding memory of the Long Day’s Journey evening.

The fight broke out towards the end of the interval. I think someone simply stepped on someone’s foot while trying to get back to their seat. So much so normal in those poorly designed, ludicrously-expensive-yet-space-restricted-seats in theatres housed in illustrious 19th century buildings such as the Theatre Royal Haymarket.

I seem to recall that both of the combatants were Americans. Perhaps the stomper was belatedly or insufficiently apologetic to the stompee, but anyway they actually stood there fighting for a while.

I especially remember a rather camp usher rushing to the end of the offending row, waving his arms and shouting,

Stop it! Stop it at once! Please stop fighting!…

…as if arm waving and pleas were likely to stop a couple of audience rage pugilists at that stage of the dispute.

I don’t suppose the fight lasted all that long, nor was anyone seriosuly hurt. Nor did either of the antagonists refuse to sit close to the other once they had calmed down – I think they were only two or three seats away from each other. Far enough, I suppose.

I do recall Bobbie and I deciding that the fight was the most action-packed dramatic incident of the evening. Long Day’s Journey is, in truth, a play in which almost nothing happens.

Here is a link to the Theatricalia entry for this production.

Here’s Michael Billington’r review of this production:

Michael Billington On Long Day's JourneyMichael Billington On Long Day’s Journey Tue, Aug 5, 1986 – 9 · The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com

Below is Blake Morrison’s Observer review – Morrison clearly thought more of this production than did Billington:

Blake Morrison's Observer ReviewBlake Morrison’s Observer Review Sun, Aug 10, 1986 – 17 · The Observer (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com

I had logged this incorrectly as 4 August but actually we went 16 August.

My diary also reminds me that Bobbie and I went to Inigo Jones for a pre-theatre meal, which I describe as:

…fab nouvelle cuisine meal.

Remember Inigo Jones restaurant in Covent Garden? Remember nouvelle cuisine?

I also note that we…

…had coffee at Swiss…

…[i..e. The Swiss Centre] after the show.

Bobbie might now remember some or all about the evening, but last time I asked (17 February 2020) she drew a blank, other than remembering having seen this production with me.