"The Play's the Thing"
It is! The London stage is buzzing. In the last few months Roger and I have been treated to some pretty impressive performances. From Ibsen's "Rosmersholm", Arthur Miller's "The Crucible", followed by Tennessee William's 'Orpheus Descending" and last night's "Sweat" by Lynn Nottage it's been brilliant.
It's impossible to decide which was the best theatrical experience. "The Crucible" at the tiny Yard theatre at Hackney Wick was a unexpected treat. Although since every reviewer had given it 5 stars that shouldn't have been a surprise. Being almost in with the action gave the play, already full of tension and drama, and added intensity. The same can be said for the Tennessee William's play at the Menier Chocolate Factory. Another intimate theatre we were in the front row with actors risking tripping over our feet. It was Roger's 78th birthday treat - he treated four of us to a meal at the Theatre and the show! My wife Lesley, who's not a great one for live performances was persuaded to join us. She couldn't speak too highly of the play. I think Ibsen is a brilliant writer. This rarely staged play was certainly dramatic and with a set to die for was a glorious outing. Any time there's a play on by this man: go see it.
This week we saw "Sweat". In simple terms a critique of the devastation the unbridled, heartless search for profit can have on a community. Set in a US Rust Belt town in 2000, against the backdrop of the US elections it painfully set out the impact on a town whose main employer for generations moves plant to Mexico and locks out the work force who then strike. You know who's going to win - corporate America and their political "Yes Men" in Washington. You feel anger for the losers, individuals and the community devastated, pull apart by big business.
And these people voted for Trump! The play's turning point which happens well into the second act is when two young men one black one white attack a Colombian who has crossed the picket line. He also worked in the local bar and he'd returned to collect his stuff when he was set upon. The bar manager - the voice of reason and tolerance in the play - is also beaten up by the two guys. The last scene is in the bar. The Colombian has recovered from his injuries and is now managing the place. The black guy who beat him up goes to the bar after being released from prison and is shocked by the turn of events. He's joined by the young white guy who also had been in prison as a result of the attack. Next a shuffling figure enters and begins clearing and cleaning the tables. The manager explains that he can't hear very well and doesn't speak much. He is, of course, the manager of the bar who was beaten up. The last line of the play is said by the young white guy something along the lines "We mustn't let this happen again." Of course, under Trump it is.
At the end of the month we're seeing Roger Allum in "Rutherford and Son" at the National and in October a new play, based on Jane Austen's unfinished novel "The Watsons" again at the Menier Chocolate Factory. There's "The Night of the Iguana" another steaming Deep South Tennessee William's play which we'll be lucky to get tickets for. But never mind Tom Stoppard's newest play "Leopoldstadt" opens in late January next year and Antigone - "The Burial at Thebes" in May 2020 at the Hammersmith Lyric Theatre. As I said London's hot!
It's impossible to decide which was the best theatrical experience. "The Crucible" at the tiny Yard theatre at Hackney Wick was a unexpected treat. Although since every reviewer had given it 5 stars that shouldn't have been a surprise. Being almost in with the action gave the play, already full of tension and drama, and added intensity. The same can be said for the Tennessee William's play at the Menier Chocolate Factory. Another intimate theatre we were in the front row with actors risking tripping over our feet. It was Roger's 78th birthday treat - he treated four of us to a meal at the Theatre and the show! My wife Lesley, who's not a great one for live performances was persuaded to join us. She couldn't speak too highly of the play. I think Ibsen is a brilliant writer. This rarely staged play was certainly dramatic and with a set to die for was a glorious outing. Any time there's a play on by this man: go see it.
This week we saw "Sweat". In simple terms a critique of the devastation the unbridled, heartless search for profit can have on a community. Set in a US Rust Belt town in 2000, against the backdrop of the US elections it painfully set out the impact on a town whose main employer for generations moves plant to Mexico and locks out the work force who then strike. You know who's going to win - corporate America and their political "Yes Men" in Washington. You feel anger for the losers, individuals and the community devastated, pull apart by big business.
And these people voted for Trump! The play's turning point which happens well into the second act is when two young men one black one white attack a Colombian who has crossed the picket line. He also worked in the local bar and he'd returned to collect his stuff when he was set upon. The bar manager - the voice of reason and tolerance in the play - is also beaten up by the two guys. The last scene is in the bar. The Colombian has recovered from his injuries and is now managing the place. The black guy who beat him up goes to the bar after being released from prison and is shocked by the turn of events. He's joined by the young white guy who also had been in prison as a result of the attack. Next a shuffling figure enters and begins clearing and cleaning the tables. The manager explains that he can't hear very well and doesn't speak much. He is, of course, the manager of the bar who was beaten up. The last line of the play is said by the young white guy something along the lines "We mustn't let this happen again." Of course, under Trump it is.
At the end of the month we're seeing Roger Allum in "Rutherford and Son" at the National and in October a new play, based on Jane Austen's unfinished novel "The Watsons" again at the Menier Chocolate Factory. There's "The Night of the Iguana" another steaming Deep South Tennessee William's play which we'll be lucky to get tickets for. But never mind Tom Stoppard's newest play "Leopoldstadt" opens in late January next year and Antigone - "The Burial at Thebes" in May 2020 at the Hammersmith Lyric Theatre. As I said London's hot!
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