Whenever Jeffrey Bernard missed a column in his days on The Spectator, usually brought on by overindulgence in alcohol, the magazine would publish an explanation: “Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell”. That, of course, became the title of a play by Keith Waterhouse that has also provided a lasting epitaph to a man who is not only unwell now but in fact dead. Most of the “posh” papers, of course, employ second (and in some cases even third) string critics to cover the first string’s absences, and these usually go unmarked in the dailies. But the Sunday papers still guide their readers on a lead critic’s absence, so The Observer last week, for instance, had “Susannah Clapp is away” posted below Kate Kellaway’s theatre round-up. (Susannah was back yesterday, however, with — amongst other things — a belated rave review for Rupert Goold’s RSC production of The Tempest. The only pity was that it had closed the day before).
Now it is my turn to be away: regular readers of this blog (and I know there are a few of you) should know that I won’t be posting any entries from today (Monday March 25) to the following Monday (April 2). Normal service will be resumed from Tuesday April 3. I am actually taking a holiday!!! Although I have been away from time to time since launching this blog in August 2005, I have never taken a holiday from writing here, except for the occasional day I’ve missed along the way, as I have invariably made trips only to places where theatre has still been on the cards (and boards) for me. But this time I am taking a week in the sun (hopefully!) of Gran Canaria, where there will be no theatrical distractions, I hope, from actually taking a proper break…! See you again in a week’s time.
Perhaps while Mark Shenton is away his readers can keep the ball rolling with their own blog offerings. Here, as a starter, is mine:
A minor logistical disaster has affected the seating arrangements at the otherwise sublime Wilton’s Music Hall in Grace’s Alley, Wapping.
I would guess that the local authority insisted on interlocking chairs, but the ones installed, perhaps designed for school hall use, are so narrow one is forced to sit bum to bum.
Whilst reviewing their February staging of David Mamet’s Uncle Vanya and Nick Hutchison’s current revival of The Taming of the Shrew (both starring Rachael Stirling and Philip Voss) I have twice found myself almost pushed into the aisle by the person next to me — last Thursday squatting on two-thirds of my seat, next to a skinny woman who was presumably also being pushed sideways by the guy in the next seat along.
One of our leading critics (guess who) recently emailed me to say that given the discomfort he will not be reviewing shows at Wilton’s for his Sunday paper slot. So please will some generous sponsor check out the problem and devise a suitable solution in the shape of more commodious chairs?
While I’m about it (and in the temporary absence of the estimable Mark Shenton in Gran Canaria) here’s a blogging question mark hanging over a major theatrical event,
Anthony Page’s UK premiere staging of Eward Albee’s The Lady From Dubuque is currently at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, doing good business under the production auspices of Robert Fox, Elizabeth I McCann and no less than the Broadway-based Shubert Organiazation.
It stars Maggie Smith as a matronly angel of death — the Iowa lady of the title, a sideways reference to the woman for whom, since 1925, The New Yorker will forever remained a closed book — plus a strong supporting cast including Dame Maggie’s older son Chris Larkin and a brilliant comic turn by Peter Francis James that cuts through PC nonsense as a limber, elegant black, a performance that should win an award or two at the end of the year.
Catherine McCormack fresh from comedy at the Criterion (where she added glamour to The 39 Steps) has drastically slimmed down and applied white make-up to re-inevent herself for the tragic role as an outspoken woman with terminal cancer; while five members of American Equity complete the cast, all no doubt hoping the production will transfer to Broadway.
At least six critics, including Michael Billington in the Guardian, Tim Walker for the Sunday Telegraph, Christopher Hart in the Sunday Times and my chum Philip Fisher on British Theatre Guide (http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/ladydubuque-rev.htm), not to mention my own review for The Stage, have given the production rave reviews and a big send-off to a Broadway presentatation, a celebration of the most entertaining drama in the West End for yonks.
But this is a play that flopped in New York, back in 1980, with more previews than performances, following a hatchet job by the Butchers of Broadway not prepared to appreciate an innovative drama about death that also breached the fourth wall with cheeky asides.
Almost as if several colleagues have read and accepted Walter Kerr’s hostile review in the New York Times all those years ago, this new London production has been varously savaged by Nick de Jongh in the Standard (‘poorly acted’ — with the exception of Dame Maggie), Charlie Spencer in the Telegraph (‘cheap laughs and tiresome tirades’), Kate Bassett in the Sindy (‘the piece feels flimsy”) and Susannah Clapp wirting for the Observer (‘an ancient dip into the avant-garde’),
Faced with this schism of critical opinion, I would urge the Shuberts to pay attention to those positive notices, and ignore those print jeremiads who showed every sign of enjoying the play on the press night, then strangely lost their nerve.
For the people who don´t know we do have lots of Good Theatre in Gran Canaria so there may be theatrical distractions for Mark Shenton ;-
http://www.gaymengc.com/blog/?p=7
http://www.gaymengc.com/blog/?cat=63
I would be grateful if you pass my email address to Mark, a former colleague with whom I'd love to get back in touch. Kate in Glasgow