'Present Laughter' at The Old Vic

I'm told I saw 'Present Laughter' at the National Theatre 11 years ago but, you know what? I can't remember it at all, so seeing the play at the Old Vic last week was like seeing it for the first time. It's a star vehicle for Andrew Scott and he ably proved himself worthy of the honour - he has the best part and the best lines, of course, but he pulled it off to perfection. Who knew he was so good at comedy? He was, however, matched line for line by Sophie Thompson as his secretary whenever she was on stage - they made a great double act and it would be fun to see them on stage together in another play one day.

It's a Noel Coward play so you expect it to be witty, charming, upper class, lots of word play and a bit risqué. It's the tale of Garry Essendine, a famous actor, and his little coterie of friends who are also his managers and advisers and who've known each other forever. His swanky apartment is also his office where his secretary of 17 years works along with his manservant and maid. There's also his ex-wife, a current one-night stand and a young playwright who seems to be in love with him.

There is also the husband of one of his managers, an outsider who's wormed his way into the coterie and this was where it got interesting since the simple trick of adding an 'e' to Jo changed the character from female to male who wants an affair with Garry. The play is played 'straight' (so to speak) with no reference being made to the genders of the lovers so two men having an affair is nothing remarkable. The gasps that went up from some parts of the audience at the first kiss between the lovers were a comedy moment in themselves.

The play takes place over the few days before Garry is due to sail off to do a tour in Africa before his next play in the West End. What could possibly go wrong? Well, everything really, and that's where the fun begins with the play opening with Garry's latest one-night stand waking up in the middle of the living room madly in love with the older actor who she met for the first time last night at a fancy dress party and him not even remembering her at first.

It's a very funny play and this was a great production with a largely great cast. I was very impressed by Andrew Scott who deserves all the praise he's getting for this production, ably showing his versatility and ability to carry the production. I loved Sophie Thompson as Monica, his secretary, with her delicious Scottish accent and swanning around in her wide trousers for much of the play. She has a sharp tongue when she wants and, towards the end, there was just a hint of a long-hidden love for her boss, a really delicate performance after all the ribald comedy and fast talking.

I also liked Indira Varma as Liz Essendine, Garry's ex-wife who is still part of the scene as an adviser and protector. I've seen her in a couple of Shakespeare plays in the past (including playing the mighty Tamora, Queen of the Goths in 'Titus') and liked her performances so it was good to see her in a modern play doing out and out comedy. She was great fun. I'll also give a shout out to Joshua Hill as Fred, the manservant, who gave a great performance in a small but important part, a wide-boy who's fiercely loyal to his boss. Garry can't be that self-centred if he inspires such loyalty.

This production is thoroughly recommended - get yourself a ticket and relax into it. Oh, and remember to say 'darling' a lot.

The Plastic Bag Awards 2017

It's that time of year again when awards are awarded, winners are overjoyed and losers try to smile through their tears but let's not get sentimental since there can be only one winner (no tied votes here). Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Plastic Bag Awards for 2017, in other words, the Baggies!

Best Theatre - Shakespeare

This has been a poor year for Shakespeare in the Plastic Bag and there are only two nominees in this category. Both are worthy to be nominated but neither were perfect productions.

'Hamlet' at the Almeida Theatre
'The Tempest' at the Barbican Theatre

I liked the new production of 'Hamlet' with Andrew Scott right up until the made-up ending scene and I liked Simon Russell Beale as Prospero and I loved the fluidity of the electronic flying Ariel but it wasn't really all that smooth. So, neither ticked all the boxes, but the Baggie goes to 'Hamlet'.

Best Theatre - Drama

There were some very powerful productions on stage in 2017 and the list of nominees could easily have been expanded but it's limited to five:

'The Glass Menagerie' at the Duke of York's Theatre
'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf' at the Harold Pinter Theatre
'The Ferryman' at the Gielgud Theatre
'Angels in America' (both parts) at the National Theatre
'Young Marx' at the Bridge Theatre

Imelda Staunton and Paddy Considine both gave astonishing performances in 'Who's Afraid' and 'Ferryman' respectively and 'Angels' was a great ensemble performance across both parts of the play. 'Menagerie' and 'Marx' both had their great moments in very different types of play. The award must go to 'The Ferryman' for the excellent writing and poetry in the lines, the great performances and the shocks and twists and turns when least expected.

Best Theatre - Musical

The West End still seems to be full of musicals that have been on forever or jukebox musicals but there are still some gems with revivals and even new musicals being written and produced. The nominees are:

'Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill' at Wyndham's Theatre
'The Life' at Southwark Playhouse
'Follies' at the National Theatre
'42nd Street' at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
'Everybody's Talking About Jamie' at the Apollo Theatre

If there was an award for new musical it would go to 'Jamie' and new one full of life and love and and joy but it's up against stiff competition this year. It was great, as always, to see Sharon D Clarke in 'The Life' and be introduced to new talent T'Sham Williams, and Audra McDonald was astonishing in 'Lady Day. However, the winner has to be the great production of 'Follies' at the National Theatre and the excellent performances by Imelda Staunton and Janie Dee.

Best Entertainment

An 'entertainment' is a performance that doesn't really fit into any of the other categories, such as one-man/woman shows, readings and cabaret. There are only three nominations this year:

'Miss Hope Springs' at the Wigmore Halls
'Bent' at the National Theatre
'A Poem for Every Day of the Year' at the National Theatre

The winner was easy to pick for the harrowing and powerful performance of a staged reading of 'Bent' at the National Theatre, a production I won't soon forget.

Best Gig

There was a time when I'd go to a gig a couple of times a month (or more) but these days it's a much rarer thing. There are only three nominations:

Suzanne Vega at the London Palladium
Bananarama at Hammersmith
The Unthanks at the Royal Festival Hall

It is always a joy to see Suzanne Vega play live and last year was the anniversary shows for 'Solitude Standing' and '99.9C' in which she played both albums all the way through. The Unthanks gave a veery moving performance with an orchestra as backing band and there were some astonishing arrangements of their songs. But the Baggie must go to those three mad girls in Bananarama who brought joy to Hammersmith and made us all young again. Keep it up girls!

Best Dance

I saw a lot of dance in 2017, with lots of triple bills of ballets as well as full length performances. Two Wayne McGregor's ('Woolf' and 'Codes') and both were excellent and innovative. Two one-act ballets from separate triple bills at the Royal Opera House really stood out as well as an innovative production of the story of 'Alice'.

'Woolf Works' at the Royal Opera House
'Tree of Codes' at Sadler's Wells
'Rubies' as part of the 'Jewels' triple bill at the Royal Opera House
'Flight Pattern' as part of a triple bill at the Royal Opera House
'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' at the Royal Opera House

The judging panel found this to be a very difficult decision but they were kept locked away until they could hand over an envelope with one title in it. That title was 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' for the astonishing performances, the innovative designs and the sheer wonder and fun of the thing. Well done Royal Ballet!

Best Exhibition

This category was a difficult one to narrow down the nominees from the large number of really good exhibitions visited this year, but here are the final nominations:

'Revolution: Russian Art 1917 - 1932' at the Royal Academy
'Michelangelo & Sebastiano' at the National Gallery
'Raphael: The Drawings' at the Ashmolean Museum
'Lawrence Alma-Tadema: At Home In Antiquity' at Leighton House Museum
'Cézanne Portraits' at Musee D'Orsay and the National Portrait Gallery

It was great to see artists whose works I;m very familiar with next to those of artists I've never heard of before and wondering why not? Seeing classics from the High Renaissance and revolutionary works from the last century and then seeing painting after painting by an artist who hasn't had his own exhibition in over 30 years. So much to see and wonder at. However, the Baggie goes Mr Cezanne and his portraits of family and friends that I saw both at Musee D'Orsay and at the National Portrait Gallery.

Best Film

Given the many different film genres it's probably unfair to try to compare films showing wild leaps of imagination next to documentaries but there's only one category for film I'm afraid. The nominees are:

'La La Land'
'Wonder Woman'
'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2'
'Here To Be Heard: The Story of The Slits'
'Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked The World'

'La La Land' was a joy and a sadness, 'Wonder Woman' was an inspiration and 'Guardians' was just daft fun. 'The Slits' told a story I was partially familiar with but from a different perspective and 'Rumble' told a story I wasn't familiar with at all and I learned so much from it. The winner has to be 'Here To Be Heard: The Story of The Slits' because I go back so many years with those women. Well done!

And there you have it, the Baggies for 2017! I wonder what 2018 will be like?

'Hamlet' at the Almeida Theatre

Last week we went to see the new 'Hamlet' on the block at the Almeida Theatre. It's Andrew Scott's turn to play our sweet prince with Juliet Stevenson as his mother, Gertrude. 'Hamlet' is a funny old play by Mr Shakespeare and one that many actors feel they have to do when they're successful and in their 30s. I've seen a few productions over the years and my first was Derek Jacobi back in 1978. I've seen bad versions (yes, you Michael Sheen, that was an awful production), versions I can't remember (the production with Jude Law in 2009 - I blogged about it so I was there but can't recall it at all) and blockbuster versions (Benedict Cumberbatch at the Barbican a couple of years ago).  And now the Almeida with Andrew Scott.

This new production is set in the here and now and has the added challenge of using technology, video screens, computers and video cameras beaming live to the big screen that raises and lowers occasionally. I don't actually have a problem with that provided it works and is done well. I don't think this is done well. For some of the critical scenes the court is sitting off stage with snippets beamed to the screen which means that we - most of the audience - can't really see them or what they're doing, especially if you're in the circle (which I was). So every now and then the main cast would vanish other than the odd flash of them. As well as being quite annoying it's also quite lazy - doesn't the director know that we can't see what's happening? Or don't they care because it's their vision and that vision must be right?

It was particularly annoying especially in the sword fencing scene when we need to see Gertrude's realisation that the wine is drugged and she will drink it herself (as this production plays it). We see snatches of this on stage as she drinks the wine but the moments before when she finally understands the position are missing. I call that shabby production.

On the plus side, I thought the cast were largely very good and spoke the verse well. Not all, but most hit the mark. I thought Juliet Stevenson was great as the happy newly married queen and later as the harassed queen trying to do the right thing. But then, of course, she would be. Peter Wight was good as Polonius, played on the verge of altzheimers but he brought life to the character. Angus Wright was the big let down playing Claudius, the murderous, ambitious, power-hungry wannabe king who played it all so diffidently I sometimes couldn't even make out what he was saying. How is that Claudius? Imagine John Le Mesurier in 'Dad's Army'.

And Andrew Scott? I thought he got it right, the right mix of madness and scheming prince, even catching glimpses of why characters like Horatio seem to believe in him and love him, something very difficult to achieve. But even he had some downer moments, like when he jumped up and down like a toddler in a temper tantrum beside Ophelia's grave (sorry, should it be a spoiler for anyone that she dies?). Hamlet has been sent to England, grown up and come to his senses by that stage of the play so the toddler impersonation made little sense.

The thing I really *hated* about this production was the final scene that someone has written when we see the dead characters hand over their watches to the gateman and enter the ongoing party in the afterlife... yes, I mean what? What on earth was that about? I couldn't believe what I was seeing or how trite it was. It spoiled the whole thing for me. And I'm starting to get angry just remembering it. Experiment with the play, bring new angles to it and keep it fresh by all means but, good grief people, at least have some taste and style and understanding.

The whole run is, I think, sold out so I'm sure it'll be a great success. Andrew Scott is clearly attracting his fan base to the show so it'll be good for him. Me? I wouldn't go again even if I could get a ticket.

The more I think about it, the more I think Rory Kinnear's 'Hamlet' at the National Theatre is possibly the best 'modern' production but, even with that, I had my doubts (bouncing on the bed with a duvet, anyone?). 'Hamlet' is a great play with some gorgeous poetry and excellent critical thinking and I hate to see it spoiled. Maybe I need a break from the play for a few years...?

Mind you, on the plus side for using the video camera and projecting it on the big screen, it meant that I saw Vanessa Redgrave in the audience. I last saw her in 'Richard II' at the Almeida last year so it's nice to see she's a patron as well.

'Pride' at the National Film Theatre

I saw an advance screening of 'Pride' at the National Film Theatre (or British Film Institute if you must) courtesy of my personal artistic adviser. The film isn't released generally until next week and this screening was followed by a short Q&A with the producer and some of the actors, which was nice.

Do you remember the '80s? I mean, really remember the '80s like they really were rather than how we're meant to remember them? The early '80s being all Duran Duran and 'Rio' and the late '80s being City whiz kids with bricks for mobile phones. No, that's not my '80s at all and that's what this film captures - the real '80s. My '80s. The attention to detail was superb throughout and, at one point, I swear I had the same jumper as one of the miners!

The film tells the tale of a gay group that sets out to support a Welsh village in the miners strike over 1984-85. But that's only one level in the story. There's so much more about bigotry, about solidarity and about love. There are the simple stories of the characters and the reality behind them all since it actually happened (or largely happened).

There are the painful and deeply uncomfortable scenes of the lead activist standing on a stage in front of a hall of miners saying, yes, us gays have raised this money for you and seeing some of the miners get up and walk out. There are the more life-affirming moments when the ladies of the village say that their men never dance and Dominic West (who plays one of the more flamboyant characters) then does a masterclass in disco dancing that makes some of the younger miners realise that dancing attracts the lasses. One of the early scenes is set in the Royal Vauxhall Tavern and there's an incredible section set in the Electric Ballroom in Camden when Bronski Beat headline a benefit gig the group organises.

There were some great laugh out loud moments and some tears and the audience erupted into clapping at the end of the screening. I loved the moment when Bill Nighy and Imelda Staunton sit quietly buttering bread for sandwiches and Bill says 'I'm gay' and Imelda's character replies 'I think I've known that since 1968'. It's a great moment and helps fill in some of the character's background, with Bill playing so tight and controlled because that's how he's felt he had live all those years when his real friends would have accepted him as he was. There are lots of levels to this film.

Another moment that brought tears of pride to my eyes was when the miners turned up to march in Pride '85 in London and they're getting out of the coaches that bring them to Hyde Park and then we get shots of the miners' banners. Each colliery has (or had) it own colourful banner that the community embraced and endowed with so much meaning it's difficult to explain. I remember seeing the Durham Miners Gala on TV in the '70s and the proud banners flying in the breeze. And it was these banners the miners bought to march behind at London Pride to show solidarity with 'the gays'.

There were so many moments that struck me as 'real', as believable, as 'yes, that happened', even down to the style of jeans. I have my own memories of the miners strike, of course. Back then I worked for the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) in St James's Square and, back then, the junior staff did overtime by servicing the overnight conciliation meetings. I did one night during the miners strike, serving tea and sandwiches to both the National Coal Board and the National Union of Miners. At the end of those talks Arthur Scargill brought in a big bag of sweets for the staff that stayed up most of the night to keep them fed and watered but we got nothing from the NCB. Says it all really. I know books will continue to be written about that woman and that strike but that's my memory.

The Q&A at the end was fun too, with some of the questioners knowing the people in the film or having attended the events shown. We had David Livingstone (producer) and Andrew Scott, Ben Schnetzer and Faye Marsay on stage for questions. Faye made an important point about where was activism these days? A 30 second tweet isn't the same as putting your health on the line by going out and actually doing something to change the world. And, she is, of course, right. Where are our activists today? This motley crew changed the NUM policy towards gays and they helped changed Labour Party policy. It can be done.

If it hasn't already come though strongly enough, I *loved* this film. If you're reading this blog then I suspect you will too so please go and see it. You'll love it. Honest!