Pip/Theo - Nigel Harman
Nan/Lina - Lyndsey Marshal
Directed by Jamie Lloyd
Designed by Soutra Gilmour
Seen mid-run in it's 2009 revival at The Apollo Theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue. Lovely half price seat in the middle of row L
Audience notables: Nick Moran, Stephen Campbell Moore, Liz White & another industry bod who shall not get a name check because I was so appalled by his behaviour. I think I also saw Hardeep Singh Kholi and Neve Campbell wandering around the foyer.
Silly Comment: How many Scots can you see doing an American accent in one day?The first act is so superb that the interval seems like an intrusion. Sadly, the second act has at least ten minutes of self-conscious diatribe which does not serve the plot, or by this stage, the character development which means it brings one's overall impression down a few notches. It was a refreshing piece and I can totally see what Mr Greenberg was trying to do here but parts were rather clumsy and loose.
The cast put all they had and more into this and cannot be faulted in any way. You wouldn't have known that from the behaviour of the above mentioned industry person who really should have known better. He constantly made giggly remarks to his companion, so absorbed in his own ego that he ignored all the frustrated looks around him until the woman in-front gave him a fairly light-hearted glare to which he responded with schoolboy aplomb - antique gestures, if you will. He didn't stop his wittering then, either.
If he doesn't like the cast and wishes to disrupt the performance (for they surely would have been aware of his antics), that is one thing that he really should have out with them in private but there were innocent people sitting in that part of the stalls that may have saved and paid for a top price seat and quite possibly, a train fare or even an hotel stay overnight. I only paid half price and live around the corner so I can live with it but I felt so sorry for those around the jerk. I see him around town from time to time, perhaps I'll shout 'hey baldy, your flies are undone' next time I see him - his hairline is only receding but I am sure such a peacock will be deliciously vulnerable to such a comment.
A really entertaining evening, nonethless and a special mention for the simple effectiveness of the set design and for the near bursting performance from Nigel Harman. I was amazed and delighted when I saw him in The Caretaker and now I have etched a mental note to never pass up a chance to see him in a production of any kind. This is not to detract from his co-stars in any way. A wonderful threesome.
Billington, Spencer and the Coveney.
Posts
