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Post by Mr Crummles on Feb 26, 2022 18:06:11 GMT
Spotted on Twitter that the 2nd cover Sally Bowles is on for today's matinee. Where is Jessie Buckley? I was told by the staff at the theatre that Jessie Buckley is taking a break following doctor’s recommendation. The actress who replaced her this afternoon, Sally Frith, did an absolutely astounding job. It was hard to believe it was her first time ever on. She was visibly in tears in the final bow partly no doubt by the enthusiastic public response. I ‘m still gobsmacked at how good I thought she was.
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Post by Mr Crummles on Jan 11, 2022 8:51:01 GMT
Ben Whishaw was actually nominated for an Olivier Award for his performance in Hamlet in 2004, which was long before he joined Bond so not always Shakespeare after a film franchise 😊 Hiddleston did Shakespeare with Cheek By Jowl and at the Donmar before his big film break. And he’d be keen to return and do more, from what he has said. But it’ll be every five years or so between film and TV work, judging by his track record. He was outstanding as Cassio at the Donmar. I remember checking the programme to see who was the fine actor playing Cassio. I had never heard of him before.
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Post by Mr Crummles on Dec 19, 2021 11:14:11 GMT
I steer clear of all discussion and reviews before seeing a work, but somehow I had managed to gather that Manor was universally loathed, so I had low expectations. I am trying hard not to be a contrarian, and maybe the production has been modified during the run -- it is now just 2:25 and the racial pejoratives reported by the Guardian have been excised -- but I rather liked this. The fantastic set is a work of art in itself. The deeply skewed perspective at once signals that we are in a surreal gothic version of reality. The story is Mike Bartlett's Albion but as reimagined in a dystopian nightmarish England by Tim Burton and Salvador Dalí. The themes and characters are writ large as though part of a sweeping Greek tragedy with character names to match. And, moreover, I was engaged and entertained, which I had not expected. The acting is good, and there is some comedy, which I was laughing with, not at. The messaging is not subtle, but neither is it in many a "serious" play that the critics salivate over. Mostly, I understood what Buffini was trying to do with the dialogue handed to the characters, but there were just a handful of lines where the effect tipped over from satire to risibility -- especially some given to the pathetic man-child Perry. A script doctor could fix this. At one point, Perry is exhorted to say what he really thinks about the non-white woman who fired him, to articulate what he's really thinking, and the play loses the moment to a cheap joke instead. This, however, was the exception, and these jars were few. (And such jarring is par for the course, with most plays.) Sorry to go out on a limb, but worthy of four stars I felt. Act 1: 19:33-20:24 Act 2: 20:46-21:56 The front row is very much in the splash zone. I got wet. I wouldn't give Manor a four star, but it was better than I expected. Maybe nothing like low expectations! Despite its flaws, there were things that I liked (such as the cast and the interesting set, evoking German Expressionism and reflecting a distorted reality). It kept my attention till the end. Despite its absurd premise and contrived dialogues, it did somehow manage to maintain a psychological enough coherence to make me accept what was going on in front of me. I have seen a few other shows of more or less of the same artistic calibre and they did not receive such harsh criticism. Two or three stars from me…
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Post by Mr Crummles on Dec 16, 2021 16:14:44 GMT
This show is just not good. I have not seen Moulin Rouge the film before (I know...) so I went in blind. Was there really a need for this to be a jukebox musical? The reason I usually hate jukebox musicals is that the plot essentially has to pause during songs - the writer cannot introduce anything of their own for the story as the song has already been written. In regular musicals, the songs ARE the story. In jukebox they are not. In this show I essentially get bored during every song. We all already know the songs. We know the words. There is nothing interesting here. I essentially agree with the point, but I think Moulin Rouge (the film) and Mamma Mia (the play) may be exceptions, as their creators used the pop songs to tease and play with the audience. It was a bit of a banter; famous songs cleverly inserted in their story in a surprising and humorous way. Maybe in the transposition to the theatre, that is now gone from MR. I felt the funny premise was gone from the Mamma Mia film, even though there was still plenty of humour left (and I still managed to enjoy it).
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Post by Mr Crummles on Dec 16, 2021 10:31:16 GMT
I was in London about two weeks ago. What really struck me, actually more than the fact that some people were not wearing masks (I was prepared for that from previous experience), was maskless staff in all restaurants I went to. Cooks and waiters, the people who handle your food, and breathe on it till it's brought to you, were unprotected. In Dublin, restaurant staff, apart from wearing them, check your vaccination status, often asking for a photo ID, and try to sit people as far from each other as possible. Perhaps restaurant staff in London are checked daily, before they start working. If it is the case, for good PR they should put a notice, to reassure customers. Anyway, I do hope things will eventually get under control. I had to test myself before I came back to Ireland, and now we are asked to test for five consecutive days after returning.
Personally, I don’t think it’s possible to stop Covid in one country alone, and keep its population completely shielded from the virus while the virus rages on someplace else. We are too interconnected these days. We must have a concerted global effort in place for, as long as one large community is plagued by the virus, it will keep churning out variants that will eventually migrate to the rest of the globe. As with Climate Change, this is yet another challenge for the human species. Unite in one common effort or be exposed to disastrous consequences.
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Post by Mr Crummles on Dec 13, 2021 18:56:36 GMT
There is very little Spanish in the film. No more, for instance, than there is German in a World War II film, in which you hear German soldiers and officers speaking German. The Spanish is there mainly for dramatic effect. It is there to highlight a sense of alienation in the Puerto Rican community. It's used mostly in scenes of strong disagreement or violence in which the body language and pitch of voices are more eloquent than the meaning of the words themselves. Anybody can easily recognise anger, or love, or fear, - be it in Swedish, Japanese or Greek. Actually, in real life, my experience is precisely the opposite, when people are angry - or the very opposite of it - they suddenly become very fluent in the language they daily struggle to communicate in, as if to be 100% sure the receiving end understands very well what they mean to say.
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Post by Mr Crummles on Dec 12, 2021 10:04:16 GMT
I think I Feel Pretty works very well because it is about the giddy happiness of a young girl who is in love and has just experienced one the most overwhelming joys a person can experience. I can't think of many things in life that can bring people to that state of bliss. She is a clever girl and in that song she wittily, and bounteously, shares her joy with everyone around her. Her words are exuberant, light-hearted and cheerful. She feels pretty. I think most people who are in love, and feels loved in return, feel that way too. The song and lyrics aptly capture that spirit. I am really happy they kept it in the film, especially in view of what happens after. I think the play/movie would lose some of its soul without it.
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Post by Mr Crummles on Nov 23, 2021 12:12:48 GMT
I made a trip overseas specifically to see this last week. Ended up catching nine shows in six days. I know the reaction on here is rapturous, but for me, it was the one dud of the trip. They’re hamstrung by a tiny round stage that raises and lowers and spins about nonstop but doesn’t allow for any actual scenery. Without much to offer in stage design, the costuming goes for broke with some big swings that just didn’t land for me. Redmayne has a surprisingly beautiful voice, but the Emcee here seemed a bit aimless. It’s a committed performance, but I felt he was let down by the directing. Buckley was also a swing and a miss for me, and the less said about her whispered until it’s shrieked performance of the title song, the better. There was no subtlety there. Again, I blame the director more than the actor. But I feel I might be alone on this one as the audience response was explosive. As for Douglas, his performance as Cliff was one of the worst I’ve ever seen. Beyond which, this was also an incredibly slow Cabaret. I hope they can tighten the pacing of the first act as it felt interminable. But! I know the folks here seem to be loving it! It may simply not be for me. Gosh, that's making me glad I didn't get tickets! I probably would have noticed similar flaws to you. I have been very hesitant about this particular director all along, and was really only wanting to see it for Jessie Buckley. The very same situation I'm in. I have been very hesitant too. In pre-Covid times, when ticket prices were usually more affordable, I could afford to take risks despite any initial trepidation.This is no longer the case, I'm afraid.
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Post by Mr Crummles on Oct 6, 2021 21:11:31 GMT
Managing a theatrethon, I envy that! The passion and stamina alone are quite remarkable. When I travel to London (all the way from Dublin) to see a show on the weekend, I try to squeeze a second one (a matinée) to make the most of my theatrical visit. I do it because of the opportunity, though, rather than the pleasure. Honestly, I would much prefer to see two plays in two different days. Theatre is a very immersive, and even draining, experience to me, and a good show usually stays in my heart and mind for a good many days. It’s almost as if I need to fully digest it. In short, I wouldn’t do it if I lived in London.
Having said that, though, I might try a theatre extravaganza on Broadway, because I’m one of those strange people who don’t really find in the city much else to enjoy, and the available fare is mostly musicals, that don’t quite convulse me that much. Even in New York, though, I never managed to see more than two shows in one day.
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Post by Mr Crummles on Sept 7, 2021 8:06:09 GMT
I think that there should be a balance between a return to strict lockdown rules and a complete removal of them. Covid is still around, so it makes sense to keep some protective sensible measures in places, such as wearing mask in confined place, like theatres. People tend, among other things, to cough a lot inside theatres (there was actually an interesting article on that in The Guardian today - www.theguardian.com/stage/2021/sep/07/the-equivalent-of-shouting-fire-coughing-in-theatres-is-new-taboo), which apart from being something potentially dangerous, can cause some stress these days and spoil the experience of others. I can understand that the government believes that, after vaccination, there's little chance of hospitals being full again, but there's no reason not to encourage a hygienic practice that can stop people from getting a nasty virus.
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Post by Mr Crummles on Sept 29, 2020 14:26:52 GMT
It did transfer to London, to the Aldwych. I remember it because when I saw the show in Stratford, Philip Quast was off and I was disappointed at missing his performance. So I revisited the show in the West End. Personally, I enjoyed the production immensely. LOL, thanks, shows how much I remember! Back then it was a big deal for me to travel outside London to see a new place and everything. The same here. :-) I live in Dublin and the logistics to see anything outside London was daunting - always worrying about train schedules. How I miss it all now...
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Post by Mr Crummles on Sept 29, 2020 11:48:27 GMT
I remember seeing The Secret Garden at the RSC in Stratford many years ago (with a young Eliza Caird as Mary Lennox). It never transferred to London, which they may have intended. It wasn't an original production though. It did transfer to London, to the Aldwych. I remember it because when I saw the show in Stratford, Philip Quast was off and I was disappointed at missing his performance. So I revisited the show in the West End. Personally, I enjoyed the production immensely.
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Post by Mr Crummles on Apr 15, 2020 13:33:40 GMT
Ghosts - Almeida - 2013 Young Checkhov - NT - 2016 The Normans Conquests - Old Vic - 2009 Six Characters in Search of an Author - Gielgud Theatre - 2008 Uncle Vanya - Almeida - 2016 Fanny & Alexander - Old Vic - 2028 Lettice and Lovage - Globe Theatre - 1988 The Weir - Gate Theatre - 2008 The Beauty Queen of Leenane - Young Vic - 2011 Jerusalem - Jerwood Theatre Downstairs - 2009
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Post by Mr Crummles on Apr 9, 2020 12:37:46 GMT
Merrily We Roll Along, Menier Chocolate Factory Sweeney Todd, Gate Theatre Dublin Sunday in the Park with George, MCF at Wyndhams Passion, Donmar Company, Gielgud Into the Woods, Open Air Theatre Gypsy, Chichester A Little Night Music, Menier Chocolate Factory Sweeny Todd, Trafalgar Assassins, Menier Chocolate Factory
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Post by Mr Crummles on Apr 3, 2020 13:02:59 GMT
I think my favourite productions are:
All's Well that Ends Well - National Theatre - 2009 - Marianne Elliott Othello - Donmar Warehouse - 2007 - Michael Grandage King Lear - New London Theatre - 2007 - Trevor Nunn The Wars of the Roses - Rose Theatre - 2025 - Trevor Nunn Hamlet - Almeida Theatre - 2017 - Robert Icke Othello - 2004 - (Cheek by Jowl) - Declan Donnellan Julius Caesar - Bridge Theatre - 2018 - Nicholas Hytner Antony and Cleopatra - National Theatre - 1987 - Peter Hall Richard II - Globe Theatre - 2015 - Simon Godwin The Winter's Tale - Garrick Theatre - 2015 - Kenneth Branagh
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Post by Mr Crummles on Dec 25, 2019 1:09:38 GMT
I was going to restrict myself to musicals written in the decade, but realised that I wasn't able to go much further than Matilda, Hamilton and London Road.
So I just decided to write down my favourite productions, regardless of when they were composed:
Jesus Christ Superstar (Regent Park/Barbican) Merrily We Roll Along (Menier) Fiddler on the Roof (Current) Follies (NT) Candide (Menier) Company (Gielgud/2018) City of Angels (Donmar) Gypsy (Chichester) Sweeney Todd (Chichester) Into the Woods (Regent)
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Post by Mr Crummles on Dec 7, 2019 11:02:48 GMT
1- Jesus Christ Superstar 2- Fiddler on the Roof 3- A Midsummer Night's Dream 4- Rosmersholm 5- Rutherford and Son
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Post by Mr Crummles on Dec 1, 2019 11:02:38 GMT
My list includes only the new plays/productions from the last decade that I enjoyed most, leaving the classics, revivals etc.
One Man, Two Guvnors The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time Chimerica King Charles III The Hangmen The Ferryman Network Fanny & Alexander The Inheritance Clybourne Park
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Post by Mr Crummles on Jul 14, 2019 11:24:44 GMT
I thought this was really good. Excellent acting throughout (James McArdle delivers a truly heroic performance, along with other standouts such as Guy Henry, Oliver Ford Davies. Tamsyn Carroll and Ann Louise Ross). I thought the direction was also excellent and the adaptation worked very well. It's an epic, rather than a ordinary dramatic narrative, dealing mainly with thought-provoking existentialist ideas about how Humans understand themselves and their lives. It has some interesting reflections on selfishness that are acutely relevant to our modern times.
Quite a few people left during the intervals, specially the second one (after a stunning scene closing the fourth act). It was actually the first time I noticed an audience in retreat. I thought it was quite a shame that those seats could not have been taken by a more appreciative audience. James McArdle's vibrancy and energy alone would have induced me to stay, even if this had been a less interesting play. Those who stayed, however, responded warmly to the cast's extraordinary efforts during the final curtain call.
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Post by Mr Crummles on Jul 12, 2019 23:01:20 GMT
I thought this was just brilliant. It was my second visit to this production. The first one was in Regent’s Park with Declan Bennett and Tyrone Huntley. At the time I remember thinking that JCS couldn’t possibly be bettered, and that I would never see another Jesus and Judas that could compare to them. Maybe I was a bit premature. Robert Tripolino and Ricardo Alfonso were outstanding and had the advantage of a more fine-tuned production. Robert’s vulnerability and sense of uncertainty and loneliness in Gethsemane was truly heart-breaking. You really had a sense of a hesitant son talking to a formidable father. Ricardo’s black despair in Judas's suicide scene was absolutely devastating. The final scenes, from the Jesus Christ Superstar song till the end, had an almost painful level of intensity. I think it was the first time I spontaneously jumped to my feet to give a musical a genuine standing ovation (I usually just tend to follow everybody else, but halfheartedly, especially as I’d rather see the actors on stage than people's backs).
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Post by Mr Crummles on May 3, 2019 13:22:16 GMT
Being short-sighted, and not brilliant with faces, I never know for sure if I am actually seeing the person I think I am seeing. So take it with a pinch of salt, but I think Chiwetel Ejiofor was sitting, in the row right in front of me, with Frances Aaternir (stunning lady) at the Dorfman last Saturday, at the evening performance of Downstate.
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Post by Mr Crummles on Apr 17, 2019 8:59:47 GMT
I am an atheist myself - or agnostic perhaps - and do worry about very fervent and vocal religious feelings... Yet I think that you can be spiritual without being religious. It's a matter of acknowledging the existence of something that is not tangible but that inspires and awes us. I find beauty very spiritual. The wonderful creations by artists, who lived in religious times, and put their best efforts to convey their religious beliefs, touch me. I think masses and services - with their music, incense and special rituals - were designed to create in people a sense of spirituality, to make them feel the presence of a God. Even if you don't believe in one, you often cannot help but feel touched. I think religious temples, especially Gothic Cathedrals and Muslim mosques, tend to be very strong statements of serene divinity (the former by being amazingly solid and powerful, the latter by being very light and ethereal). I remember 2001: A Space Odyssey. I was amazed at how Stanley Kubrick managed to convey the idea of incorporeal, but highly intelligent beings without showing them. He just used music and spectacular cinema technique to indicate a greatness that cannot be perceived by the senses, explained or fathomed. That’s the magic of true artistry. I don't believe in aliens, but never fail to feel completely gobsmacked when I see the film.
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Post by Mr Crummles on Apr 16, 2019 2:17:57 GMT
It broke my heart to see it in flames. For many reasons. Firstly, it was in the heart of Paris; it was a beautiful structure that WAS the heart of Paris. It was difficult for me to believe that there might be a charred hole, an empty dead nothingness, where once stood one of the most majestic and impressive Gothic buildings ever raised. Cathedrals are designed to look solid and serene, a place to inspire a sense of spiritual strength that will remain for eternity, a reminder of a power much greater than anything that guides our daily affairs. It's a place where we are meant to feel sheltered by the force of transcendence. And Notre Dame's architecture was one of the most successful examples of this type of architecture. Its beauty, serenity and sense of timelessness made people like me believe there couldn’t be a world without it. And I’m not even a religious person, which only goes to show the power of Art. The good news is that recent news seem to indicate that it will be saved.
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Post by Mr Crummles on Mar 26, 2019 12:32:41 GMT
I am very curious to see this.
Having seen All About Eve many decades ago, I revisited it again this weekend and was, unfortunately, disappointed. I had a memory that it wasn't really brilliant, but I thought I would change my mind after all the positive things I have been reading lately about it, usually when comparing it to the stage production. I felt the film suffered from an extremely contrived and artificial screenplay, with little nuance or subtlety, a musty Hollywoodian directing style, and, George Sanders apart, poor performances that went from bland to over-the-top, with little depth either way. That it won the Oscar over Sunset Boulevard, masterly and shrewdly directed by Billy Wilder from an extraordinarily clever script, served by a cast that did full justice to it, still amazes me. To be honest, I can only understand the praises currently heaped on the film to a sense of nostalgia and/or a post-modernist fancy. I can only hope that this stage production is a completely different, fresh and improved take on the original idea. I booked it on the strength of its creative team. I will need to wait till May with fingers crossed to find out.
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Post by Mr Crummles on Jan 6, 2019 11:48:38 GMT
Am I the only one who's not especially excited about this? I am not personally very excited either. I think I appreciate Bette Middler more as comedienne than as a singer. But I am very happy, though, for those who were yearning to see the show, but couldn’t go to New York. I remember the board discussion about the possibility of a transfer and the anguished considerations from some that the transfer was unlikely because of financial realities. So it seems that there is reason to rejoice after all. I saw a very good production, in Regent’s Park, that I found very imaginative and charming. The clip I saw from the Broadway production didn’t look quite as interesting, so I am not that curious to see it, especially as my budget for theatre extravagances this year has been fully diverted to Ivo van Hove’s All About Eve. But I hope everyone else enjoys it.
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Post by Mr Crummles on Dec 27, 2018 23:20:31 GMT
I appreciated much this year, including the much reviled A Very Very Dark Matter. After agonising consideration, which made me leave out shows like Network and Company, I have to say
5. The Inheritance 4. The Lieutenant of Inishmore 3. The Wild Duck 2. Fanny & Alexander 1. Julius Caesar
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Post by Mr Crummles on Nov 13, 2018 16:39:38 GMT
Maybe you can visit the IMDB site to check all films and TV shows the actor appeared in 86 and 87. I saw that he was in a Yes, Prime Minister episode called The Patron of the Arts. He was the Master of Cerimony of a National Theatre award ceremony. Maybe the episode was filmed there. It was aired in 1988, but could have taped the year before. I am sure that this show and much more can be found in YouTube. I hope this helps.
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Post by Mr Crummles on Nov 13, 2018 11:55:30 GMT
I am always a bit wary of adaptations. Some of the comments made here about this production were not very encouraging, but, as I usually like Robert Icke's work, I decided I should go. I am glad I did. His notes worked for me, regardless of how accurate they may be. They just added to the narrative and drama. Perhaps the production should have been called An Essay on the Wild Duck, to avoid letting down people with more purist expectations. Amazing cast. I especially enjoyed Kevin Harvey, who, made me sympathetic to a character that I would normally feel a strong revulsion for. He has a stunning voice too. The little girl, Hedwig (I think I saw Grace Doherty), was also very impressive. It’s interesting that I saw this right after A Pack of Lies. The two plays seem to be about the corrosive – and sometimes venomous – effects of truth.
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Post by Mr Crummles on Nov 13, 2018 9:03:12 GMT
Jude Law at the Almeida yesterday, for The Willd Duck. I think I also saw Rufus Norris there (I am 100% sure as his hair was longer and whiter than I remember from pictures.)
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Post by Mr Crummles on Nov 12, 2018 13:13:55 GMT
I really enjoyed this production. It asks some interesting questions about the nature of friendship and trust. Barbara, the main character, is an anxious, lacking-in-confidence 50s housewife, constantly assaulted by doubts and worries. Perhaps because of a constant sense of impending disaster, she looks for reassurances in friendship, trust and loyalty. She finds those reassurances in her husband and close friends. The Canadian neighbours living across the road - a lively, chilled-out Helen and her more reserved, but friendly husband, Peter - play an important role in her life, as the people who help her to come out of her small shell. When an agent from the British Intelligence Services comes to her house to spy on her beloved neighbours, all her world of security is shattered. Lies all of a sudden seem to be everywhere. She is forced to lie to her friends and daughter and, in return, is lied to. Is everything in her relationship with her best friend a lie, though? Is love a lie without full truth? Should secrets destroy all sense of trust? Does someone love you less because they lie to you? Can someone hide part of her/his life and yet be a trusted friend? And who, after all, is betraying who, Barbara oppressively asks herself, as a sense of corruption of friendship takes over and frankness, transparency and honesty disappear from her relationship with people who matter so much to her? I am sure most people go through a scaled-down version of Barbara’s dilemma at one point of their lives. I thought the whole cast was impeccable, Finty Williams’ brittle Barbara, Chris Larking’s timid but supportive Bob, Tracy-Ann Oberman’s feisty Helen, Alisdair Harvey’s congenial Peter, Jasper Britton’s bullish Intelligence officer, and Macy Nyman’s lovely and vivacious Julie. I can’t read anybody’s mind, but I had a feeling from the audience’s response at the end of the show – a rather robust applause - that they really appreciated it.
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