[brian]

Has anyone been to see this play in the West End yet. I understand that it is now previewing. I saw it in Richmond and thought it was excellent. Will be glad to have other re=actions.

[brian]

I know! I know! I know! It's not a musical. I don't know how I got into that slot when it should have been PLAYS.

[Jenny_tyr]

This topic has now been moved to the "Plays" forum.

[June]

I saw the Royal Exchange production of this last year with Diana Hardcastle and Will Young and it was excellent. Despite what some snotty critics said!

[cha003]

I seem to remember a rather good production with Maria Aitken and Rupert Everett, where he appeared to play the piano extremely well .... or am I imagining things??

[Alnoor]

The Donmar production with Francesca Annis and Chiwetel Ejiofor was excellent.

A

[armadillo]

What is it about this play and intervals? The Donmar production also had 2, completely unnecessarily since there were no complicated scene changes. Since the Royal Exchange only had one, I can only imagine that some directers are on a percentage at the bar! Whatever the reason, is there anyone whose heart doesn't sink when they see the words 'two intervals' in the programme?

It's a very dated play now. The 'shocking' plot twist isn't the drug use (which is a much smaller part of the play than one might think if you haven't actually seen it) but that the mother is having an affair with a younger man. Which today's audience know from the first moment they enter, yet you're meant to gasp when it's revealed two acts later. Were 1920s audiences really surprised? And does anyone really care about the spoiled brat of a hero who, at the age of 25, doesn't even consider for a moment that he could just get a job and leave home? Sadly, I assume the only reason it gets revived so often is because of the paucity of decent parts for older actresses though it really does them no service.

[Ian Walton]

I was at the Vortex last night. I thought it was an OK production and there were some nice performances from Phoebe Nicholls and Annette Badland (though I note the latter omitted reference to her role in Shoestring in her programme CV!). Felicity Kendal has always been a favourite of mine and I thought her performance in the third act was impressive. In his role as Nicky I have to say that Dan Stevens kept on reminding me of Leonard Rossiter playing Reggie Perrin - I think it was just something about the rather manic aspects of the performance - be interested if others who have seen this performance think the same.