A Dish of Tea with Dr Johnson
From: Wednesday, 31st August 2011
To: Saturday, 24 September 2011
Our Review: 
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Synopsis
[Max Stafford Clark[, Russell Barr and Ian Redford have adapted James Boswell's Life of Samuel Johnson and Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides into A Dish of Tea with Dr Johnson which plays a limited season at the Arts Theatre .
Irritable, generous, depressed, witty and wise - meet Samuel 'Dictionary' Johnson: poet, essayist and lexicographer.
In a charming show of stories and conversation, celebrating Johnson's unique take on life, Ian Redford reprises his acclaimed performance as the 18th century icon.
Russell Barr plays a host of characters from James Boswell and Joshua Reynolds to King George III and Bonnie Prince Charlie's saviour Flora Macdonald. Trudie Styler appears as Mrs Thrale, the society hostess who was Johnson's final, unrequited love.
Following a much praised sell-out UK tour, A Dish of Tea with Dr Johnson comes to the West End for a limited run of only 4 weeks.
Our Review:
Michael Coveney - 8 September 2011
This Out of Joint production, returning to London following a national tour, pays affectionate tribute to one of the greatest Britons of them all – ‘Dictionary’ Johnson.
Lexicographer, essayist, philanthropist and salon wit, his enduring fame is thanks in no small part to the publication shortly after his death of Boswell’s Life of Samuel Johnson, upon which this play is partly based.
I say play, but in truth it's more a collection of aphorisms, observations and biographical notes, as Johnson (Ian Redford) spars variously with Boswell, Joshua Reynolds, Flora MacDonald and King George III, among many others all played by Luke Griffin (standing in for Russell Barr).
Eventually, we also get a glimpse of his long-time companion Hester Thrale, played seductively, if affectedly, by Trudie Styler; why she doesn't play the other female characters I'm not entirely sure.
There’s a greatest hits of Johnson’s wittic...
Cast
Trudie Styler (Mrs Thrale - the society hostess who was Johnson's fineal unrequited love)
Ian Redford (Samuel Johnson)
Russell Barr (host of characters from James Boswell and Joshua Reynolds to King George III and Bonnie Prince Charlie's saviour Flora Macdonald)
Creative
James Boswell (with additional material by Russell Barr Ian Redford and Max Stafford-Clark) (Author)
Out of Joint (Company)
Max Stafford-Clark (Director)
Tim Shortall (Design)
Christopher Nairne (Lighting)
Karen Large (Costume)
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