LONDON TRIP REVIEWS

Nov 99

Taming of the Shrew--excellent production, and liked the intimacy of the Pit.  The feminist in me wanted to scream, but the misogony was handled well, and not really even offensive.

Antigone--wow!  One of the most thrilling productions I've seen of anything.  Jonathan Hyde's voice was worth the price of admission--so powerful and deep and compelling.  I liked Donnelan's producing it in the round, and appreciated his late 20th century translation.  It was all very easy to understand, but not condescending.

Summerfolk--I'm a sucker for repertory, which we don't get much in New York, so being able to see two of the National's repertory plays was terrific.  Summerfolk had a superb cast, and Nick Dear's adaptation was easy a pleasure to hear.

Money--the second of the two National repertory plays I saw was good, but a bit more of a narrative than I like.  Nonetheless, the performances were first-rate, and so was the staging.

'Tis a Pity She's a Whore--perhaps the most powerful play I saw.  It was simply electric.  I'd never been to Young Vic, and like the setup a lot. Even though I missed a lot of the words, having some trouble following the verse, it didn't matter.  The acting was so strong, and the play is so dynamic that you just get carried away.

Juno and the Paycock--once again, Donmar's Warehouse produced a winner. Colm Meaney and Dearblah Molloy were marvelous, and Ron Cook was even better.  Again, I had some trouble fathoming the language, but it didn't interfere with my enjoyment or comprehension.

Song at Twilight--Well, how can one not enjoy seeing Vanessa Redgrave?  I liked her, and Corin's wife (Kiki Markham?), but thought Corin Redgrage was ill-suited to the role.

Comic Potential--Ayckroyd is always a pleasure, and Janie Dee was something of a miracle to watch.  I used to work in television here, so I truly appreciated his savaging of the industry.

The Importance of Being Earnest--made the mistake of seeing it in the evening, after "Antigone" as a matinee.  While I normally can see two plays per day, Antigone was so outstanding, so powerful, so moving, that it biased my view of Earnest.  Although Patricia Routledge was a pleasure to watch, I found the rest of the cast too mannered.  But then it might have been from my afternoon's experience.

The Lion King--it's absolutely impossible to get tickets in NYC, so I got one for London.  I'm not big on spectacle, but did enjoy the imaginative masks, costumes, and production.  It's not much of a story, and the cast can't act, but I don't think it matters.Penny for a Song--a penny is far too much to pay for this ridiculous piece of fluff.  Why would anyone bother to produce this?  I left at intermission.

Quartet--I'm one of those who found it trite, predictable, and altogether wanting.  Marvelous cast, but what a waste of their talent.  Again, left at intermission.

I got a bad cold, so I had to give up my tickets to King Lear and Some Explicit Polaroids, but otherwise I think it was a good theatre experience--far more good productions than not, which is all I ask.

END

(Nov 1999 / Laury Epstein / lauryepstein@mindspring.com