"On The Ceiling" to close early 1 Oct 2005

"On The Ceiling" to close early 1 Oct 2005

Nigel Planer's first play On The Ceiling, has posted early closing notices at the Garrick Theatre and will now close 1 Oct 2005 after a run of only 4 weeks (It was originally booking to 31 Dec 2005)

The show opened 12 Sep 2005, following previews from 30 Aug 2005, to very poor notices from the popular press: NICHOLAS DE JONGH for THE EVENING STANDARD says, "Fails to pass for humour...piffle." MICHAEL COVENEY for THE INDEPENDENT says, "The play goes nowhere fast, and the double act of Cook and Ralf Little is fatally unstruck with bile or animus of any kind...If I were not averse to stating the bleedin' obvious, I'd say the whole thing was as riveting as watching paint dry." MICHAEL BILLINGTON for THE GUARDIAN says, "...rarely gets off the ground." BENEDICT NIGHTINGALE for THE TIMES says, "Rather glum comedy" CHARLES SPENCER for THE DAILY TELEGRAPH says, "The theatrical equivalent of painting by numbers."

It is directed by Jennie Darnell and designed by Matthew Wright, starring Ron Cook & Ralf Little.

The Sistine Chapel ceiling - 1508, The blockbuster project of the Renaissance world.....

But this time the pope has surely backed a loser: The man he's put in charge is simply not up to the job - a tempremental sculptor with next to no experience of painting. He didn't even want the job in the first place and has never done anything remotely on this scale. He's all over the place - when he remembers to turn up for work!

And who has to cover for him? Who has to put in the hours, teach him his craft, patch up his mistakes, deal with his tantrums and get the job done? Who? That's right - like any big project it's the little guys, the professionals, the men who've been doing this kind of thing all their lives...

They're the ones that are actually going to have to make it happen.

As for gratitude, they'll be lucky if he even remembers to pay them!