Blithe Spirit - Harold Pinter Theatre

[Rory]

[Dr Tom]

Just booked for the first night of the week in Richmond. £20 for front row, with Theatrecard discount.

I know the Bath production was discussed in this thread (http://theatreboard.co.uk/thread/6170/tr-bath-summer-season) but not sure if anyone from Theatreboard went to see this in the end?

[jampot]

Yes...good fun! Not amazing...JS being very old lady JS...

[NeilVHughes]

One I’ll look to catch at Richmond rather than the West End.

[vickyg]

Was thinking of booking at the Duke of York's last night but the only less expensive tickets are in the Upper Circle which I hear from Theatre Monkey struggle with leg room. I might also take a nice trip out to Richmond as I can't justify big money for this one, although I haven't looked at the prices so they may be similar!

[londonpostie]

Sept 25, 2019 11:06:44 GMT vickyg said:

 I might also take a nice trip out to Richmond as I can't justify big money for this one, although I haven't looked at the prices so they may be similar!

Don't know where you are but I booked Richmond having discovered it's 16 minutes on the fast from Vauxhall

[MrBraithwaite]

Booked this for March as I missed the one with Angela Lansbury a few years ago. Not the same, but looking forward to it.

[marob]

I saw this in Bath and I'd agree with jampot . I think the problem with this play is that it kind of ends up being The Madame Arcati Show, so it's always a bit of a drag when she's not onstage.

Just FYI the set in Bath had a balcony(mezzanine?). Not a lot happened there but there's the odd moment where you'll probably need to look up, so that might be something to bear in mind when booking.

I saw Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike there the same day and thought that was a lot funnier. I hope that gets a transfer, it really deserves to be seen by more people.

[jampot]

Sept 26, 2019 9:04:08 GMT marob said:

I saw this in Bath and I'd agree with jampot . I think the problem with this play is that it kind of ends up being The Madame Arcati Show, so it's always a bit of a drag when she's not onstage.

Just FYI the set in Bath had a balcony(mezzanine?). Not a lot happened there but there's the odd moment where you'll probably need to look up, so that might be something to bear in mind when booking.

I saw Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike there the same day and thought that was a lot funnier. I hope that gets a transfer, it really deserves to be seen by more people.

We did the same..Loved Vanya! JD was so funny in her Snow White outfit..!

[Dr Tom]

Thought this was very good tonight. My third Blithe Spirit, having seen Penelope Keith and Angela Lansbury in the past. This version was very traditional, but performed very well.

Jennifer Saunders milks all her comedy as you'd expect, but this really depends on a strong supporting cast, which it has. Runs 2 hours and 30 minutes. Laughs throughout, something which very few plays can say.

My first time in the Richmond Theatre and it's a little gem. Full (or close enough) tonight, a well-behaved audience and an excellent view from the front row with plenty of leg room. The stage is slightly high, but not a problem for a show like this.

The surrounding area looked interesting too. I'll explore when it's warmer and lighter. The theatre is hidden around the back of the centre on a quiet street, but under five minutes walk to the station. So it's an easy journey with the District Line, overground and plenty of buses too.

This will do very well in the West End, but you'll probably get a better experience (and cheaper tickets) if you travel out to Zone 4.

[NeilVHughes]

Was also at Richmond tonight.

Jennifer Saunders rules the stage and there is a slight vacuum when she is off stage but enjoyable nonetheless and special mention must be made of Rose Wardlaw as the maid whose comedic flair adds to any scene she is in.

Dr Tom glad you found Richmond Theatre to your liking, next time maybe make a day of it and check out the Orange Tree Theatre and in the summer chill out on the Green beforehand or take a walk along the river, I will weather permitting sometimes get off at Kew and walk the 2 mile riverside path to Richmond.

[popcultureboy]

Feb 17, 2020 23:50:18 GMT NeilVHughes said:

Jennifer Saunders rules the stage and there is a slight vacuum when she is off stage but enjoyable nonetheless and special mention must be made of Rose Wardlaw as the maid whose comedic flair adds to any scene she is in.

Rose Wardlaw following in the footsteps of Patsy Ferran, who stole the Lansbury production out from under everybody in that same role.

[Steve]

Saw the matinée, and agree that this is an excellent "Blithe Spirit," which milks all the laughs there are (I wish there were more), but also works as a gripping narrative.

Some spoilers. . .

One of Charles Condomine's ex-wive's suggests at one point that he has a "seedy grandeur" to him. In previous productions I've seen, that quality has been presented as superciliousness, which has irritated me, and caused me to feel the play is misogynist.

For me, the great strength of this production is that Geoffrey Streatfeild's Charles is neither seedy, grand nor supercilious. He is instead, witty, harried and thoroughly empathetic. He is like a character in a Western trying to dodge bullets flying in all directions, and a wonderful grounded centre for a comedy.

His wives, Lisa Dillon and Emma Naomi are also brilliantly cast, in that they are the opposite of each other, such that you believe each can see in the other the adequacies they fear they may themselves not possess. Thus, Dillon is thoughtful where Naomi is careless; Dillon is nervy where Naomi is icy; Dillon is ruffled where Naomi is stately. As a consequence, when they clash, both are funny.

With the central triangle working in unusually harmonised dramatic and comedic concert, the supporting ensemble really fly.

Jennifer Saunders at once milks solid laughs from her scattily unpredictable approximation of a posh headmistress, as well as convincing as a medium who means business, without ever hogging the limelight to the detriment of the drama.

Lucy Robinson and Simon Coates, in their role as guests and witnesses, effectively act as avatars for the audience, with Robinson infectiously enthusiastic and Coates infectiously unenthusiastic.

And Rose Wardlaw does indeed follow Patsy Ferran into making the small role of the maid a laugh riot, with her own unique comic mannerisms, and her ability to squeeze the comic juices hard, and then later, still harder, such that she gets the longest and loudest laugh of the show.

Overall, I don't rate this as Coward's best play, for overdoing exposition when we would rather be laughing, but this is the best and funniest production of this show I've seen.

4 stars from me.

[londonpostie]

Didn't work for me. Nice walk along the river before it got dark.

[sherriebythesea]

I’ve never been to Richmond before. I’m very close to Vauxhall. Do I need to go on South Western rail site and book anytime return ticket or can I just use Oyster card? Does this include the express train?
The station looks fairly close to theatre. Where would you recommend an early dinner?

[vdcni]

Feb 20, 2020 4:42:11 GMT sherriebythesea said:

I’ve never been to Richmond before. I’m very close to Vauxhall. Do I need to go on South Western rail site and book anytime return ticket or can I just use Oyster card? Does this include the express train?
The station looks fairly close to theatre. Where would you recommend an early dinner?

Richmond is Zone 4 so Oyster Card is fine.

For a meal Richmond has all the standard chains and a good selection of pubs that do decent food particularly The White Swan, The Britannia and The Orange Tree.

Don Fernandos is by the station and nice, a bit further away (though still around 5 minutes walk from the theatre) are Buenos Aires, The Vault and Antipodea.

[londonpostie]

Feb 20, 2020 4:42:11 GMT sherriebythesea said:

I’ve never been to Richmond before. I’m very close to Vauxhall. Do I need to go on South Western rail site and book anytime return ticket or can I just use Oyster card? Does this include the express train?
The station looks fairly close to theatre. Where would you recommend an early dinner?

I'd encourage you to go down early and wander around - Richmond has a number of olde lanes leading down to the Thames and endless eateries (from formal restaurants to very decent pubs). The natives don't bite and will know how to point you towards the Green and theatre ('the Green' is more like a park).

As you may know, Tripadvisor can be helpful in this regard.

Def worth the 16 mins. journey from Vauxhall. Very frequent train service - hop on the train with your Oyster. It is also on the District Line (the green tube line), though that is a longer, slooooower journey.

[sherriebythesea]

That was fun. When I saw Bette Midler in Hello Dolly she was just Bette, not the character. I was worried this would be the same but it wasn’t. Ms Saunders was in character the whole time

[vdcni]

I enjoyed this but didn't love it, it wasn't a patch on the Lansbury version of a few years ago nor the Penelope Keith before that. Miles better than Alison Steadman's attempt though.

I thought Saunders might just give us a panto turn but she mostly avoids that and lets the character come through and provides most of the laughs and yes it sags when she isn't around in a way that the last production didn't.

Geoffrey Streatfeild and Lisa Dillon are fine though not as effective as Charles Edwards & Janie Dee were but Emma Naomi is a real letdown, it's hard to see what Charles saw in her and she wafts around the stage to little impact. Sorry to hark on about the last production again but Jemima Rooper absolutely nailed the character last time and emphasised her seductiveness while Naomi just seems to be in a constant bad mood.

Rose Wardlaw was very good as the maid, in some ways more memorable than Patsy Ferran as there was a lack of laughs elsewhere and Lucy Robinson really stood out for me, a delightful performance as Mrs Bradman.

Not convinced by the slightly different end to usual though, don't think it really added anything.

[Deleted]

Feb 20, 2020 4:42:11 GMT sherriebythesea said:

I’ve never been to Richmond before. I’m very close to Vauxhall. Do I need to go on South Western rail site and book anytime return ticket or can I just use Oyster card? Does this include the express train?
The station looks fairly close to theatre. Where would you recommend an early dinner?

Depending on the day you go you might be able to combine with The Mikvah Project at the Orange Tree Theatre as well.

[sf]

Saw it tonight.

Pleasant, entertaining, funny, but not earth-shattering - and while it IS funny, I've seen the play be funnier (I remember a wonderful production at the Royal Exchange with Susie Blake as Madame Arcati). Jennifer Saunders is giving exactly the performance I expected her to give in the role; she's great fun and worth what I paid for the ticket, but she's also rather predictable. It's all very safe, and all very nice, and the spark that can make this play so much more than that isn't quite there. Nice set, nice curtain, nice lighting, decent work from nearly all the rest of the cast, but Emma Naomi's Elvira is so wooden I think I got splinters.

If you're looking for a (relative) bargain, C22 in the dress circle is excellent value - off to the side, sold as restricted view, yes it's a bit restricted but there's no action you can't see and it's much cheaper than the seats further in.

[Theatre Fan]

I expect Baz to announce tonight. Reportedly back in the West End with Jennifer Saunders, this time at the Pinter from September x

[Rory]

I wonder if Good and The Watsons will come back to the Pinter eventually.

(Baz has tweeted that he won't be tweeting much tonight as it's a Bank Holiday!)

[marob]

May 27, 2021 20:10:59 GMT Rory said:

I wonder if Good and The Watsons will come back to the Pinter eventually.

(Baz has tweeted that he won't be tweeting much tonight as it's a Bank Holiday!)

I have to work bank holidays so I didn’t realise Bank Holiday Thursdays* were a thing. 🤷🏻‍♂️


(*that's the phrase Baz uses, I’m not being bitchy)

[partytentdown]

I guess he decided it was not the "end of Thursday nights" as previously claimed.