Bad Nights and Odd Days - Greenwich Theatre

[pledge]

Back in the day (the 70's and 80's) Greenwich was both a seriously successful and even fashionable venue (eg Mia Farrow in 3 Sisters etc); even well into the 80's it was producing both outstanding and popular work. (Eg a superb "Betrayal", Danny Boyle's production of "Two Planks and a Passion", and a wonderful Schnizler play, by no stretch of the imagination standard repertoire.) I went many many times in the 80's and it provided a very high standard of production and repertoire that was also successful with audiences, and automatically reviewed by the national press pretty much as "West End" - so I don't know what's gone wrong. The makeup of the catchment area can't have changed that much. I can only assume it's to do with money, so that no-one seriously wants to take it on; but for the life of me, I don't see why it couldn't once again be the South London equivalent of, say, the Almeida, which it pretty much was in its day...

[ruperto]

So I went to the first night last night - not sure if anyone else here was there or is planning a visit?

I really enjoyed these four short plays (I think it was originally going to be three, but they then added a fourth), which were all new to me, as was Greenwich Theatre.

My favourites were the first and last. Seagulls is a three-hander about a woman who worked at Marks & Spencer who has become a showbiz and scientific sensation because of her telekinetic powers. However, when we meet her, she doesn’t seem terribly happy. The other two characters are her manager and a long-term fan. To me, it had a slightly “sci-fi Alan Bennett” feel - I thought it was great.

I’m not sure why the final one, Not Not Not Not Not Enough Oxygen, isn’t better known - it was apparently originally a radio play broadcast back in 1971, and it’s set in a futuristic/possibly post-apocalyptic London that seems to have been ravaged by some sort of environmental catastrophe - the air outside is a noxious smog. Everyone is living in high-rise blocks, and it’s dangerous out on the streets because there are “fanatics” roaming around who attack and kill passers-by - and themselves too. This is another three-hander.

The other two are both set on/in a double bed. The longer one is Three More Sleepless Nights, which involves two couples. There are quite a few laughs in this piece - one of the two men is a film nut who drones on at great length (but very amusingly) about the plot of the film Alien!

The other one is a slightly more puzzling piece that was again a radio play back in the early 70s. Called Abortive, it’s a provocative and intriguing little number about a couple lying in bed talking about the aftermath of a shocking event: she has just had an abortion after being raped by a man who they seemingly took under their wing.

I’d definitely recommend them if any of that sounds like your cup of tea! There were some very good performances from the six-strong cast. And I really liked the theatre. It wasn’t full - hopefully they’ll get a few reviewers along, and that’ll help them shift some tickets…

[Dave B]

We saw it yesterday afternoon. Far from a full theatre, I think even allowing for social distancing the stage was looking at a reasonably empty audience and ... it showed once or twice.

As to the four plays, we are pretty much lined up with ruperto comments above. Not Not Not Not Not Enough Oxygen was fab with what felt like stepped up performances from the three cast members. Certainly a high note to end on.

Abortive felt like it might needed just a little more story, it left a lot for you to figure out. At one point there are lines about a wife and kids and an au pair and it blurs the lines of what happened to whom for a moment or two. Then the general story of how this man came to meet them and stay but also stalk them and show up crying at the doorbell - seems to be in need of more development. Equally, if that is less important and it's more about the reaction of the couple, then there is too much focus on that man and the play could have been a bit tighter there.

Overall, an enjoyable afternoon, longer than the timing had suggested, it was 17.15 when we got out of the 14.30 matinee.

[cavocado]

This sounds interesting. I looked at booking but can't make the remaining dates. Re the discussion upthread about the lack of single seats, it says on the website to phone the box office if you want different numbers than the groups shown on the seat plan. So if anyone's been put off by the groups of twos and threes, I'm sure they'll sell you a single if you ask.

[joem]

Went yesterday afternoon. Has its moments but some of the plays were very dense and intense, difficult to build up empathy for characters in short plays. Not sure I got the point of the setting? Rail tracks or rollercoaster tracks?

Still, anything is welcome at the moment. Even plays about dystopias which fall far short of the dystopia we are actually inhabiting.

Always hoping the Greenwich Theatre will take its place in the greater London theatre set-up. It often seems to be out on a limb and slightly rudderless.