Pinter at the Pinter

I have very mixed feelings about Pinter. I've seen some excellent productions, such as 'The Hot House' , and others which I enjoyed less, such as 'The Birthday Party', and 'The Caretaker', or where I enjoyed them because the talents of the actors made p for the text!

So when I saw that there was to be a season of 'Pinter at the Pinter', showing all of Pinter's short plays, I was ambivalent about whether or not to try to see any of them.

As I was going to London anyway for King Lear, I did decide to go to see 'Pinter One', mainly on the basis of the cast, which includes Paapa Essiedu, Antony Sher and Maggie Steed.

And afterwards, I still had mixed feelings about Pinter.

'Pinter One' started with Press Conference - a politician, the new Minister for Culture, (Jonjo O'Neill) taking questions about his new role...including comparing it to his old role, as head of the secret police. He cheerily confirms that he has the same aims, and chats about abducting children and raping women, and about, in his new role, stifling criticism or dissent.

It sets the tone for the rest of the evening, which includes One for the Road, in which Antony Sher is an apparently affable government functionary, interviewing a man his wife, and son. His chatty manner and apparent wish to be liked, initially masking his ruthlessness and near absolute power over them, as he interrogates them, revealing that they have been tortured. 

There was also a new sketch, discovered by Pinter's wife following his death, The Pres and an officer, in which we see a Trump-alike American President (Jon Culshaw)  give orders to nuke London, in the mistaken belief that it is the capital of France - which is too horribly plausible, right now, to be funny..

I didn't stay for the final play, Ashes to Ashes, as I had a train to catch, but over all, I enjoyed some of the performances, but less the actual plays. 

Racing Demon

I had a very busy weekend so it will take more than one post! 

It all started on Friday evening, when I went into Bath to see 'Racing Demon' at the Theatre Royal.

It is the first of a trio of plays (none of which I've seen before)  by David Hare about English/British Institutions. This one is about the Church of England.

It was written in 1990 and it is focused on issues of that time, but still worth watching.

It is based around the  members of a team ministry. Lionel (David Haig), the lead rector, who has lost faith in the Church, and perhaps, in Go. Harry (Ian Gelder), a closeted gay vicar whose younger partner resents his unwillingness to risk being outed, 'Streaky' (Sam Alexander), cheery and good natured but, (as gradually becomes apparent) also liable to pick the path of least resistance, and finally Tony, (Paapa Essiedu) a newly ordained curate with an evangelical approach, who, over the course of the play, moves from enthusiastic evangelist to uncompromising, and unsympathetic, zealot.

Add into the mix a Bishop seeking to oust Lionel from his post, and raging against the ordination of women, and a sleazy reporter seeking to 'out'  Harry, and there is plenty going on.

A primary reason why I booked was because Paapa Essiedu was in the cast (I saw his Hamlet at Stratford last year, and was very impressed) In this production, he plays Tony, who is far from being a sympathetic character, and does so extremely well - he progresses from being the new, someone naive curate and becomes increasingly uncompromising, and willing to sacrifice Lionel and the others to his own, rigid beliefs.

In fact, the past generally was very strong. Ian Gelder was very good, in a subtle and understated performance.

I did get a little thrill when I realised that Amanda Root (Who is, and will always be, Anne Eliot to me!)  was also in the cast. She gave a  brief but powerful performance as Lionel's long-suffering wife.

I enjoyed the play. Parts of it felt pretty dated (which given the play is 27 years old is perhaps unsurprising), but the underlying issues around loyalty, friendship and responsibilities are still relevant, and I am glad I went. (the performance I saw was the last but one of the run)

Shakespeare Live!

Yesterday, 23rd April 2016, was the 400th Anniversary of Shakespeare's death, and the Royal Shakespeare Company and the BBC collaborated on a celebration, which was broadcast live on BBC2 and to cinemas.

Naturally, I watched. It was fantastic.

It was introduced by Catherine Tate and David Tennant (who of course, as well as their performances together on Doctor Who, appeared as Benedict and Beatrice in Much Ado about Nothing in 2011)



The evening featured wonderful snippets of Shakespeare's plays, but also other art inspired by him, such as Ballet -  Tyrone Singleton, of the Birmingham Royal Ballet, who danced Othello, was particularly impressive  (I enjoyed that more than the Romeo and Juliet pas-de-deux)

There was also opera (The English National Opera, giving parts of Berlioz's 'Beatrice et Benedict' and Verdi's 'Falstaff') and more music and dance - Akala, Rufus Wainwright, Gregory Porter, Rufus Hound and Henry Goodman performing 'Brush up your Shakespeare', and Joseph Fiennes wandering around Stratford upon Avon with his hands in his pockets, giving a potted biography of the man himself.

Al Murray as Bottom (C) BBC

There were, of course, some wonderful performances - Judi Dench and Al Murray, as Titania and Bottom, Harriet Walter as Cleopatra, Meera Syall as Beatrice.

And, one of the biggest highlights of the evening, Paapa Essiedu (currently appearing as Hamlet at the RSC, and doing so exceptionally well) came in in order to give the 'To be, or not to be' soliloquy, and was, alas, rudely interrupted...





(If the video won't play for you, Paapa is interrupted by Tim Minchin wishing to give advice about the speech, followed in turn by Benedict Cumberbatch (mistaken by all for Eddie Redmayne) Harriet Walter, David Tennant, Rory Kinnear, Sir Ian McKellen and Dame Judi Dench ("It is I, Hamlet the Dame") and finally, Prince Charles...  

I would have loved it if they had managed to get Maxine Peake, too

Sadly, the video stops at that point, and doesn't show Paapa going on to give the full speech, which cannot have been easy, following directly on from the sketch!

Sir Ian McKellen

And directly afterwards, Sir Ian McKellen gave 'The Migrant's Speech' from Sir Thomas More:

Grant them removed, and grant that this your noise
Hath chid down all the majesty of England;
Imagine that you see the wretched strangers,
Their babies at their backs and their poor luggage,
Plodding tooth ports and costs for transportation,
And that you sit as kings in your desires,
Authority quite silent by your brawl,
And you in ruff of your opinions clothed;
What had you got? I’ll tell you. You had taught
How insolence and strong hand should prevail,
How order should be quelled; and by this pattern
Not one of you should live an aged man,
For other ruffians, as their fancies wrought,
With self same hand, self reasons, and self right,
Would shark on you, and men like ravenous fishes

Would feed on one another.

It was beautifully done.

I would have loved to have been in the audience at Stratford,but as I couldn't be, I'm glad they broadcast it.I believe the full thing is available on BBC iPlayer for the next month.

Happy Birthday, Master Shakespeare! 

( I may also have spent some time watching Tom Hiddleston and Jeremy Irons in 'The Hollow Crown', and am looking forward to the next ones, the first of which is going to be shown early next month)