Never So Good, National Theatre, 19 Apr 2008

I am normally a fan of Brenton but...

God did this one drag on.

I'm not saying it's not good -it is good. Just not my thing. Kind of seemed endless to me. Or maybe I just dislike the Lyttleton stage for being so annoyingly big.

Whatever, anything to see Robert Glenister, even in a very supporting role.

Mark Ravenhill Double Bill, Royal Court, 16, 17 & 19 Apr 2008

Yes, I went to watch the "Fear and Misery/War and Peace" double bill three times.

And it wasn't just because of Joseph Millson. (Though I can't deny his flawless performance had a lot of weight in my decision).

I have no trouble admitting just how much I love Ravenhill's work and I think he is getting better and better at short plays (the New Connections assigments are really joyful to watch on stage). I like "Fear and Misery" slightly better (and then again, maybe it's just Joseph Millson) but both pieces are excellent and putting them together helps them achieve a fuller impact on the audience.

Burn Gorman was a pleasant surprise and he was quite impressive in his role. Will have to follow his next steps closely.

I can't honestly remember a night out at the theatre where I felt this satisfied in months. Well done, Royal Court, well done.

God of Carnage, Gielgud Theatre, 3 Apr 2008

I somehow had forgotten how hilarious Ralph Fiennes could be.

Great fun of a play, one is thankful for the lack of interval and although I wish Tamsin Grieg's character had a bit more flash, all in all there's little to complain about in Reza's comedy. I am sure it dealt with many great themes but seriously, I couldn't be bothered with a deep analysis of it.

As the big fan of Takin Over the Asylum that I am I enjoyed seeing Ken Stott on stage a great deal, too.

This is probably the kind of play one could recommend to practically everyone, it's a crow-pleaser and for once I don't use that expression with as much disdain as I could.

The Lover/The Collection, Comedy Theatre, 27 Feb 2008

Charlie Cox was very good in it. Like very VERY good. Colour me surprised. A star is born.

The rest of the thing was excellent as well. One has to love Pinter's playfulness, always. Great set design and with Gina McGee (I was so excited upon seeing her) and Timothy West in the cast very few things can go wrong.

Friggin expensive, though. Worth it, anyway.

Speed-the-plow, Old Vic, 1 Feb 2008

Okay, that was pretty pointless.

I love Mamet when he is at his best but he does repeat himself a lot.

Kevin Spacey seemed too artificial to me but Jeff Goldblum was quite a treat - the best thing about the production by far.

The Vertical Hour, Royal Court, 25 Jan 2008

It was Anton Lesser's Brutus at the RSC's production of Julius Caesar that toured to Madrid what made fall in love with theatre as a medium, and the first time I started toying with the idea of becoming a playwright someday myself.

So it's always exciting to see Lesser on stage, the genius that he is.

David Hare's script offers him a chance to shine but only at times; there's indeed a gorgeous, long scene between him and Indira Varma (flawed but heartfelt performance) in which Lesser takes the stage and grabs the audience and you understand why he is possibly the best at what he does. But what surrounds that scene of very good writing is weaker than this central moment. It's not a bad play but it looks unpolished and clichéd at times. I like Hare's work, but I'm not uncritical about it at all. The Verical Hour is shaky and ultimately unsatisfying for the audience as we feel that we have witnessed something that could have been great but isn't.

The production itself was well-observed and classy, a very Royal Court business, with an unintrusive set by Mike Britton that was quite wonderful.

Despite the reservations about the play Anton Lesser is always worth the money, any money. And Indira Varma is a solid presence we hope to see more of. Tom Riley was weak in his part but somehow he looks promising, you can tell he is going to get really good with time.

Reviews:
Guardian.
Telegraph.