Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
The Wild Duck (Donmar)
It is a cold winter this year, but that only makes the theatres even more convivial spaces especially as there is a particularly strong showing of quality productions here right now.
First up, I was lucky enough to get in to a preview of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? which has transferred from Broadway’s Longacre to the Apollo; once word gets out I predict it is going to be impossible to obtain tickets to this fine show. The divine Kathleen Turner – somewhat buxom now reminds one physically of Liz Taylor in Mike Nichols’s abiding film version of playwright Edward Albee’s greatest work – was unfortunately constrained by laryngitis and sounded like an out of breath Elaine Stritch. The night belonged to her riveting counterpart Bill Irwin, who also played the Broadway production lead in Albee’s other masterpiece – The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?. Mireille Enos as the hapless ingénue pulled off a difficult part with aplomb. Not only is it over forty years since the work premiered and the running time is three hours with two intervals, but nothing has dated or dented the script.
Booking until May 13.
Nor has anything dated another solid, almost flawless production at the most reliable theatre space for quality in London – the Donmar Warehouse – of Ibsen’s The Wild Duck – in a skilful new version by David Eldridge. I am always amazed at how the Donmar team manage to create spectacular atmospheric spaces in their peculiar shaped building. Michael Grandage (the artistic director of the Donmar) directs.
Booking only until February 18.
The musicals Billy Elliot and Mary Poppins, which I saw in October, are still running to good houses as they deserve. Both are actually more enjoyable than their film versions. Billy Elliot has visceral moments – the performances are superb, the book is excellent, though the Elton John musical score is bland, almost dismissible – only a few highly derivative genre driven tunes rise to the occasion. Mary Poppins is a treat- though now with a largely new cast that has received a marginally less enthusiastic reception. Chicago and The Producers continue to run and run, while Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Woman in White (also unkindly known as ‘the bitch in beige’) is giving up the ghost after a disappointing reception.
