Hogarth vs Garrick: A Whimsical Theatrical Encounter

Round About Hogarth By Gareth Armstrong.

Tabard Theatre, Bath Road, London W4 1LW.

I wasn’t sure a show about a Roundabout in West London would be able to hold me for a whole 75 minutes! Sorry… West London (bad) joke. There is a roundabout named after the painter William Hogarth. And his house in Chiswick is still here, and open to the public.

This new play by Gareth Armstrong is a two-hander which is quite light on story or plot, but is an entertaining look at an apparently real-life friendship between well‑respected theatre actor David Garrick and the satirist painter William Hogarth. The set by Rachel Griffin works marvellously well too, with three golden‑framed portraits, emblematic of the era, a table covered with written pamphlets on one side of the stage and an easel and canvas at the other.

We first meet the two artists in Westminster Abbey, musing over Shakespeare’s monument and the Latin inscription above it. Garrick can understand the inscription and Hogarth can’t, which defines this duo’s personalities. After a second meeting, Garrick reluctantly agrees to sit for Hogarth and the two slowly begin to develop a friendship. It’s a battle of sorts of pompous wit and conversations around love, art, and its meaning.

Miles Richardson plays Shakespeare fan Garrick, the century’s greatest actor, with ease and familiarity. Terence Frisch is brilliant as a rougher, tougher, socialist Hogarth, bringing wit, humour and a slice of self‑deprecation to his portrayal.

Gareth Armstrong also directs and manages to keep the production moving. It’s an intelligent play peppered with historical context and commentary, but also with contemporary references which also asks very modern questions about aspiration, charity, social depth and personal legacy. The play explores the contrasts between the two. Patrician versus Plebeian, Latin versus English, Elite versus Popular.

For example Hogarth shares stories of his pug dog, Trump, named for his remarkable flatulence! The unfavourable mutterings about Trump the pug serve as a double entendre about current politics. There are other occasions when the dialogue tips dangerously close to being almost farcical and breaking the fourth wall at the end is a gamble, but one that pays off brilliantly.

There are also some surprisingly tender moments. The whole result is enjoyable and strangely informative and you should get to the Tabard for a quality wine and a quality production. I hope I’ve painted an accurate picture of this great show. I’ve been to both the Garrick Club and the Hogarth Gym in London!

Photo: Matt Hunter.

🍷🍷🍷🍷 – 4 out of 5 glasses of fine claret!

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