Writer and creator of The London Literary Pub Crawl.com. and a few plays. BohemianBritain.com. Event and Theatre Producer. Done quite a bit on the wireless too!
At the press night of ‘The Deep Blue Sea’ at Theatre Royal, Haymarket. It’ll be interesting to see what it’s like, because the last time I saw this was with the lovely and late Una Stubbs, an unknown director, Michael Grandage and a young Rebecca Raybone. Wonder what they’re doing now…? 😀
Nick being important! (Not!)
AFTER THE SHOW… I’d forgotten what a great play this is and what a great playwright Terrence Rattigan was. And Marc Elliot was brilliant as always. (Oh okay… he’s a mate. But he IS good!) And Tamsin Greig was a revelation as Hester. It’s an ‘old’ play, that feels completely contemporary. I’ve not been ‘officially’ asked to review it by the company, but it’s a great show.
🍷🍷🍷🍷 – 4 out of 5 glasses of student wine! And one Orange Juice to cherish! 🍷
Cherish The Orange at Theatre at The Tabard. And Edinburgh Fringe in August 2025. Produced by Alice Fenton.
Phoebe Taylor, Honey Gawn-Hopkins, Hattie Millard, Emma Morgan and Lily Sutcliffe.
On paper, the notion of a bunch of young women, all at University, all forced to stay together in one flat due to Covid, could be a very obvious show. But my expectations were delightfully exceeded by Fruitcake! For this, brilliantly, is a story about real friendship. Young female friends. But friendship. The format is clever too.
May, Bea, Stella, Alice and Freya are flatmates in their last year of university, suddenly flung into close proximity by the Covid Pandemic. They all have very different personalities and we get to see these through the clever use of soliloquies, each character sharing their wants and worries. Two of the friends are trying to write Slam Poetry, using the only people they are allowed to see – their flatmates – as inspiration.
The glory of this piece is its ordinariness! It feels like a real slice of life. The characters are all glorious. They are friends, so, for example, when one of the girls has a boyfriend for the first time, the problem isn’t about anything more than the fact her friends miss her company and a couple of them feel slightly jealous of the time she spends with him. And then others defend her, so she doesn’t feel bad about it! And when one of the friends goes against the Covid rules and goes out more than she should, another friend thinks she can’t cope with this and talks about moving back home. Potentially ‘losing’ one of the gang becomes a real issue for the whole group.
Other highlights including their dancing. They do it only occasionally, but brilliantly!
This was only a workshop event, but there are few stories told about ‘regular’ women. All the performances are strong and the pace never drops or becomes self-indulgent. Once the cast have more time with their characters, I think this will be a must-see, slice of life production. They are at the Edinburgh Fringe next. Go see it. You’ll soon see the benefits of becoming one of their friends.
The lovely team from @cherishtheorange talk about their brilliant production of Fruitcake and its plans for @edfringe in August. Full review to follow.
As he begins preparations for another Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August, Nick Hennegan celebrates the ‘Beyond The Fringe’ veteran and comedic genius, Alan Bennett.
We’ve been celebrating – commemorating? – the end of the Second World War in Europe.My Dad lied about his age, joined the army, and volunteered for the Parachute Regiment. He dropped at Arnhem and was a Prisoner of War.
This is a thing I wrote a few years ago. I think it’s still relevant. It respects the lost generation. And there will be another post later with some true stories about the Second World War!
My Dad on the Thames embankment in London, for the first time, aged 86. Note cap in hand.
It’s been an unusually domestic week for me. And with remembrance day, British troops in Afghanistan and the Sun newspaper giving Gordon Brown a bad time over his handwriting, one that has given me pause for thought too.
It was a big week on the domestic front because my Dad, at 86, had never been to London before! He apparently drove near it in the 1940’s, but that was in the back of an army truck. So he and my sister came down for a few days. I don’t think I ever spend enough time with my family. Is it just me or do we all feel like that? I am so focused on trying to create art and avoid arts oft-nearby regular bedfellow – grinding poverty! So it was nice when they came down, and as ever my partner, Bex, was the perfect hostess, worrying over every detail.
Dad actually passed near London in the 1940’s to jump on a plane for Operation Market Garden at Arnhem. Dad was a paratrooper, a ‘Red Devil’ and was part of the cock up that marked A Bridge Too Far. He was wounded and spent a long time as a P.O.W. It’s just as well he was captured when he was. I checked his company details on the ‘tinterweb and the very day of the morning of his capture most of his comrades were wiped out by a machine gun nest. Incredible, but true.
We did the usual thing, showing Dad and Sis around darkest Chiswick and taking them to our favourite haunts. I’d met them both at Euston and we took the Northern and then District Line Tube to get home. Now my Dad is sharp and full of humour and although his hearing isn’t too good (and he occasionally, stubbornly refuses to wear his hearing aid) and he’s not as lithe as he used to be, he’s certainly nobodies fool! So it was strange to see how strange the everyday of London was to him. He was fascinated by the electronic signs inside the tube carriages. He thought they were a great idea and seemed transfixed by them all the way back to Stamford Brook. He couldn’t understand the need for all the different tube lines.
“And what if you’re colour blind with all those colours on that train map?” he commented. He was also shocked by how violently the turnstile doors slapped open and shut. I think he may have a point there.
But what really made me think was us walking from Westminster to Embankment pier past the RAF war memorial. I was slightly ahead of Dad, looking for my camera. When I looked back he was looking up at the memorial and had his flat cap in his hand.
I walked back to him. “You all right Dad?” I asked.
“Just thought I’d say hello to the boys,” he said and nodded at the memorial. “They looked after us as much as they could.”
I took the pic (above), then he doffed his cap to the memorial, put it on his head and off we went.
I asked him about it later. Dad was born into extreme poverty, the youngest of eleven kids. His mom, my Grandmother, died when Dad was seven. My Grandfather, Paddy, was an Irish labourer from County Mayo in the west of Ireland. He was a big drinker (so THAT’S were I get it from… not my fault then!) who would often use his belt on the kids when he’d had a bit too much, which was most nights. I have some sympathy. Not with beating the kids, but the pressure must have been immense. There were 12 of them in two rooms in an up and down house in Leeds and often they went hungry too. There was no welfare state to help out back then. When Paddy sobered up later in life he would often tell Dad the army was a good way out. Three square meals a day was a lot better than the everyday life they enjoyed. So aged 16 Dad and a mate from Leeds lied about their ages and signed up. Not the best of times to join the army. As Paddy said,
“Join the army, yes, but not when there’s a bloody war on!”
Dad was grateful to the airman who took care to give them a safe landing at Arnhem. But it transpired later that there were other people looking out for him too. Dad’s C.O. never acknowledged Dad’s age. But the day they got captured, the day Dads platoon was massacred, the C.O. got his company up in the early morning, and moved off quietly, leaving Dad and his young chum asleep. When they woke up, the older guys had gone. The German officer who first captured them looked set to turn violent until he saw their age. In perfect English he said to Dad, “You are too young to die in this war.”
And it got me to thinking about the current engagements. The loss of life is hugely regrettable and tragic and indeed many of my cousins in Leeds were in the forces, but was WW2 the last TRULY justifiable war? Can the 9/11 tragedy be compared to the invasion of Poland by Hitler? Is it right the Sun newspaper seems to be making an attempt to discredit the P.M. by using and directing the anger of a grieving mother? Isn’t that just a bit too much 21st century?
Something don’t smell right, kids. I feel uncomfortable. I suppose it’s always us, the great unwashed, the working class who get stuffed by other peoples principles; it’s always us that ends up galloping into the cannons or marching into the hail of shot. But is it right, nowadays? I dunno. This time last year, during a performance of Henry V – Lion of England, in Brighton I had actor Ed Morris place a poppy in his coat at the end of the show which caused a palpable gasp from the audience. (I won’t give too much away about that. I want you to see the show!) But what do you think?
I’m just very grateful to Dad’s C.O. and that unnamed German officer in Holland. Or I almost certainly wouldn’t be here to ask these questions.
🍷🍷🍷🍷 – 4 out of 5 glasses of fine claret! (And a Saki 🍷 !)
In full disclosure, in spite of my.. er…’exciting’ age (!) I have NEVER seen a Gilbert and Sullivan production, although I’ve worked on a few shows where the songs, lyrics and characters have been plagiarised or borrowed for comic effect.
And I think I’ve missed a trick! G and S may have written this a century ago, but Director Keith Strachan has conjured up a sparkling and attractive ensemble piece that feels very contemporary. Oh… and it’s great fun!
If you know The Mikado, you will know that it is set in a fictionalised Japan that never existed. You will also know the story is quite daft and the characters all have very silly names. It all took me a bit by surprise, so it’s worth mentioning if you’re a first-timer. But don’t be put off by that, because now you know!
And I guess that because most productions would have large-scale orchestras in huge theatres, the intimacy of the Tabard Theatre once again works a treat because you can hear every word and relish every beautiful harmony. No microphones here! And this Take Note production has mustered an exceptionally talented cast of nine.
Hidden away at the side of the stage is Musical Director Annemarie Lewis Thomas whose keyboards sound full and complete. She is joined by actor/muso Erica Flint, whose jaunty performance and flute feels finely on tune. Flint is joined by actor-musician Nicholas Curry, the fresh faced, tank topped romantic lead playing Nanki Poo, all innocent charm, who is prone to producing a trumpet and adding his brass to brilliant effect. Alongside fellow romantic lead Tilly Goodwin who is a yummy Yum Yum, low-key, fun and flirtatious.
Contemporary references and adaptations of the original show include a song ‘I’ve Got a Little List’, with some sharp digs at Elon Musk, climate change deniers and various politicians, and The Mikado’s song, with references to “late-running district line trains”, at which a section of the audience applauded.
John Griffiths plays two roles – the bewildered and slightly pompous Pish Tush, then the Mikado himself after the interval, all swagger and more pomp, his red velvet cape swirling regally for all its worth.
Martin George as Pooh Bah is the very essence of a ‘haughty and exclusive’ official, a corruptible and self-important man, who brilliantly was “born sneering”. He is matched by an intense Fed Zanni as Ko Ko, also known as the Lord High Executioner, fighting for the affections of Tilly Goodwin’s Yum Yum whilst decked out in a thick pinstripe suit and spats.
JJ Lam as Pitti Sing and Sophie Jugé as Katisha have strong solo musical moments, the latter having great fun as the Mikado’s putative daughter-in-law, wielding a riding crop rather alarmingly and getting a bit over-wrought on occasions.
Finally, as Peep Bo, Millie Fryer-Hornsby – apparently making her stage debut, although you wouldn’t know it from the confidence and verve of her performance – is in fine voice and, with Sophie Jugé, provides the nimble and very attractive choreography.
This is very much an ensemble piece and Strachan balances the elements brilliantly; the pace is beautifully judged, and the articulation of the often complex lyrics is perfectly annunciated.
It all looks lovely too. The set is airy open, with a tiled floor surrounded by a stone balustrade and backed by a cloudy sky. Eliza Podesta’s inventive and colourful costumes hit just the right tone and Sandra Szaron’s summer-toned lighting adds vibrancy and cleverly focusses attention at key moments.
So yet another hit from The Tabard Theatre. Go see the show, a perfect offering for both G and S aficionados and virgins.
Theatre at the Tabard. The Tabard Pub, Bath Road, London, W4 1LW.
Presented by Take Note Theatre Ltd. for the Tabard and The Maverick Theatre Company.
Greg Snowden and Juliet Ibberson
A Ghost of A Chance gets A Spooky 5 stars at The Tabard.
Twenty-seven years ago, “A Ghost of a Chance“ by Nick Hennegan won many rave reviews and awards. Recently, Nick has significantly updated the script and set it in his local studio theatre pub in Chiswick in 2025 rather than its original setting in 1998 in another local pub in Birmingham.
It’s a humdinger of a production. Initially it appears to be a domestic drama, however, the narrative swings into a Faustian melodrama exploring the workings of Bob’s desperate mind as he tries to fathom out how to solve the issues he is forced to confront.
Bob is writhing in guilt as he concealed his redundancy from his wife and daughter. Now, threatened with repossession of their home, his angst leads him to a point of no return. Or does it?
Astonishingly, he is offered a massive fortune, but what is the sacrifice he must make to achieve a life of unimaginable wealth and leisure?
The beautifully paced and ingenious script is superbly performed by Greg Snowden as Bob (a character based on Nick’s own brother) and Juliet Ibberson as Tammy.
Oh my, oh my, Greg and Juliet are a dream team: perfect repartee, spot on timing and deeply convincing performances. They bring to life two poignant, yet at times, amusing characters who are drawn into an insidious plot that develops menacingly.
Then there is Guy Masterson as Luke. His textured voice completely intimidated me as it ominously resonated around the auditorium.
Music and sound effects created by Robb Williams added atmosphere and shudders to Bob’s grim, unenviable dilemma. A dilemma that can only be solved by Bob, and Bob alone, within a very limited time zone.
Muffled gasps and stifled squeaks escaped from the riveted audience, who were trying to fathom the outcome of this multifaceted plot’s numerous twists and turns.
Oodles of praise for Nick Hennegan’s masterly direction of his masterly script. He creates an evening of great entertainment: it absorbs, thrills and challenges the audience’s sensibilities to reflect on issues that many people have experienced or are experiencing.
The Theatre at the Tabard has produced many, many outstanding productions and “A Ghost of a Chance” is another glorious feather in this wonderful Studio Theatre’s cap:
