Good Grief by Keith Waterhouse: Richmond Theatre

10^th October 2012

Having been to the Richmond Theatre a few times, I went on my own.  I am on their mailing and access lists and a handy review of their autumn season suggested a few plays  of interest.  It was a sunny day on the Wednesday so I headed for Richmond on the London Overground and tapped my way to the Richmond Theatre, by Richmond Green. 

Good Grief by Keith Waterhouse was playing starring Penelope Keith and I bought a ticket in the front row of the stalls (neck stretchers for the sighted), an ideal spot for listening and occasional glimpse of the actors.  The front-of-house staff were very attentive, and I was shown the accessible facilities and then taken to my seat.  During the interval, the ticket desk wrote down the names of the actors.

There are only four speaking roles, that of June a recently widowed person coping with bereavement.  Her stepdaughter Pauline, a man (Douglas) who bought her late husband’s checked suit from an Oxfam shop and her husband’s colleague, Eric, who did not get the plum job at the newspaper. 

Memorial Service music plays in the background and as the lights dim and Parry’s “I was glad” strikes up (why?), the play starts.  June (Penelope Keith) has a one way conversation with Sam her dead husband while continuing to have dialogue with the other 3 characters.  

There are frequent scene changes which are cued with lighting, music and appropriate noises.  The scenes are mainly in June’s house and in the pub, where she orders pale ale.  Themes such as betrayal, self deception and adjusting to widowhood are littered with some comic scenes. 

I got lost at the end of the first act and asked my neighbour what happened.  I think that was the only occasion and if you go - it was Pauline who rang the bell and Douglas was on the stairs as the curtain came down. 

Those who like Penelope Keith in classy Surbiton roles may be disappointed as Ms Keith plays Northern English, the others being Home Counties.  It is funny though a bit clunky at times and I am not sure that all the monologue/dialogues were timed to perfection.  My neighbour described the end of the first half as a denouement or cliff hanger.  I am not sure but thought the meta-theatrical bit was good, at the end!

This play could be written for radio and I followed it with only the one question, which, by the way, was not really a cliff hanger.  It was enjoyable and may tighten up on tour. I laughed at the same time as the rest of the audience which means the play does not rely on too many visual cues. The music cues were varied and the scene changes appeared to be obvious enough. A knowledge of Fleet Street and references to El Vinos should be familiar enough to anyone with some awareness of journalism and the running of a newspaper title. 

The cast is:

Penelope Keith – June Pepper
Flora Montgomery - Pauline
Jonathon Firth - Eric
Christopher Ravenscroft – The Suit

Producer Theatre Royal Bath Productions.

Director Tom Littler.
 
The production is on tour at the following locations:

Mon, 15th October 2012 to Sat, 20th October 2012
Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury

Mon, 22nd October 2012 to Sat, 27th October 2012
Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham

Mon, 29th October 2012 to Sat, 3rd November 2012
Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford

Mon, 5th November 2012 to Sat, 10th November 2012
Arts Theatre, Cambridge

Mon, 12th November 2012 to Sat, 17th November 2012
Malvern Theatres, Malvern

(Source: http://www.uktw.co.uk/Tour/Play/Good-Grief/T0142180003/)

Volcano by Noel Coward: Richmond Theatre

Update: 10/6/2012

This production is on tour around southern England.  Details of performances and the tour can be found at the following website: http://www.kenwright.com/index.php?id=1283

Towns include Bath, Brighton, Bromley, Cambridge, Eastbourne, Oxford, Shrewsbury and Windsor.  These local theatres will have their own arrangements for access.  This production can be attended without the need for audio description, as much of the play can be followed with the context and some helpful reading of the programme beforehand if you're with sighted friends.  If on your own, this review ought to give you some idea of what to expect.

*** end of update


Being allowed to sit in a normal chair (without being raised) I have started making theatre visits again. I am booked on audio described performances at the National Theatre in the next few weeks, but started off with a visit to Richmond Theatre in Surrey to see Noel Coward's Volcano.

Richmond Green with Richmond Theatre in the background

Surrey, 6th June 2012

Noel Coward wrote Volcano in 1956 and this play has been ignored because “he was regarded as a crumbling colonial relic outmoded by a post-war Labour government and the rowdy commotions of the Angry Young Men back home”.  The Angry Young Men refers to writers such as John Osborne, Kingsley Amis, John Braine, Edward Bond and Alan Sillitoe among others.  A masterpiece it is not though very enjoyable nonetheless.

The run of the play has just started at Richmond Theatre.  I attended a matinee and as this was my 3^rd visit to this theatre I opted for the front row of the stalls since they offer the best sound angles (almost 180 degrees) and one’s legs can be outstretched. 

There are 7 spoken parts: 3 couples and a widow. One of the couples appears to be content and they are witty (the Craigies, Robin played by Robin Sebastian and Grizelda played by Finty Williams). The other couples are not happy and this is apparent in the dialogue.  Jenny Seagrove plays the widow Adela Shelley who owns a banana plantation in British Samoa (why?) and the threat is a smouldering volcano (not a High Wind in Jamaica) – a metaphor for the plot. Unhappy spouses gather at the terrace of the estate house.  The two couples are: Guy Littleton played by Jason Durr and his wife Melissa played (superbly) by Dawn Steele; Keith Danbury played by Tim Daish and his wife Ellen played by Perdita Avery.

I found I could work out the 4 female roles quite easily though the late arrival of Keith confused me.  There are phantom characters who fill in the back story and the dialogue is reasonably slick though a bit rough from time to time.  This is probably due to Coward’s writing. 

After a rather slow start (for a supposedly sexy scene of technical chastity) the plot brightens up with the arrival of the happy couple and gets intriguing with the arrival of Melissa.  The fur flies as two women spar and the rest look on.  The dialogue is of the much parodied type of “Beyond our Ken/Round the Horne” with:  I know; I know you know; I know you know I know type and probably half the audience laughs at this. 

The sound effects of the volcano are convincing though the lightning may have been overdone during the eruption.  Characters are lost and found (echoes of Hugh Paddick and the Binkie Huckaback character).

This was an enjoyable performance. My neighbours in the audience included one who knew a lot about Jenny Seagrove and another who mentioned, loudly, that Judi Dench’s daughter was in the show.  From the cast list I asked my companion if there was a Ms Williams on the list and sure enough Finty Williams fitted the bill.  Not having a television, I fail to recognise some actors unless they do a lot of radio work or I have heard them on the stage before.  

This play is relatively straightforward for a first “viewing” and I had only to ask one question during the performance of the “Who is that character ?” type.

TIP

Update your access requirements on a theatre data base. If you are noted as visually impaired there may be some special arrangements which often mean access to reductions, booking assistance, companion concessions and touch tours and/or audio described performances.  I am collecting some details of facilities for the Edinburgh Festivals and will post them from time to time.

Richmond Theatre: www.atgtickets.com/richmond