A Flea in Her Ear at The Old Vic Theatre – Time is Running out!

When I worked in Financial Services, my previous employer used to sponsor productions at The Old Vic theatre, and I often wondered whether my chums and I would be treated to a free viewing or an invitation to a preview. Huh! No such luck!  So, yesterday when I saw an advert on the "Visit London” website (http://www.visitlondon.com) to see "A Flea in Her Ear” by Georges Feydeau for £11.99 I snapped up a ticket. What a bargain! What is more, I had heard a lot of positive feedback about the play and I have been a big fan of Tom Hollander since seeing him in "In the Loop"  and "Rev" – he’s such a cutie!

Photo Credit: The Old Vic

 The Old Vic Theatre is about a 7 minute walk from Waterloo station and is situated on The Cut. When I arrived, the queue was spilling out the door. I had booked the matinee performance and although London was bathed in sunlight, it was flippin’ freezing! To my delight, I had been upgraded from the Lilian Bayliss Upper Circle to the Stalls in the middle of the row (5^th row from the back) – RESULT! Thank you nice people at the Old Vic Box Office ;-) I was even more thankful when I realised I hadn't brought my glasses with me! Doh! My blonde moment!

Outside the Old Vic Theatre

The first thing I noticed when I sat down is that I had plenty of legroom (yippee!) no knees at my shoulders like some of those other theatres in London (you know who I am talking about!).The theatre itself is stunning, there is a golden chandelier which dominates the room, it had 37 lights on it (yes I counted them; well I had time to kill before the performance!). The gold painted cornicing is also beautifully done. I would have shown you a lovely picture of the inside of the theatre but I got my wrists slapped when I tried to take a photo :-( The man (dressed in black) said it was not permitted! I think other people had the same idea as I heard him delivering the same message time and time again! Such a shame!

As I look around, it is clear that this play has a wide appeal; the row in front of me has a group of bilingual female teenagers who dip into French and English when chatting to each other. It is also attended by young professionals,middle aged couples and senior citizens in equal numbers. There are a few empty seats beside me so I can put my bag and jacket on the next chair and begin to relax.

The play is set in Paris at the height of the Belle Epoque. The beautiful wife of Victor Emanuel Chandebise, Raymonde Chandebise, suspects him of having an affair and she enlists the help of her dearest friend, Lucienne to entrap him. Their plan to entice him to a rendezvous at the notorious Hotel Coq d’Or spectacularly misfires and chaos ensues with hilarious results. 

There are around 15 characters in the play, but without giving too much away, the characters impressing me most were:

1)     Victor Emmanuel Chandebise & Poche

The former is the husband suspected of infidelity, the latter is a hotel porter who is fond of Vermouth. Both characters are played by Tom Hollander; a comic timing genius who is able to pull off some quick costume changes!

2)      Carlos Homenides de Histangua

The husband of Lucienne, (best friend of Raymonde Chandebise), a passionate and violent Spaniard with a very thick and amusing accent. Played by John Marquez.

3)     Camille Emmanuel

The young nephew of Victor Emmanuel, who has a speech impediment; he is unable to pronounce consonants! Barking mad? Absolutely! Played by Freddie Fox.

The play itself is just over 2 hours long with a 15 minute interval to top up drinks and tuck into some ice cream.

After being translated by John Mortimer, the play originally opened in London in the Old Vic in 1966, so it is  really fitting that Richard Eyre directs it here once more. 

The last performance is on Saturday March 5 2011 so there isn’t much time left!

If you fancy having a giggle and have a couple of hours to spare in the afternoon or evening, take a trip down to The Old Vic theatre and enjoy a performance of "A Flea in Her Ear".

Book online at:

http://www.oldvictheatre.com/

Tell them MeLikeyUK sent you!

Enjoy x

The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare at the Greenwich Playhouse Theatre

It’s been a while since hubby and I have ventured into theatreland, so I was attracted to the recent offer quoted on www.lastminute.com alluding to the production of “ The Comedy of Errors” by William Shakespeare. 

Photo Credit: http://www.galleontheatre.co.uk/

The offer was £9 per ticket and was showing locally, at the Greenwich Playhouse theatre, one of the smaller theatres in London. Although having studied Shakespeare at school (Hamlet and Macbeth), I have only seen one Shakespeare play, which was Measure for Measure, and this was in a hot and stuffy theatre in Edinburgh during the festival. At the time, both my boyfriend and I were students and I thought it would be a good idea to introduce him to British culture (he was French), mmmm a decision I soon learned to regret! Much frowning, vacant expressions and pants of exasperation soon ensued and my boyfriend did not show much enthusiasm either!

After some deliberation, I took the plunge and booked 2 tickets for the Saturday night performance. I should inform you that the aforementioned boyfriend is now my hubby and we have been living in London for 11 years, so he is now more accustomed to the British lifestyle!
The Greenwich Playhouse is accessed via Belushi’s bar (http://www.belushis.com) which is located on the left hand side of the main exit of Greenwich train station.

Seating plan inside Greenwich Playhouse
Photo Credit: http://www.galleontheatre.co.uk/

The theatre is snugly situated above the main bar and would comfortably accommodate an audience of approximately 60 people.

Not to give too much away, The Comedy of Errors is one of William Shakespeare's earliest plays, believed to have been written between 1592 and 1594. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity. It has been adapted for opera, stage, screen and musical theatre.

The Comedy of Errors tells the story of two sets of identical twins that were accidentally separated at birth. 
Antipholus of Syracuse and his servant, Dromio of Syracuse, arrive in Ephesus, which turns out to be the home of their twin brothers, Antipholus of Ephesus and his servant, Dromio of Ephesus. When the Syracusans encounter the friends and families of their twins, a series of wild mishaps based on mistaken identities lead to wrongful beatings, a near-seduction, the arrest of Antipholus of Ephesus, and accusations of infidelity, theft,  madness, and demonic possession.

There are approximately 16 characters in the play, with some actors taking on duplicate roles. The acting is superb and the performances are enhanced by the intimacy of the theatre. Quite often we were inches away from the actors and actresses. We were particularly amused by the master and servant relationship portrayed by Antipholus and Dromio (both sets of twins!).
The running time is 2 hours and 15 minutes with a 15 minute break after 1 hour. Drinks are permitted in the theatre and the audience is encouraged to top up at the bar during the interval.

This production runs until 20 February and is a great alternative to the cinema. Even without the discount, full price tickets are £12 which is still excellent value for money!

If you fancy introducing some Shakespeare and comedy into your life, book online at:

http://www.galleontheatre.co.uk/whats_on_now.html

  

You won’t be disappointed!

Tell them MeLikeyUK sent you!

Enjoy x