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No country for old women: Old Ladies - at Finborough Theatre

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The day after seeing The Old Ladies at the Finborough Theatre , I was describing the play to someone in great detail: about three old ladies who lived in a rickety house in southern England in 1935. Based on Hugh Walpole’s novel and adapted by Rodney Ackland, it is the sort of story with enough believability, humour and mild thriller to stick in your mind. Perhaps it is the lure of this dark, forboding tale of a life without money, to be alone and to be old, that makes you feel attracted to this poverty porn. But then again, given the state of the world, the cost of living, an ageing population, or just the fact that it’s a dog-eat-dog world, it might as well be an every little old lady-for-herself, too. It’s a well-acted and staged piece that moves at a brisk pace, so there isn’t much time to think about it too much. And in the intimate (or should that be claustrophobic?) space of the Finborough, there’s nowhere to avert your eyes. Even if you wanted to.  The scene is a grim Cathe...

Seven observations on Megan Mullally's First Night in London

  1. Not counting the West End Whingers and friends, the audience for Megan Mullally and Supreme Music Program appears to be a mix of gay men and their mothers. And lesbians. Some lesbians even brought banners to unfurl during an opportune moment. Here's hoping this is a new trend in the West End for lesbians with banners amongst the audience, particularly if they help performers feel less nervous...
  2. When she sings George Jone's The Grand Tour, a song about a man who finds his wife has left him and taken their child, it brought the house down. She sings the song from the point of view of the man, as originally written which went down well with the audience... It's not really lesbian music, but it could be.
  3. The band sounds great and the choice of music is refreshing with a mix that isn't old standards or songs from shows she has been in...
  4. The show promotes her Will and Grace fame to get the punters through the door, and then delivers an evening of great and lacklustre performances of songs of death and despair. So it was understandable that some in the audience felt cheated. The voice is always there though even if Megan isn't...
  5. Given nowadays you're lucky to have performers on stage sober and singing in tune (last night's Brit Awards spring to mind), I had lower expectations than to think we would be getting music with a performance, a nice outfit, flattering lighting or coherent explanations about the origins of the music.
  6. Could somebody please can listen to her anecdotes and then write them down in a script that she can learn?
  7. I must learn how to pronounce her name at some point... particularly if trying to make Audioboos while holding a gin and tonic...

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