Today's Joanna Page is What the Butler Saw, the last play of Joe Orton, which our Joanna appeared in in 2005. And which I didn't see, of course, so can't tell you if it was any good, but here's a review from The Stage. At some point, I'll get on to watching some more of JP's movies and do some proper reviews, but work's a bit busy at the moment.

In What the Butler Saw, Dr Prentice, a psychiatrist, attempts to seduce his prospective secretary, Geraldine Barclay (JP). But his wife is being seduced and blackmailed by Nicholas Beckett. She therefore promises Nicholas the post as secretary, which adds further confusion, including Nicholas and Geraldine dressing as the opposite sex. Dr Prentice's clinic is then faced by a government inspection. The inspection, led by Dr Rance, reveals the chaos in the clinic.

As you might have guessed, it's a farce.

The pic above is just about the only pic of JP from the production that I could find (any others gratefully received). So as a special treat, here's a truly delightful picture of two Ali Larters in Heroes to round it all off nicely.

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Today's Joanna Page is The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, her first ever stage appearance, in which she played a schoolgirl. See if you can spot her - she's in school uniform.

Today's Joanna Page is Fat Pig, Neil LaBute's size-related comedy play, which has been running in London for a good few months now. In fact, I've already reviewed it - twice.

However, from the 11th September, it's going to be moving away from the Trafalgar Studios to the Comedy Theatre and Rob Webb and Kris Marshall are going to be replaced by Nick Burns and Kevin Bishop respectively. Then from October, Joanna Page is going to be off filming the Gavin & Stacey Christmas special and is going to be replaced by Kelly Brook. No word on what's happening with Ella Smith, yet.

So here's a publicity shot of our Joanna with Kevin Bishop (photo by Simon Turtle). And this is her (with Matthew Horne) in Gavin & Stacey:

What a chameleon. How's she do that?

PS There's a video on the Fat Pig web site in which Neil LaBute interviews the current cast. In it, Rob Webb admits there was an evening where he chose to play Tom as “a complete spoon” then changed his mind and went back to playing it the original way. Any want to bet he did it on the night that I first went to see it, thus explaining the change in performance by the time I went back to see it again?

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Today's Joanna Page is Very Annie Mary, a little movie set in Wales that features just about every Welsh actor in existence. It stars Rachel Griffiths, an Australian actress who impressed everyone right up until she joined the cast of Brothers and Sisters, as Annie Mary, the frustrated (in every sense) daughter of Pavarotti-impersonating baker Jonathan Pryce. 

She wants to help her best friend, the seriously ill 16-year-old Bethan Bevan, get to Disneyland and singing in a talent contest might be the only way to get the money. And despite being 22 at the time, Joanna Page played that sick teenager.

Continue reading "Today's Joanna Page: Very Annie Mary"

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Ms Rullsenberg has nudged into my consciousness the fact that Safety Catch, a Radio 4 comedy series about a reluctant arms dealer, is currently enjoying a repeat run at a sensible time on said station. Hooray!

It stars Darren Boyd, Joanna Page (yes) and Brigid Forsyth and is really quite funny, if you're into slightly black, apparently un-PC yet not comedy. If you've missed any episodes - which is likely since it started its run on the 8th July - you can catch up using the iPlayer or through my last blog entry on the subject, which links to all four episodes. You can also find out more about the show from the British Comedy Guide, which has been good enough to quote me alongside The Guardian and the Daily Telegraph for some reason on its “press clippings” page about the show.

However, after having the show nudged back into my consciousness, I decided to investigate a bit to see if a second series has finally been commissioned. And lo and behold it has, according to writer Laurence Howarth. The second series should be airing next year some time - no word on if there have been any cast or character changes or when recordings are going to be. I s'pose I could ask, but that sounds a bit like hard work. Maybe later…

In a return to its roots, Today's Joanna Page eschews the excitement of the review and the intellectual delight of the polemic in favour of pure pictures, since it's time for the 2004 touring production of Billy Liar, which I obviously didn't see (even though it began its run at Bromley's Churchill theatre).

I can't even comment on the story, since although I've seen the movie version, it was so long go, all I can remember are about three images from the whole thing. And I haven't seen the TV series. Or read the book.

Oh dear.

Continue reading "Today's Joanna Page: Billy Liar"

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