Where: Duke of York's Theatre, St Martin's Lane, London
When: 7.45pm Mondays-Saturdays, 3pm matinees on Thursdays and Saturdays. Runs for 10 weeks from the 15th July 2008
How long: One and half hours without interval
How much: £15-£47.50 (includes £1 restoration levy)
Tickets from: 0870 060 6623 (+£3), Ticketmaster (+£3) or www.theambassadors.com (-£1.50/ticket on top three price bands)

Yes, I'm back. It's me, “Easily swayed into going to the theatre by famous TV casts” man. How you doing?

This time, I went to see Catherine Tate (Doctor Who, The Catherine Tate Show), Chris O'Dowd (The IT Crowd) and Francesca Annis (Between The Lines, Dune and Krull - she's been in better stuff, too, but the last two amused me) in some sort of play or something about teachers behaving badly.

Continue reading "Review: Under the Blue Sky"

Read other posts about: The IT Crowd

Where: Apollo Victoria Theatre, London 
When: 7.30pm Mondays–Saturdays, 2.30pm matinees on Wednesdays and Saturdays
How long: Two hours 50 minutes with a 20 minute interval
How much: £15-£60 (concessions available)
Tickets from: 0844 826 8400 or www.ticketmaster.co.uk

Okay, I'll admit that musicals aren't really my thing. But when you get given a "dinner and theatre" Red Letter Day by a nice person, there's not much to choose from except musicals: Wicked seemed the best option by far. 

I'm glad I went though, since despite the "tourist trap" rep and obvious singing and dancing, it's quite a fun evening out.

Continue reading "Review: Wicked"

Okay, I've already reviewed this. I know. But my wife wanted to see it, and she was gutted when we couldn't use the free tickets Fat Pig's PR guy offered us – two hours before the performance was due to start, mind – so I thought I'd treat her to dinner and the theatre yesterday. Cos I'm nice.

The thing about both movies and TV shows, though, is that they're always the same. Once recorded, they're immutable. But theatre changes every night. The actors can improve or vary their performance, be tired one night and turn in a dodgy performance, get bored, or ad lib, for example. Mistakes can be fixed – or new ones can turn up.

So two weeks on, is Fat Pig better or worse?

Continue reading "Review: Fat Pig (again)"

Read other posts about: Gavin and Stacey, Peep Show

Where: Trafalgar Studios, Studio 1
When: 7.30pm Mondays–Saturdays, 2.30pm matinees on Thursdays and Saturdays
How long: Two hours with a 15 minute interval
How much: £25-£45 (+ £1 restoration levy)
Tickets from: 0870 060 6632 or www.theambassadors.com/trafalgarstudios

My free tickets never arrived. Gosh. How can that be after all my publicity work? Maybe they got lost in the post.

Turns out the Fates wanted me to see it anyway.

You see, I was supposed to be going out to see a movie last night with my sister. But last week, she emails me. There's been a terrible mix-up with a theatre booking and she's ended up with matinee tickets which she can't use. But the box office has been able to sort it out and instead get her tickets for the night we were supposed to be going to the movie – do I mind seeing Fat Pig?

Oh.

Fat Pig starring Robert Webb (Peep Show), Kris Marshall (My Family), Ella Smith (Cape Wrath/Meadowlands) and Joanna Page (Gavin & Stacey)?

Well, it would be a shame for them to go to waste…

Continue reading "Review: Fat Pig"

Read other posts about: Gavin and Stacey, Peep Show