If you could go to any theatre show on at the moment.......

[Earlybird]

.....what would it be?

I'm very lucky to have a friend with impeccable contacts in the theatre world. He's in from New York in early March, and has offered to take me to see whatever I want. What's out there that's powerful, provocative, uplifting or just extra fine acting?

What do you fancy?

high or low brow?

Musical or straight drama.

Measure for Measure is on at the National at the moment.

Hamlet is on at the New Ambassadors Theatre

A Midsummers Night Dream is on at the Novello Theatre.

Personally, as well as seeing those, I would want to see Martin Shaw in A Man for All Seasons.

what about Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
I read a couple of good reviews of that

Blackbird. Not a fun evening out but a critically acclaimed Edinburgh transfer with the wonderful Roger Allam in and some overrated minx called Jodhi May Chance to see two of our best stage actors and David Harrower's impressive new play.
I'd skip the revival of Romans in Britain though
If he is venue-orientated whatever is on at the Menier in Southwark might be worth a punt. It is regularly making arts pages headlines lately.

wild duck altough think it finishes soon.

blackbird, although not sure i woudl call RA wonderful.

2000 years

billy elliot

The Old Country. English Touring Theatre. Timothy West in the lead role.

He is a porky sex god beety (still swoon when remembering his and Susan Fleetwood's funny, touching, middle-aged Beatrice and Benedick a good while back). What is not to love
Wonder if he likes raffia...

i was working on that seaons marina, Susan Fleetwoods Arkadia and RA Trigorin

At the Albery Theatre there's a play called something to do with Blackbirds which sounds really good. Roger Allum is in it.

Ow Marina - I've just seen your post.

oh please don't tell me he is a tosser in RL beety...I saw the Seagull too. But it was MAAN that stuck in my mind. Poor Susan

he is not a tosser, he is slightly up his onw arse!!! but very witty.

susan was mad mad mad, but gorgeous and very sad yes.

Spidermama, that looks good. Nice to see some really strong touring and regional rep theatre returning at last (Crucible springs to mind as good example) and strong new directors like Michael Grandage getting really established.
I can imagine SF being quite a nice handful, beety and, actually, RA also being up himself to some extent. He was the best thing BY FAR in that Old Vic pantomime...

yes she was. also she was Terry Hands Ex so it was lsighlty strnge.

I dint see RA in pantomime..although was sent an emai recntly asking for me to put my name down for RA to be knighted..hmmm

Is 'Cats' not on anywhere then?

For refusing to be upstaged by Ian McKellen's turn he deserves to be knighted, frankly, but I swear I am not behind the e-mail campaign.
I must be the only woman who saw Privates on Parade at the Donmar, who ignored Dennis Harman (pre-EE) totally starkers, in the hope of seeing some of Roger Allam nude. He was playing a transvestite God I need to get out more...

Lots of good suggestions here that have got me scrambling for my issue of Time Out! The fact that you lot are talking about things I've never even heard of sadly reinforces just how far out of the cultural loop I am at the moment!

Marina - what is the revival of Romans in Britain that caused a from you? And, I've looked at the review of what's on at the Menier - "Sunday In The Park with George" - which sounds interesting...

Oooh - choosing is going to be such fun!

Did someone let a tiny invisible philistine in here?

And Hi5 are on at the Hammersmith Apollo...

Well....I can go highbrow or lowbrow, I'll have you know! Booked in for the Wiggles in July already.....

Not the botties Earlybird (older Mners might remember the original production of RiB got Mary Whitehouse in a tizz over extended scenes of simulated male rape), more that the premise (war is eternal and men are thugs down the ages) is not that well done, and the language is bombastic and...boring. The Late Review mob (not that I always agree with them) thought it was dire and snoozeworthy and not worth reviving...

It's good to have eclectic taste

I saw Martin Shaw in A Man for all Seasons last week. He was fabulous, and had a really great supporting cast. Worth getting good seats though, as he speaks very softly in the first half. Got my tickets half price at the half price ticket booth at Leicester SQ.

Now the Wiggles really would have finished Mary Whitehouse off. Ready to "Wiggle", indeed. Those guys are creepy.
I will start a thread begging for donations to get SL VIP tickets to the Pussycat Dolls' next appearance...

EB, if you can get seats and it is still on, the Menier production of Sunday has had warm but not ecstatic reviews. But then Sondheim NEVER gets raves in the UK, of course...
The whole package at the Menier is good: Interesting building conversion, recent programming successes, and a bistro serving menus themed to the current production

Thanks Marina - will look into it. You've given me some great ideas - any others that you think of will be welcome too!

Just curious - not for my special night out, but for general information - is there any advance word on the Alison Moyet/Dawn French show? At least, I think it was Dawn French....