The Old Vic Archives - North West End UK

Present Laughter – National Theatre Live: The Old Vic

19Jul

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

REVIEWS

Present Laughter – National Theatre Live: The Old Vic

Filmed live during its sell-out run at The Old Vic in 2018, director Matthew Warchus’ multi-award winning production of Noël Coward‘s provocative 1943 comedy delightfully returns to the big screen, as it depicts a few days in the life of the successful and self-obsessed light comedy actor Garry Essendine (Andrew Scott) as he prepares to travel for a touring commitment in Africa. Amid a series of events bordering on farce and with the support of a knowing valet Fred (Joshua Hill) and a housekeeper Miss Erikson (Liza Sadovy), he has to placate both his long-suffering secretary Monica (Sophie Thompson) and his wife Liz (Indira Varma) who form part of his inner circle along with Morris (Abdul Salis) and Helen (Suzie Toase), whilst in this updated gender swap version, also fighting off the a...

A Christmas Carol – The Old Vic

Returning for its fifth year to The Old Vic, Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ feels as new, as innovative and as compelling as it ever was and always will be. On entering the theatre, it’s as if the show has already started, as the entire company mill about, dressed head to toe in dramatic black overcoats and top hats, offering mince pies and oranges to just seated audience members. The hearty welcome and wishes of ‘Merry Christmas’ set the tone for the evening immediately; the excitement in the room was palpable. Enticingly, this show is performed in the round. This may not be entirely unusual, but it it’s not something all that typical in my experience either, and definitely piqued my interest as to how this would influence the production. As it turns out, this may be the most ...

Lungs – The Old Vic: In Camera

On a deserted Old Vic stage Claire Foy and Matt Smith give us a fly on the wall insight into their character’s turbulent relationship. Yes, I did say they are standing on a stage, a sight that warms the cockles as the theatre going public have been starved of their beloved live theatre, The Old Vic have given us a chance to submerge ourselves in this tsunami of emotional drama. Due to social distancing requirements, the set is minimalistic and has been painted a dark grey and the designer Rob Howell appears to have co-ordinated the couple’s wardrobe to blend in. The show is directed by Matthew Warchus and is broadcast via good old Zoom which splits the two so that they can be brought together on screen without being too close to each other on stage. This works well with this production ...