Henry V...

Last week Stuart and I went to see Jude Law perform in Henry V at the Noel Coward Theatre in London's glitzy West End.

The play is a fairly straightforward account of Henry V's attack on the French at the Battle of Agincourt and his subsequent woeing of Catherine of Valois.

Mr Law gave a super performance as the battling king and as a straight history play it's fine. It begins to sparkle however when Shakespeare give full rein to his witty prose in the woeing scene.

This is the last of Michael Grandage's productions at the Noel Coward and I for one will be sorry to see him go.

A Midsummer Night's Dream...

Last night Stu and I went to see A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Noel Coward Theatre in London's glitzy West End.

Starring Sheridan Smith and David Walliams as Titania and Bottom, Michael Grandage's production both entertains and delights.

Walliams brings his best Frankie Howerd impersonation to the proceedings which actually works quite well in the context of playing a 'bad' but crowd-pleasing actor. Tit(ania) ye not. Smith is suitably luscious as the beguiled Faerie Queen and in many ways carries the piece.

Having the faeries all be hippies who smoke spliffs and take acid is actually quite a good production ploy as it leads well into the central conceit of the star-crossed lovers getting loved up on Oberon's flower juice.

Katherine Kingsley's Helena and Susannah Fielding's Hermia squabble entertainingly enough but the action really takes flight as their male lovers, Lysander (Sam Swainsbury) and Demetrius (Stefano Braschi), get down to their underwear. With all those rippling muscles and washboard abs on show it occasionally took on the appearance of an Abercrombie and Fitch advertisement. Dancing around the action is Gavin Fowler's Puck. A mischievous imp played to perfection.

All in all a great show: a super Puck, a funny Tit and a ripping Bottom. Go see!