People...

Last night Stu and I went to see Alan Bennett's new play People at the Lyttelton Theatre on London's glitzy South Bank.

Not quite as gripping as The History Boys or The Habit of Art it tells the story of a run down country house and the dilemma the current lady owner (Frances de la Tour's wonderful Dorothy), her sister and companion have in disposing of it. Death duties, porn films, a shady consortium and the National Trust all are circling.

It's the National Trust though that comes in for must ridicule. It's compared unfavourably to the Anglican Church in it's irrelevance, it's pomposity and it's shameless (and shameful) self-marketing.

They want to turn everything into a visitor attraction says Bennett. There is nothing they won't exploit. And harsh though it may be, Bennett puts these words in their mouth, there is ‘nowhere that is not visitable. That at least the Holocaust has taught us.’ Ouch.

One Man, Two Guvnors...

Last night Stu and I went to see One Man, Two Guvnors at the Lyttleton Theatre on London's glitzy National Theatre on the South Bank. In Richard Bean’s English version of Goldoni’s classic Italian comedy, sex, food and money are high on the agenda. James Corden returns to the National for the first time since The History Boys to play Francis.

He was actually quite funny too. As was the play itself. Interspersed with songs by a fifties four-piece it was a broad farce set in 1963 Brighton.

On opening, One Man, Two Guvnors received widespread critical acclaim. The Guardian gave it 5 stars, saying that it was ‘A triumph of visual and verbal comedy. One of the funniest productions in the National's history.' The Daily Telegraph described it as 'the feelgood hit of the Summer', The Independent as a 'massive hit' and London's Evening Standard as 'a surefire hit'. Blogging site Everything Theatre described it as 'one of the most side-splittingly hilarious productions ever to be staged in London'.