Well

Saw Well by Lisa Kron at Studio 2 at Trafalgar Studios last night.

I'd heard good things about Natalie Casey, but even despite those, I was still blown away by her. There is always that awkward cross-over when you go from TV to stage, because on stage you have to be so much bigger, in every sense. Then to have to find a middle ground in a theatre that seats less than 100 is, I imagine, very difficult. She managed it though... quite beautifully. The cast around her was strong too, but I would quite happily have loved it just as a one-woman show - I was that enthralled by her.

So yes... very pleased to have seen it and loved seeing Studio 2 so packed out. I don't doubt they'll be sold out all this week til they finish.

War Horse

I am ashamed to admit that this was my first ever theatrical visit to the National. Of course I'd been before, and I'd seen their productions elsewhere previously, but I'd never actually sat in one of their theatres before. Very glad that is now rectified.

Anyway, War Horse more than lived up to expectations. I remember absolutely adoring the book when I was younger and was disappointed not to have seen it last time.

It was beautiful... elegant and subtle and just lovely. I thought the cast, in general, were strong.

My only negative was that after spending the first act thinking I recognised him, I placed Patrick O'Kane (Freidrich) at the start of the second act as having been the Macbeth that I walked out of in Stratford recently. Given that this is the only time I have ever left a theatre early in my life, it gives some indication as to the strength of my feeling against his acting.

To give him his dues, he wasn't as bad as I remembered him as Macbeth, but I was so annoyed by that entire theatrical experience that it irritated me throughout the second act of War Horse.

Loved it, despite that. As ever, I am in awe of any actor with that level of physicality. Amazing.

Jet Set Go

Thrilled to see Jet Set Go again at Theatre 503 during its London run. Thought its staging was stronger for being straight on to the audience (as opposed to the three sides they had in Edinburgh), though they did lose a little as a result of the stage being narrower.

Much tighter than it was when I saw it in Edinburgh (which I think was only its 3rd or 4th show). Everyone very settled into the characters and clearly having an absolute ball.

Lovely to see it still with so much momentum, even after Edinburgh.