The Country Girl - Review

I arrived at the archive yesterday to find it all closed up. Rather frustrating (make that very frustrating) but at least it gave me the chance to head out to the University of East London to meet a colleague. Then it was back into town for a performance of The Country Girl and here is a review in case you are interested:

Well, it was a very enjoyable play, very depressing but enjoyable none the less. During the performance I began to realise what a tough play it is to pull off. The central character, Frank (played by the lovely Martin Shaw who has surprisingly buff arms for a 65 year old!) has to be both thoroughly obnoxious and loveably engaging all at the same time. His wife Georgie (pity poor ol’ Jenny Seagrove who spends most of the night in tears) is equally complex. You have to be convinced that Frank’s stories about her suicide attempts might be true but she has to remain the most independent, spirited character onstage. So far, so tough. But couple this with potential infidelity, alcoholism and the backdrop of the theatrical world and you have a really difficult play. As you might expect from two actors who have worked so much together, the leads are terrific and you are totally convinced by their relationship. At times it was really tough to watch, particularly when Frank is at his drunken snivelling worst. As the play takes place in small rooms or cramped backstage areas, it was also incredibly claustrophobic. This mirrored the experience of the characters onstage who are almost all trapped by circumstance and/or their own character flaws. I don't think I'll see a more enjoyably depressing play all year!

And so on to today and back to the archive. Looking forward to a day in the Unity Newsletters. Full service will resume over the weekend. For any concerned for my health after yesterday’s post, you’ll be glad to know that I am feeling much better. I’m not quite firing on all cylinders but we’re on the way up.

CSW