10 September 2018. The Humans at Hampstead Theatre

To be honest, I found this one act play dull and without a single takeaway. It seems strange to me that people have so enjoyed the play itself - The high quality acting being another matter. In fact, the flyer informed that it was winner of the Best Play for the 2016 Tony Awards, being a 'stunning portrayal of the human condition'.
The Humans concerns three generations of a family meeting for Thanksgiving in the newly acquired apartment of one of their two daughters and her partner. The other daughter - a lesbian who has recently split up from her relationship and who seems to have some sort of colo-rectal problem - is also present.
The dialogue is fair enough and probably reflects quite well the sort of exchanges that happen at big family gatherings - but there seemed to be nothing exceptional about it; nothing to justify going to the theatre and forking out one's cash. OK, there was a bit of a bombshell when the father owned up to having lost his job because of a dark act at the school where he worked, but this really felt no more than a bit of soap opera.
On the other hand, the set was great and the acting superb.
Undeniably, several in the audience seemed to adore it all, as if it hit some nails firmly on the head. Maybe it resonated better with its original American target than it did with me.

7 September 2018. The Second Violinist at the Barbican.

I found this a riveting eighty minutes as we watched the story of this anguished musician. Written and directed by Enda Walsh, this production brought us the Irish National Opera accompanied by Crash Ensemble working from the composition of Donnacha Dennehy.
The production makes full use of technology with a large screen backdrop onto which is projected the text messages of our 'hero'.
The story is complex but in a nutshell concerns the breakdown of Martin, the eponymous second violinist. Played by Aaron Monaghan, this character does not speak but observes the operatic trio of Matthew, his wife Amy and Amy's old friend Hannah. They seem to be at crossroads in their marriage and we are left to piece this as a stage in Martin's own life.
Adding to the complexity, we are told - by text - that Martin's favourite composer is Carlo Gesualdo. It is revealed by others on the internet that Gesualdo is the influence on Dennehy's score and also that his story is woven into the plot of the opera. Amongst other details, Gesualdo happened to murder his wife and her lover.
Frankly, this was a piece that needed a second viewing to capture all it had to offer and I hope I will get the chance to catch it again.

5 September 2018. Home, I'm Darling at the National theatre

Home, I'm Darling had an air of darkness, despite the frivolous wrapping. It concerns a contemporary couple who - really at the wife's instigation - are living as if they were in the 1950s. She is a 'good little wife' who has her husband's slippers warmed and the paper ironed ready for him. Her mother who fought for women's equality finds this all infuriating and is far from amused at the request by the daughter to help fund the social experiment. The lifestyle also leaves the husband's female boss somewhat open-mouthed and he blames the general awkwardness of this encounter on his being passed over for promotion. The experiment disintegrates but, more importantly, we get an insight into the fragility of Judy - (played by Katherine Parkinson) - whose idea it was.
This was an interesting and entertaining evening with an excellent set and tight direction by Tamara Harvey.

26 August 2018. Pericles at the National Theatre

This was an uplifting evening, as far as I was concerned. It was the result of a bold outreach move by the National Theatre under Rufus Norris, being part of the Public Acts initiative. A small company of professional actors were supplemented and greatly outnumbered by groups drawn from a variety of sources. Some of these joined in the play generally as citizens and fishers and pirates, for example. Other groups gave cameo performances, including the London Bulgarian Choir and the Youthsayers Ska Band. One way or another the stage was filled with people of all ages, ethnicities and abilities. This was a bold experiment that worked extremely professionally and was a testament to the skills of Emily Lim as Director.
The play itself follows the life and wanderings of Pericles and in particular the apparent loss of his wife and baby daughter at sea leading on to their reunification some sixteen years later. Pericles was played enthusiastically by Ashley Zhangazha, ably matched by Naana Agyei-Ampadu as his wife, Thaisa. Also particularly memorable was the ultra-camp display by Kevin Harvey as Boult. Whilst the National Theatre followed the plot faithfully, this was described as "a version" by Chris Bush. This meant that it was pretty unclear which words were from the bard and which were substitutions by Chris Bush. Whatever the answer, it all worked very well and provided a pleasurable ninety minutes - albeit a time extended by a problem with the scenary at about the half way stage.