Travelling Light (Preview) , 14th January 2012

Who's in it? Damien Molony, Anthony Sher, Paul Jesson, Lauren O'Neil, Abigail McKern and Sue Kelvin

Where did you see it? Lyttelton, National Theatre

Happy New Year, everyone! I slacked a bit when it came to theatre/comedy in December but I am BACK with a whimper at least. It seems apt to see play that combine my interests of film and theatre (and old country East Europen Jews) in Nicholas Wright's new play Travelling Light. Wright also wrote Last of the Duchess, which I saw back in October and it was totally amazing and should have got a West End transfer etc etc.



Sue Kelvin (Tsippa), Lauren O’Neil (Anna) & Antony Sher (Jacob Bindel). Photo by Johan Persson



When an audience member screeches in the stalls of the Lytelton, barely ten minutes into the show, "Where's Anthony Sher?" you know you have a problem. The problem being that Anthony Sher, as Jacob Bindel the illiterate timber merchant who funds the young Motl (played by Damien Molony in his Eastern European youth and by Paul Jesson in his later years as a studio mogul named Maurice Montgomery) is far from the star of the show and yet is probably the main reason this show is practically a sell out (which is incredible for a new play at the Lytelton) as well as the subject matter. His accent is distracting, he sounds like Pop from the League of Gentlemen and is hardly an interesting part for any actor; let alone one of Britain's finest. Where he does shine is the odd look or during his lengthy monologues.

That is another problem; this play just isn't enough about the early days of Hollywood. It is about some young man (who has a very uppercut British accent in his youth but VERY East European Jewish accent in his later years, despite spending 30 years in Hollywood) who lives in some nameless small town near Russia and inherits a camera from his late father. When we do get to Hollywood the film industry is settled and there's even talkies.



Damien Molony (Motl Mendl) and Lauren O’Neil (Anna). Photo by Johan Persson



What we do get is love, love rivalries and lots of film. Yes, lots of film in a theatre production and this is either its strength or its downfall. It is a very good distraction during scene changes but also leads to some of the worst blocking I have ever seen in a theatre production; backs to the audience, awkward neck turns (that could have been my cheap seats) and the films in question weren't always easy to see. I expect better from Nicholas Hytner, who has extensive experience in film and theatre, I wonder if he has spoiled by the staging of Collaborators at the Cottesloe and thinks he can replicate something similar in the Lyttelton? I desperately hope this is a preview glich that will be sorted by press night (18th January 2012).

Paul Jesson (Maurice Montgomery).

I think Damien Moloney as Motl has the most difficult job a theatre actor can have. Leading a play and not being the 'name', though I expect this will change when he takes over from Aidan Turner as the new vampire Hal in Being Human (which begins on BBC3 and is also an uneviable task; Turner was brilliant) soon. To be honest I struggled with his performance, he's not particularly playing a charming character and he's not particularly interesting to watch. He also did that annoying "No tears crying", which is fine if you are trying to get sympathy on a reality TV programme but not acceptable from an actor leading a National Theatre play. I also struggled with Lauren O'Neil. Not because she isn't a good actress, far from it. She's perfect as Anna, the beautiful film assistant and object of Motl and Jacob's affections and utterly stunning, except on film. Which is the whole point of the character, who is meant to be this stunning actress in the making. Pretty on film, yes but not breath-takingly beautiful as she is on stage. For those unfamiliar with O'Neil she appears on the match.com advert as the 'Girl on the platform'. Devastatingly pretty on film, yes but worthy of being Motl's obsession when we do see her on film; sadly not and I can't fathom why she doesn't photograph as well as she looks in real life.

Wright's strength's lay in his female characters and when they do have things to do they are brilliant; usually behind many of the play's shamefully low comic moments. The play's real gem is Paul Jesson as Maurice and he is hardly in it (he even shines in the plays awful ending) but this play is not a gem. This play might have worked better as a film and if it is to be a play should have been in the Cottesloe, not in the Lyttelton.

The Last of the Duchess 5th October 2011

Who is it? Anna Chancellor, Sheila Hancock, John Heffernan and Angela Thorne
Where did you see it? Hampstead Theatre, Swiss Cottage

Reviews for this play from the press have been a bit 'meh' but in the past few weeks it suddenly sold out.I'm not really sure why either of those things happened. The Last of the Duchess is directed by Richard Eyre, adapted by Nicholas Wright (whose Travelling Light premieres at the National next month) from a book by Lady Caroline Blackwood. I'm aware the idea of an aristocrat going to Paris to meet Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor in the early eighties sounds elitist and dull but it is very much driven by its performances.

Sheila Hancock (Suzanne Blum) and Anna Chancellor (Caroline Blackwood)

Anna Chancellor plays the alcoholic Lady Caroline, determined to see the reclusive (and maybe dead) Duchess as she is to sip from her half bottle of Vodka in her large handbag. Her attempts are constantly thwarted by Suzanne Blum, played by the excellent Sheila Hancock and a very convincing French accent, Simpson's in-house lawyer and only companion following the death of Edward, Duke of Windsor. Blum's attempts work so well that the only time we see the Duchess is in an early dream sequence, where horror of horrors Blackwood just can't get a drink of vodka from the (we are lead to believe anyway) equally alcoholic Duchess of Windsor. The play is very much stolen by Angela Thorne playing Lady Diana Mosley, played to be frightenly likeable and funny (until her hatred and suspicion of Jews, primarily Blum) appears. Mosley spends much of time in Paris investigating Blum, who she feels is stealing from the Duchess, and complaining about how ill and lizard-like Oswald has become.

The play very much focuses on women, but is no means about strong women. It is about women forced to cope without their man (nearly all are widows by the end) rather than being able to cope without men and when there are men they are camp, weak and of much lower social status of the women (no matter how much they try to hide it) John Heffernan has a tough role supporting the female cast as Michael Bloch, I've only ever seen Heffernan as a support and would love to see him in a lead.

This play certainly isn't about sisterhood, the Blum/Blackwood rivalry would shame Bette and Joan. It is vicious, fuelled by suspicion and mistrust yet there is clearly mutual admiration. Blum is a shameless snob who can be won over by a title and a promise of a photography session with Lord Snowdon and Blackwood fails to hide how impressed she is by Blum's very famous clients (Disney, Chaplin and of course the Duke and Duchess of Windsor) the final showdown between the two shows Chancellor and Hancock at their best, with an ending that is both satisfactory but disappointing if you take Blackwood's side.