Play: Tartuffe

The next two days, I'm back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS). Tonight was Tartuffe, by Molière, at the National. Arrived in good time, and spotted our organiser in the queue to collect tickets at the box office. She headed off, and was out of sight by the time I got mine - name only required as proof of purchase. And could I find her after that.. anyway, met up with another of the group, and we figured it out eventually. It's a complicated building!

Some lovely, Baroque choral music plays as you enter. Well, the original was written at around that time. And the madcap nature of the production is prefaced by actors roaming in front of the stage, just before the show - expect Tartuffe himself to come and give you daffodils, if you're a lady in the front stalls! And a nice opening sequence depicts a scene of debauchery, with scenes of revellers projected on the stage curtain, and a naked man dashing across - again, right in front of the front row..

The story concerns a religious man called Tartuffe - a Rasputin-like character, who has enthralled a rich man and inserted himself into his house. His family aren't so impressed, seeing his drinking and flirting. Question is - how far will the man of the house go to prove his loyalty to Tartuffe?

One of the early scenes has the head of the household explaining his infatuation to his brother-in-law. Nobody in our group liked this scene, finding it long-drawn-out, and not being impressed with, in particular, the acting of the man obsessed with Tartuffe. However, I'm delighted to say that isn't at all indicative of the rest of the play - it's very funny throughout, with Tartuffe himself playing an OTT character that actually reminds me of a friend of mine! The last scene, notably, is completely played in rhyming couplets - apparently this is done at the end of each of the previous scenes as well, though I hadn't noticed. Reminiscent of the original, this. The one thing we did have trouble with in the second half was the slightly awkward, pointedly socialist ending.

But hey, on the whole it works! Recommended. Runs to the end of April, sold out this Thursday, limited availability on some dates. And it was nice to see these people - I haven't been with this group too often yet, this year!

Tomorrow is a show called Bare: A Pop Opera, at The Sainsbury Theatre. With this group again, and the organiser was there tonight.

On Wednesday, I'm back with Let's Do This for another meal at Tas, meeting at The George again beforehand.

On Thursday, I'd have loved to go with UITCS for Season 7, the last of Pinter at the Pinter. Unfortunately, when I checked, although they still had tickets - they were either standing or a minimum price of £93 for that night. Nah, don't really want to go that badly! Never mind, the London European Club is off to a concert of French Chansons: The Sparrows of Paris, at Old Mary's. That's a most acceptable choice! Then I'm back to Ireland at the weekend again.

And next Monday, I am back with UITCS to Sadler's Wells for Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch! This time though, it's Bon Voyage, Bob. And with cheaper tickets in the back row of each of the lower levels, I'm in the stalls for the first time in ages! Annoying overhang, but hey, they're the cheapest seats, and I get to avoid all those stairs, for once.