The Circle - Orange Tree / Tour

I enjoyed this yesterday after a longer wait than expected both to see it (had to move my booking back 6 weeks to accommodate physio appointments) and then to enter the auditorium which, for an unannounced reason, was opened very late and inevitably delayed the start of the performance.

As I'd never had the opportunity to see this play but had enjoyed a production of another of Somerset Maugham's plays at CFT, I was looking forward to this anyway and more so once the reviews were so positive. Also, whilst I'd never book (or, with a few exceptions) avoid doing so due to any particular members of the cast, I was delighted to be seeing Nicholas Le Prevost once more as he's one of my favourite actors but not surprisingly, does less theatre now.

Others have said that the whole cast was great and I agree but yes, there was definitely an extra frisson during the scenes involving 2 or 3 of the more senior actors, ie Jane Asher, Clive Francis and Nicholas Le Prevost; I don't know how they have the stamina to carry on doing it, but I'm so glad that they do.

Imo not a great play but hugely enhanced by the production and cast.


A small beef however about lack of audience management by front of house: as it was a matinee and the auditorium was opened late, a long queue of restive and not-very-mobile people had built up and it took AGES for everyone to enter and at the interval and again at the end, everyone else was held up by a man sitting by the exit who clearly had an impairment but managed to launch himself into the gangway and block this for everyone else, then hover there, presumably recouping his strength before inching his way up and out. Why on earth don't FOH staff identify people clearly needing assistance and help them into their seats earlier and again at the interval and end? It can't be pleasant for those concerned to be aware that everyone else is jammed up behind them and people who need to escape swiftly to catch an infrequent train are thwarted.

Exactly the same thing happens at Guildford, where of course all the audience members in wheelchairs or using sticks book seats by the side exit to the street, then completely block this at the interval and end. I've seen this so much better managed elsewhere and for everyone: for instance, at Hampstead Downstairs, ushers escort those with impairments into the auditorium first and wait until they are seated before opening it for others.  Surely this is preferable for all, allowing those needing help to be in a relaxed mood ready to enjoy the performance itself and avoiding unnecessary delays?

I am sorry I missed this. Booked twice and had to cancel due to train strikes and other commitments. Not sure if it could have a life somewhere else.

This looks and sounds good at the Bath Theatre Royal. It's an enjoyable evening at the theatre if you like that sort of thing - Edwardian-style, or in this case, early 1920s social comedy. Tom Littler tries to make the case in an interview in the programme that Somerset Maugham is the missing link between Oscar Wilde and Noel Coward but he is neither as witty nor as sharp as either. There are good performances, some witty lines, the whole set-up is artificial but amusing, the ending surprising. Interesting to see what was popular in 1922 (the year of Ulysses, The Waste Land and Virginia Woolf's Jacob's Room!).

This will play at Richmond theatre 20-24 February.

Merged. Thanks alicechallice
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