THEATRE

THEATRE VISITS - 2014

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This has been a very enjoyable year for shows with a week's visit to London in March to see eight productions including two which closed shortly afterwards - Stephen Ward & From Here To Eternity  which I really liked. The highlights that week were Matilda and Urinetown, the only disappointment was A Taste of Honey at the National. Billy Liar, from the same era, at the Royal Exchange was far superior. Back in London again in August, I was very proud to see my granddaughter, Sissy Ford, in the National Youth Music Theatre's staging of The Hired Man at the St James Theatre. What a brilliant production by Nikolai Foster - I look forward to seeing more of his work. Sissy was also in their show, The Ragged Child, and two pantomimes at the Cambridge Arts. It was wonderful to see the brilliant  Joanna Riding in The Pajama Game in a very different role from that in Stephen Ward. I have been a great admirer of her work for 20 years and took the opportunity to meet her and tell her so, backstage after the show - and also chat about our mutual acquaintances back here in Lancashire where she hails from. Once again I saw some live relays - this time from the ROH - a ballet and an opera, both of which were excellent. I was able to visit 3 theatres for the first time: His Majesty's, Aberdeen; The Grand, Harrogate; The Landor, London.