Review – The Vortex, Apollo Theatre

It isn’t just London Marathon runners that need to train if they are to avoid injury or death on the big day; the Whingers also need to work up their stamina in order to prepare for major feats of inhuman endurance.

With the rather alarming prospect of tonight’s four hours of Gone With The Wind – The Musical! hanging over their heads like a dead albatross, it seemed wise to warm up with a dry (not in every sense, obviously) run – something with a distressing number of intervals.

Review – Lunch With Marlene, New End Theatre, Hampstead

It’s a rare event when Andrew is the youngest member of an audience (it never happens to Phil, of course).

But that’s what happened last night at Lunch With Marlene – a one act play followed by a cabaret. The genteel New End Theatre, Hampstead seemed to be attracting a disproportionate quantity of unmarried gentlemen of a certain age (the Whingers have no idea why – it’s just a play about Noel Coward and Marlene Dietrich featuring Kate O’Mara) plus the customary sprinkling of NW3 senior stalwarts.

The lobby of the New End Theatre was proudly displaying publicity from journals such as the Ham and High and a photocopy of the Sam Marlowe’s kind review in The Times. The Whingers stopped to admire the display but Andrew was having one of his Miss Marple moments and stood staring fixedly at the reviews: something was wrong, terribly wrong. But what?

Review – Terror 2007, Union Theatre

Phil’s nervous condition prohibits him from watching scary things; in fact he even has to watch Antiques Roadshow from behind the sofa.

So it was left to Andrew to undertake alone a trip to Southwark to the Union Theatre (stroke Snack Bar) to take in Terror 2007, a five play celebration of grand guignol.

Alone, that is, apart from horror film buff and would-be Whinger Neil and Oliver, a German currently being groomed for would-be Whingership.

Review – Present Laughter, National Theatre

[Note from Andrew: Apologies. There are quite a few blah-blah-blah-type golden oldie reminiscences coming up courtesy of Phil. Thought I should warn you.]

Phil had seen Present Laughter in Bournemouth in the days when Andrew was still playing with his conkers. Peter Wyngarde had taken the lead (see bottom of post if this name means nothing to you).

This turned out to be a most happy serendipity as Helen Smith had brought along a new Would-Be-Whinger called Richard who is a real live actor.

At the mention of the name “Peter Wyngarde” Richard turned grey. It emerged that Richard once played opposite Mr Wyngarde in a disastrous theatrical production at Liverpool Playhouse and he regaled the ultra-attentive Whingers with a marvellously amusing and deliciously scandalous theatrical anecdote….