Review – A Thousand Stars Explode in the Sky, Lyric Hammersmith

Take three highly regarded playwrights. One play. A live poodle (subject to availability, it’s different dogs on different nights), a penny-farthing, scones and cream noshing and on-stage washing that goes way beyond the hair. Even Phil wasn’t around to see Mary Martin wash that man right out of her hair and he happily marked up yet another first: Naked Man Is Flannelled Down In Tin Bath By His Mother.

In which the Whingers fess up to their whereabouts on Sunday

Well, it’s a bit embarrassing really. But we were on the fringe. In Hackney. Again.

And we’d have got away with it too if it weren’t for those pesky playwrights Stephen Sharkey and Dr David Eldridge who were both around to witness the Whingers swan in for the 1pm (!) performance of three short plays at the Arcola Theatre.

This was part of the East festival and featured:

• Purgatory by Steven Berkoff
• Flowers In Her Hair by Rebecca Lenkiewicz
• The List by Dr David Eldridge

The whole thing was over in about an hour, each being short enough that the Whingers’ ever decreasing attention spans could cope.

Review – Under the Blue Sky, Duke of York’s Theatre

Now pay attention, class. Dr David Eldridge (DLitt) has a very starry production of Under The Blue Sky previewing in the West End. It’s about the, umm, “grown-up” relationships between three pairs of teachers.

Child A and Child P!: Your homework this week is to to go on a field trip with your classmates to see Under The Blue Sky before it opens.

I want essays from both of you on my desk before it opens on Friday evening.