Flaming Nora

To the Old Vic Theatre the other week to see two Hollywood heavyweights slug it out on stage in David Mamet’s Speed the Plow . It’s not often I get the chance to see actors of such calibre in the flesh on the stage and Kevin Spacey and Jeff Goldblum didn’t disappoint. Dialogue was delivered with shotgun sharpness with fast and furious acting. This was two men on the verge of a mental breakdown in a fight over art over money, morals over cash. The play was set in Hollywood, so you can guess which won. Speed the Plow is a play of three parts with no interval (ignore this bit at your peril and head for the loo twice before you go in) as if you lose concentration for a second you’re in danger of losing the plot. I’ve been to the Old Vic so many times over the years, we’re becoming old friends. But this was the first time I’d felt a frisson of sensual excitement as I sat in my seat. Oh yes. It happened when the highly fanciable Jeff Goldblum slipped off his slippers on stage, revealing ba...

Booked tickets to see Stephen Fry's panto at the Old Vic . Although it's bound to be fab (yes, that is Sandi Toksvig), I bet they don't sing this wonderful panto song. Am I the only one to remember it from childhood Christmas pantos from years ago? Why does the brown cow give white milk when it only eats green grass? That's the burning question Let's have your suggestion I don't know And you don't know So what do you think of that? Oh! Why does the brown cow give white milk when it only eats green grass?

To The Old Vic last night to see the stage version of Pedro Almodóvar’s film All About My Mother . A truly fantastic performance from the sparkling cast which included Diana Rigg, Lesley Manville, Joanne Froggatt and Mark Gattis (from The League of Gentleman ), pictured here from the play as the transvestite whore. A truly wonderful night. I might just have to watch the movie now to see if it's as good as this other Almodóvar film, which I adored .

To Sadler’s Wells last week to see Matthew Bourne’s The Car Man . Fantabulous. I think I’ve seen all of his shows now and while this was my second viewing of The Car Man and I’ve seen Swan Lake three times over the last few years at the theatre, I don’t think I’ll be rushing back to see Highland F ling but everything else he’s done has been sublime. Also went to see Patrick Hamilton’s Gaslight at The Old Vic a couple of weeks ago which was wonderful stuff. Upcoming delights we’ve got tickets for include Elling and Fiddler on the Roof although I’m looking forward to that one more than my boyfriend is, can’t think why. What’s not to like about overblown West End musical theatre? Making the most of living in London is what it’s all about. My thinking is that if you don’t go out and see things, do things, take what’s offered and enjoy it, you might as well not be here, in one of the most exciting cities in the world. I know, I'm so fickle. One minute I love the place and the next I...

To the Old Vic this week to see Robert Lindsay and Pam Ferris (the woman from Darling Buds of May who wasn’t Catherine Zeta-Jones) in The Entertainer. It was an excellent piece of theatre. I raise my hat to Robert Lindsay who, apart from being gorgeous, whilst acting on stage and delivering dialogue, someone’s mobile phone went off in the audience. A lot of people laughed, I didn’t. Robert gave the audience member a stare and carried on. He should have threatened to walk off stage, like Richard Griffiths once did. A return to the Old Vic this summer is on the cards as they’re running Gaslight (aka The Murder in Thornton Square) by Patrick Hamilton. I’ve read all his novels , you know.