Al Murray: Gig For Victory (Tour Warm Up) at Theatre At The Tabard

I do not do comedy gigs very often but this one had a lot going for it.

Firstly it was at Theatre At The Tabard which is a favourite place, easy to get to and above a pub.

Secondly, while Al Murray is not someone I have watched a lot he is old school and does not do observational comedy which is definitely not my thing.

I also had fond memories of a few other warm-up gigs with the likes of Armstrong and Miller, Phill Jupitus and Marcus Brigstocke.

So I forked out £20 for a seat in the front row. I was aware of the risks in doing that but so was everyone else and that is where the last seats were.

The warning was necessary as a few people in the front got beer on them almost immediately and I escaped with just a wet shoe.

Most of the hour was a dialogue with members of the audience and everyone in the first few rows got involved in some way, I got off lightly though he did suggest that Julie could have become a consultant if she had worked harder. Hardest hit was the young man sent to the bar to get drinks, twice.

There was some scripted content but as this was a warm-up gig I'll not say anything about that other than it was built on a subject that he is known to be interested in.

I like like my theatre in small venues where you can feel part of the action and I like my comedy the same way. This was a fun experience.

Bell, Book and Candle at Theatre At The Tabard

This was my first visit to Theatre At The Tabard though, to be transparent, I had been to Tabard Theatre and Chiswick Playhouse several times and they are all the same venue.

Calling me there this time was Bell, Book and Candle, the 1950’s magical romantic comedy that inspired the TV series Bewitched. It was an easy sell and I gladly stumped up £19.5 for regular seat A5.

The theatre is, unsurprisingly, above The Tabard pub and I went there fist for some food and a beer. It is always nice to have a reliable source of food and drink close to a regular theatre.

Bell, Book and Candle very much did what it says on the tin which was very much what I was hoping for. It set the scene for Bewitched though it was not quite a prequel because the situation and the names (e.g. Samantha was Gillian) were different though the basic premise of a human man getting entwined with a cute and playful witch was the same.

That cute witch was played by Beth Burrows superbly and her performance ensured the success of the show.

Gillian was the heart of the story which was about her, a powerful witch from a witch family, falling for a human and coming to terms with the consequences of that with, and without, the help of her aunt and brother. The story was told from her perspective, not his, and was the better for being that way round.

The humour was all very gentle and all a natural part of the story, there were no magical slapstick moments added on gratuitously. There were a few nice special effects too just to remind us that we were in the presence of witches.

Anyone who liked Bewitched will like Bell, Book and Candle, and other people will too.

Radiant Vermin at Tabard Theatre was excellent

I have travelled across London to see Philip Ridley plays so making the short hop to see Radiant Vermin at Tabard Theatre in Turnham Green was always going to happen.

This was my third time of seeing Radiant Vermin in three different productions, the most recent being only last September.  The three productions shared a minimalist approach (no props, no staging and no backdrops), all made good use of the different spaces they were in and all had excellent acting.

Tabard can be criticised for not naming the actors on their website but at least they are named in the free programme so I can give well deserved mentions to Laura Janes as wife, Matthew John Wright as husband and Emma Sweeney as devil(?) and tramp.

This production had more audience interaction than the others and even changed the script ever so slightly to let us vote between a new garage or a new bathroom. I was sitting in my usual seat, A4 which was almost theft at £16, and so got spoken directly and looked at quite often. Audience interaction is a key part of the story as it is told as a narrative and the couple are seeking our acceptance for what they have done and this production kept the dynamic between performers and audience bubbling throughout.

Radiant Vermin is a fast paced script with lots of lovely phrases, unexpected details and sudden sideways jumps that it still felt fresh on my third listening.

This production is probably my favourite (so far!). Some of that is down to the size of the theatre (Soho was too big, Ram Jam too small) but most of it is down to the sheer quality of the production overall and to the acting in particular.

The Lady with a Dog at Tabard Theatre

I try to see everything Chekhov in London and so The Lady With A Dog got on to my must-see list when it appeared on the schedule at White Bear Theatre. Annoyingly I just could not find the time to see it on its short run there so I was mightily pleased when it transferred to the even more convenient Tabard Theatre. I could find an evening for it there and the £19.5 asking price for Row A Seat 3 was no obstacle.

I had seen a few Chekhov short stories turned into plays but those had always kept their Russian and C19 setting and were quite short whereas this was set in Scotland in 1923 and was a full-length play.

The lady with a dog was on holiday in Berwick waiting for her busy husband to escape from Council to work to come and join her when she met an older equally married man who was on holiday by himself. That meeting was manufactured by the man who, we soon learned, had manufactured similar meetings in previous holidays there. Things developed from there.

The way their story developed was surprising and the way that it was told was delightful.

It was interesting seeing it so soon after Tryst (six months felt like soon) where another manufactured relationship led to a wedding and then something a lot darker. Here a similar relationship that could have gone wrong in so many ways survived, and even flourished, despite the knowing presence of two spouses. It was all nicely done; yes he was a cad for starting the affair and yes they were both being unfaithful to decent partners but they still carried my sympathies and I was able to rejoice in their happiness.

The Lady with a Dog was one of those lovely plays that knew exactly what it was doing and did it beautifully. Having a Chekhov story to build on helped but there was a lot more to it than that, the mood was perfect throughout and that was largely due to four fine actors led by Richard Lynson and Beth Burrows as the unlikely couple. I loved it.

The Little Match Girl at Tabard Theatre

The Little Match Girl looked like the sort of play that I should see at Christmas and Tabard Theatre was a convenient place to see it so I booked early. Not quite early enough for the usual front for but seat B5 was fine as was the £19.5 that it cost me.

Usually I'd eat in the pub downstairs beforehand but this time I had to rush to Museum of Architecture in South Kensington beforehand to catch the very end of an exhibition there and I took the opportunity to eat the obligatory avocado on toast at the wonderful Fernandez & Wells.

Moving on to Tabard I took advantage of their mulled wine and mince pie offer before taking my seat in the theatre.

The Little Match Girl was a very musical musical with (probably) more singing than speaking. There were something like 37 songs in something under two hours. Even at Ramones' rate of a song lasting two minutes that is about 80 minutes of songs in about 100 minutes of drama.

The story, which I did not know, was a little of the life and a lot of the dreams of a very poor girl selling matches on the street. In real life she was thrown out of her home by her own father but in her dreams she is looked after and loved. In the end the real life wins.

At one level it was a deeply depressing, and relevant, story and while the sentiments of it were very appropriate for Christmas (care for the poor) it was not as jolly as might have been expected for a Christmas show. Making it more Christmassy were the dream sequences and all of the songs, including the chart topping Mistletoe and Wine. The large cast helped a lot too and while they were all good and fully committed to their roles it has to be Emily Cochrane who gets a special mention as the match girl herself.

The Little Match Girl was a fine show and a fine way to prepare for Christmas.

Thoroughly entertained by Jamaica Inn at Tabard Theatre

The combination of Tabard Theatre and Daphne Du Maurier was the sort of temptation that I am not good at resisting so I willingly parted with £20 for Row A Seat 7.

I was not sure what to expect as I had not read the book and if I had ever seen a film or TV adaptation then I had forgotten it. So it came as a complete surprise to find that it was a story about smugglers, the sort that I was familiar with as a child growing up in Weymouth where Moonfleet was read by everybody.

It was a good story too with a cast of interesting characters from the brazen horse thief to a studiously pious priest. Unexpectedly finding herself caught up with dubious people and dubious activities was a young woman and orphan Mary Yellan who had been forced by her parents' death to go to Jamaica Inn to live with her aunt and her husband, the pub's landlord.

In an impressive cast Kimberley Jarvis was brilliant as Mary, the lost girl who developed strength and found a purpose. Helen Bang also shone as Mary's aunt who suffered under the bullying of her husband but somehow managed to find solace in that.

The story had me gripped and while some of the plot turns were not a great surprise the final ending was always in doubt until we got there and the tale was told with lots of drama. There were a few songs thrown in too which was a fine addition.

Jamaica Inn was a thoroughly entertaining evening thanks to a good story, a cast of strong characters all brought to life by fine acting and a production that provided plenty of action and kept the pace going.

Tryst at Tabard Theatre was a lovely play in a lovely theatre

Tabard Theatre is conveniently situated above a decent pub and while that is by no means the only reason for going there it certainly helps as I enjoy my theatre more if I have been properly refreshed beforehand.

The pub has its limitations, the service tends to be slow due to a poor staff to customers ratio and the food choice for vegetarians is very restricted, but it has a good range of beers, a perfectly acceptable Asian veggie burger and a welcoming atmosphere.

Tabard had implemented allocated seating and as the holder of Seat A4 (£19.50) I did not have to rush upstairs early to  ensure a good seat.

When I did go upstairs it was very bury. The box office desk had moved again and, somehow, one end of the narrow corridor had become a bar. The combination of people queuing to collect tickets and people enjoying a drink made the entrance area somewhat crowded. It was bit of a struggle to get into the theatre but I would much rather that the theatre was busy than it was easy to get into.

Tryst told us the story of George Love and Adelaide Pinchin. At first their stories were separate and they spoke to us directly, George explained how he conned women into marrying him and Adelaide how she worked at the back of a milliner's shop. We squirmed as George explained and then implemented his plan, he was the archetypal baddie and all our sympathies were for young vulnerable Adelaide.

For the next hour or so George's plan developed much as he told us it would and we hated him more and felt more sympathetic for Adelaide.

Then things changed.

I cannot say much without spoiling the surprises (there was more than one) but I can say that the relationship between the villain and victim changed gradually as they spent more time together and then, suddenly, something dramatic and unexpected happened. Finally, the writing on the wall (literally) completed the drama. I loved the story.

I loved the characters too. Natasha J Barnes got top billing because of her high profile stand-in role in Funny Girl and she was very good as the young woman that we all felt sorry for. Fred Perry was equally impressive as the suave and callous villain. I didn't like what he did but had to admire the way that he did it (mostly).

Tabard is a lovely little theatre and Tryst is a lovely little play.

Lonely Planet at Tabard Theatre was a celebration of humanity

Tabard Theatre is one of the theatres that I need more of a reason not to go than to go due to both its very convenient location (next to a tube station and above a pub) and so I booked to see Lonely Planet. The synopsis sounded a little unusual, I like unusual, and the writer came with some recommendation from his work in America.

And so I duly paid my £20. The booking experience was a little surprising in that Tabard had introduced allocated seating since my previous visit. I chose A7.

The pub came first and that had changed a little too. I was expecting to have my usual veggie fish and chips but the menu had been changed. There was a still a halloumi dish and I went for that. The corn bread made it very filling and a bit chewy so I'll probably go for something else next time. There will be a next time because its still a good pub with a good range of beers.

Lonely Planet was set in a small and untidy map shop. Proprietor Jody (Alexander McMorran) lived there and was regularly visited by Carl (Aaron Vodovoz) who had several jobs most, if not all, of which were fantasies.

Carl kept bringing Jody chairs which were piling up in the storeroom at the back where Jody slept.

Jody and Carl talked about things a lot of which was small talk between friends, some of which was Jody explaining to Carl how map projections work and a some of which was about AIDS and the impact it was having on their group of friends many of whom had died. They talked in the way that normal people talk and the mood and the pace of the play changed with the subject matter. It was as light hearted as it was sad.

Carl kept bringing chairs and spoke about his chair at home with fondness.

The ending was bit of a tear jerker. It was unexpected but, with hindsight, should not have been. But it was not the sadness of the moment that stood out, it was the reality of it. This was a play about two close friends living awkward lives in difficult times. It was a celebration of humanity and that made it an engaging and rewarding play.

Great drama with The Last Tycoon at Tabard Theatre

Having discovered Tabard Theatre only in the last year I have managed to get back a few times and I it is now one of the few theatres that I need to find a reason not to go there rather than the other way round. The theatre space and the quality of the performances is the main reason for that and it helps a lot that it is very close to Turnham Green station, only three stops from Richmond, and is situated above a decent pub.

I was looking forward to visiting the pub again, it is also called the Tabard unsurprisingly, as I knew that it had had bit of a refresh and the public bar needed it. I was somewhat shocked to see that the pubic bar had been untouched and the only refurbishment had been to the main dining area, called the Library. This had been the best part of the pub and the refurbishment had made it much worse. It was less attractive without the library motifs and most of the tables had been replaced with high benches and stools without backs. Not a welcoming or comfortable place to eat. Like everybody else in the room, I avoided one of the benches and found a small old-fashioned table to eat my vegetarian fish (halloumi), chips and mushy peas.

The company behind The Last Tycoon were Ruby in the Dust and anybody who takes their name from a Neil Young lyric gets my vote. I had seen a few of their shows before, which also helped.

One of these, Gatsby (seen twice) was also based on a F Scott Fitzgerald book, another good omen.

The Last Tycoon took us into the world of the movies where a high profile and very successful producer, Monroe Stahr (conveniently pronounced "star"), was juggling commercial pressures with his desire to make a film of Romeo and Juliet (a happy ending was requested!) while fighting off the advanced of two women with mixed success, and dealing with possibility of the screenwriters forming a union and going on strike for better pay and recognition.

This heady mix of plot elements gave the play its richness, the character of Stahr gave it its heart. and the large cast of interesting characters gave it its strength. There were so many characters that most of the actors played several roles.

Bouncing off Stahr were love interest Kathleen Moore who was on the rebound from an affair with the King of England (!), his business partner Bradogue Brady who veered more towards the financial than the artistic, and Brady's young daughter Cecelia who had known Stahr since she was seven and now fancied that she loved him. One of the scriptwriters loved her. There was a lot going on.

The story unfolded nicely in a beautifully crafted play that maintained the tension while allowing some romantic moments to soften the mood. I was engaged and entranced.

The Last Tycoon knew what it was trying to do and succeeded in every aspect to produce a play that thrilled, entertained and then shocked.

Sherlock Holmes and The Invisible Thing at the Tabard Theatre

Having discovered the Tabard Theatre not that long ago it has become one of the theatres that I check the What's On section for regularly. The two main things that it has going for it are its location, Turnham Green is ridiculously close to Richmond, and the decent pub downstairs that does a good range of beers and a fine veggie version of fish and chips.

Of course the plays are important too and the one that lured me there this time was Sherlock Holmes and The Invisible Thing, a new story with some very familiar characters.

But first there was the pub. That worked well despite being unable to find a socket with square pins. It is a big pub and was busy and that gave it a lively atmosphere at the cost of slightly slower service that I was used to. No problems though, I was still able to get upstairs early enough to claim a seat in the front row. A sign by the box office said that the performance was sold out and that certainly seemed to be the case.

The set was laid out as a room in a country house where Lucy Grendle had invited Holmes (and Watson of course) to solve a murder mystery involving an apparent invisible murderer. Lucy and Sherlock had some history involving a disputed card game where Sherlock had accused her of cheating.

That quickly set the mood of the story with a more human Sherlock than in some interpretations, more human but still the consummate detective and still very sure of himself.

There was the usual Sherlock deductive showing-off of the I know what you had for lunch kind and this took a lighter touch when he refused to shake a policeman's hand, after Watson had done so, because he "pleasured himself". That became a running gag with Watson showing distaste every time he shook hands and Holmes taking great pains not to do so.

There were other humorous touches like that and it was quite a jolly play as well as having a serious story with a murder mystery to solve.

A lot was made of the characters too and this was far from being a Holmes-only story. This was a confident Watson who knew when to let Holmes do his thing but also when to make his own contribution. Lucy Grendle was playful and the maid, Mrs Rochester, was enigmatic (which later proved to be important).

The story developed neatly as more things were discovered about the murdered and the possible murders which led to more theories being tested and developed. The truth, when it came, was unexpected, as it should have been.

The overall impression was of a play neatly done with a good story embellished by some nice little touches and some distinctive characters all played well. It never tried to be anything other than entertaining and having set entertainment as its target it hit it with aplomb. Sherlock Holmes and The Invisible Thing proved to be an ideal Friday evening play.

The Drunken City at the Tabard was a good introduction to a new theatre

Going to see The Drunken City at the Tabard Theatre was a late decision, and a good one. I had not got back into the swing of theatre booking after my two weeks' holiday and a lot of theatres had seasonal shows on that were of no interest to me so I had an unusually free diary and the burning desire to fill it.

I was feeling a little lazy (I seem to have had a strength-sapping cold for weeks) so I wanted a theatre close to a tube station and, preferably, fairly close to home too. I tried some of the obvious ones and was either not quite tempted or already had booked to go there, so I had to try something a little different.

I thought of The Tabard because the landlord of my local mentioned it, his daughter had done comedy classes there and, knowing I like small theatres, had been surprised that I had not been there. The theatre is above the pub of the same name and right next door to Turnham Green station so it was a good candidate. The Drunken City sounded like fun so play so the deal was done. A couple of minutes on their website just a few hours before the play started and the deal was done.

I got to the pub around 6:30 and helped myself to a rather tasty pint of Routemaster Red. Their website had promised all sorts of edible goodies but, for technical reasons, they were only doing burgers so it is just as well that their veggie-burger was tasty.

The pub itself was cute and interesting having been built originally on the border of the arts and crafts inspired Bedford Park and there was some pretty tiling that I hope was original.

The Tabard Theatre was directly above the pub but, for reasons that I never worked out, the staircase up there was outside, much as you would expect a fire escape to be.

The theatre surprised me by having proper raked seating. I counted around ninety seats which was another surprise as I was expecting it to be more on the scale of, say, the Old Red Lion or the White Bear.

Those seats were sturdy and thick with red velvet so they could well have been original. I sat near the middle of the front-row, the steps up were in the middle, which proved to be a good plan as there did not seem to be that much leg room behind judging by the way that the young woman behind me's legs stuck into the aisle close to my head.

Immediately in front of my seat was a cobbled street running at an angle across the shallow stage with black board on the left side on to which images of a city were projected. Gaps between the boards were roads that the cast used to enter and exit the stage.

We joined three young women on a night out in the city to celebrate their three engagements. They told us about their fiancees and luckily one of them had the foresight to bring photos of them to show us. They were all very happy and very girlie in showing us their rings. The mood changed when one of the girls spoke to us about the city and its character. The girls were away from home and they should take care when in the city.

They left and we met two men out for a quieter night mostly because one of them was still pinning over the girlfriend who dumped him ages ago and so had no heart for finding another girl, despite his friend's urging.

Then we met the three girls again, this time on a bachelorette party. This was sometime after we first met them and while one was about to get married another was no longer engaged. The girls then met the boys and the pinning boy and the bride-to-be took an unexpected shine to each other which everybody else tried to quash. The scene was then set for looking at the various relationships, old and forming, between the players set against a city with its foreign ways, strange temptations and lack of respect for the people within it.

That looking was done with a lot of humour, they were mostly drunk after all, a touch of anger, some tenderness and a few thought-provoking ideas. It was a lot of intelligent fun without ever being trivial or too heavy. And it had a happy ending (of sorts).

It was an ensemble performance with six actors in total. None particularly stood out for me in either a good or a bad way but that was largely because it was a play without starring roles. The production was pretty simple and again that suited the play. The projections of the city were all that were needed to take us there and the snatches of music helped to describe the mood.

The heady mixture of the good play, the decent pub, the fine beer and the reasonable food put the Tabard Theatre firmly on my map and I shall be looking to get back there soon,