News of the week

There have been plenty of exciting developments this week in theatreland!

A new role for Monsieur Poirot

A late entry, appearing on Friday, but surely the top story, is that David Suchet will be appearing as Lady Bracknell in Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest this summer. David follows a long line of luminaries from Edith Evans to Maggie Smith to Judi Dench who have taken on the role on stage and screen. It’s not unusual for her ladyship to be played in drag – Gyles Brandreth did so at Riverside Studies a few years’ back. Indeed, when I appeared in Earnest – as Lane the Butler – during my undergraduate days, we had a male Lady B. Very funny, he was too! I’m looking forward to seeing what Suchet makes of the famous ‘handbag’ line.

Elsewhere, there’s good news for the Cumberbitches. As well as appearing on stage as Hamlet at the Barbican, we found out that Benedict Cumberbatch will be taking on the role of Richard III on BBC2. Exciting as this prospect may be, one felt somewhat sorry for Benedict’s Sherlock co-star, Martin Freeman, who had announced scarcely 48 hours before that he would be playing Richard – this time on stage at Trafalgar Studios. Sherlock Holmes and the Case of Stolen Thunder methinks...

On Thursday, Good People transferred to the West End, and Handbagged (this time nothing to do with Lady Bracknell) had its Opening Night. I saw this marvellous play last October at the Tricycle Theatre before its transfer to the Vaudeville. Written by Moira Buffini, Handbagged is quite mesmerising – a clever and witty take on the relationship between two powerful leading ladies: the Queen and Margaret Thatcher. Older and younger versions of each character interact as the past meets the future, rose-tinted spectacles are removed, and bravado challenged. What really happened behind closed doors? Who came out on top? Stella Gonet (as the older Margaret Thatcher) and Marion Bailey (as the older Queen) are particularly outstanding – their likeness in voice and mannerisms to their real life counterparts is uncanny. It’s a must-see whether you’re a monarchist, a Thatcherite, or neither.

This week, I also discovered a fantastic theatre website, Digital Theatre. Not only can you now see the best National Theatre and RSC productions live at your local cinema, you can also see productions straight from the West End in your own home. Digital Theatre allows you to download (to rent or keep) a range of plays, ballets, and operas, including some real gems – All My Sons with Zoe Wanamaker and David Suchet (Apollo, 2010) and Private Lives with Toby Stephens and Anna Chancellor (Gielgud, 2013) being two. It’s a good job that I’ve given up buying DVDs (including downloads) for Lent, or else I’d be making a substantial dent in my bank balance! It is nearly Easter, however...

Finally, tomorrow is my birthday and coincidentally, the Oliviers. I wonder who’ll be clutching a statuette this time tomorrow night. Tune into the highlights on ITV at 10.15pm to find out!