The Cabinet Minister : Menier Chocolate Factory
Oct 27, 2024 9:58:28 GMT
Miranda, lugsbug, and 1 more like this
Post by marion on Oct 27, 2024 9:58:28 GMT
This was my first visit to the Menier as I had never bothered to work out how to get there. It is a very small venue, rather like the Orange Tree, but a lot of its productions transfer to the West End so it has an excellent reputation. So I managed to find it after travelling through crowds of some seriously weird people… cosplay seems to be popular in East London. I had women dressed as cats and guys looking as if they had walked in from Game of Thrones, complete with hopefully fake swords. Sadly the Menier is undergoing a lot of building work so it was less than attractive. The only loos I could find were down a twisting temporary staircase, and the loos were also temporary with poor lighting.
This play is from 1890 and written by Arthur Wing Pinero. It has been revamped by the actress Nancy Carroll (Lady Felicia from Father Brown) and she plays the lead, The Cabinet Minister’s spendthrift wife. He is played by Nicholas Rowe, whom I recognised, and is compromised by his debts and a lurking cash for influence scandal. The love interest is provided by George Blagden, Louis XIV from Versailles, so that was exciting! The cast also included Sara Crowe and Dillie Keene from Fascinating Aida. There was some music in the show, provided by the actors who played various instruments whilst walking about which was rather a nice touch. Obviously after the recent hoo ha over suits, glasses etc, this play lent itself to many a chuckle but what I liked was that they didn’t broaden it out to be more obvious. The acting was immaculate.
This is a drawing room comedy of manners primarily and it has been a stunning success for the Menier. The reviews have been amazing and some performances have sold out. I enjoyed it a lot, although I think some reviewers have rather over-egged it. It was well received by the audience as a whole and was a very jolly afternoon’s entertainment.
This play is from 1890 and written by Arthur Wing Pinero. It has been revamped by the actress Nancy Carroll (Lady Felicia from Father Brown) and she plays the lead, The Cabinet Minister’s spendthrift wife. He is played by Nicholas Rowe, whom I recognised, and is compromised by his debts and a lurking cash for influence scandal. The love interest is provided by George Blagden, Louis XIV from Versailles, so that was exciting! The cast also included Sara Crowe and Dillie Keene from Fascinating Aida. There was some music in the show, provided by the actors who played various instruments whilst walking about which was rather a nice touch. Obviously after the recent hoo ha over suits, glasses etc, this play lent itself to many a chuckle but what I liked was that they didn’t broaden it out to be more obvious. The acting was immaculate.
This is a drawing room comedy of manners primarily and it has been a stunning success for the Menier. The reviews have been amazing and some performances have sold out. I enjoyed it a lot, although I think some reviewers have rather over-egged it. It was well received by the audience as a whole and was a very jolly afternoon’s entertainment.
Anymore to come?
