Widowers' Houses (Manchester Royal Exchange)

I saw Watchmen this evening with my dad again- finally! I wanted to see it like the next day after we first saw it, but I had to wait more than a month!- It was even better the second time, I spent a little time wondering "Did I mention how handsome all of the men in this film are in my review blog? I must have done... But surely, I should mention it again, because, WOW, all these guys are seriously gorgeous. (Not you Rorschack.)"

So there's that out of the way, I thought maybe I should write about the play I saw yesterday, Royal Exchange Theatre, haven't been there since I saw Othello starring Andy Serkis six years ago! Except Andy Serkis was ill and there was no understudy, so the director holding the script in every scene played Iago and it was one of the worst theatre experiences of my life.

Widowers' Houses was not the worst theatre experience of my life, it was an average theatre experience. None of the actors were ill and no miscellaneous actors sat in front of me, next to me or near me.

The play was George Bernard Shaw's first play and written (so it says in the blurb) not to entertain but to inform and raise awareness of growing social problems in Victorian society because of the unproductive rich. But yesterday (in these hard times) it was played as a comedy, the first scene seemed much more P.G. Wodehouse than Social Comment, I blame the young Nigel Havers look-a-like playing the foolish lead. It got better though, less silly, well, not less silly, but silly with some good points -and some fun characters.

Roger Lloyd Pack, last time I saw him he was standing in the National Theatre wearing a hat (I've never seen him on stage, this was just the foyer), I didn't take much notice though 'cause Oliver Cotton walked past me sweeping his hand through his thick grey hair... Wowee, there's someone else who is a hell of a lot more handsome in real life! Anyway, Roger was his usual self- well, he was his usual self if you've ever seen him play serious roles, which I guess some people haven't. I think we were looking forward to seeing him but in the end I prefered all the other characters, the girl especially was wonderfully animated and very tall- I like seeing tall actresses, all the actresses I've met have been tiny.

Sometimes I feel if I don't write about the things I've seen I'll forget them, but maybe this was just one of those forgetable plays, one day on and I can't remember much at all apart from how hot it was in there. Ah well, Lucy Briggs Owen, she's one to watch, I like her.