An annual treat in the late 1960s was to watch Brian Rix farces on the television and I remember they were at the Garrick Theatre.
A good restaurant critic visits twice before writing a review. Accordingly, after seeing The Producers at The Menier I went to see it again yesterday at the Garrick. The two main characters and many of the others are played by the same actors. On a larger stage it is even better. The music references other musicals: A Chorus Line, Fiddler on the Roof, The Mikado and I’m sure I missed others. There are a lot of sight and spoken gags, the latter sometimes breaking the fourth wall. Leo Bloom, excruciatingly shy, tries to escape the advances of Ulla the Swedish vamp who says in a Swedish accent, “Leo why do you move up stage right?”
The musical song and dance is as good as it gets. It is a joy from start to finish and the cast gave their all for a matinee knowing they were going to do it all again in the evening. Sorry, you almost certainly will not have an opportunity to see the show.
Have you ever wondered why matinees are called that? After all matin means morning. In The Importance of Being Ernest Lady Bracknell visits Jack Worthing for tea and wishes him “good morning”. The French still say “bonjour” until late afternoon. At some theatres, in those days, alternate rows of seats were removed so that tea could be served, often causing considerable annoyance to the cast. I know all this because of a wireless programme presented by Ned Sherrin with contributions from Donald Sinden, alas both no longer with us.
Happy memories! (Lord) Brian Rix’s company was based at the Whitehall Theatre for 16 years, to which my parents took me for Christmas treats, before moving on to the Garrick. He was a campaigning hero for the disabled
I am old enough to remember tea being served in the matinee interval, but I only experienced it in a cinema. As a very curious young teenager, I went on my own to see a ‘Cinemascope’ film at a cinema (I can’t remember precisely which) near Piccadilly, specifically to order tea in the interval. It was a ghastly experience. The audience either side hated me, and I was nervous throughout that the tray would slip off my knees.