The Nasty Side of Naples: 'The Rover' at The New Diorama

I was curious to see how a large-cast play could fit into a space that was ideal for a one-woman show. Or so I thought the first time I was here a year or so ago.( The play  called, I think, 'Three Days of Grace' and was about a woman waiting for a fridge to be delivered. )



I was confident my companion would like the venue - a very modern theatre and bar in the swish Regents Place development off Marylebone Road.

The  box office assistant was taken aback because the press night was not until the next night and the programmes weren't ready. After some kerfuffle the director, a remarkably calm young woman in a long skirt, produced a cast list.

As it was  a hot night we sat out on some steps until the start time. Then we trouped into  a black box kitted out with tiered orange seats.  A strong odour came from a  thick layer of straw that covered  the acting area.

It was an odd,  an air-freshener smell that reminded me of a bathroom spray called 'Summer Meadows' . It turned out to be a metaphor for  sexual morality in  seventeenth century Naples. That and the costumes were the best thing about the production . The straw was scattered across the foyer by the time we left.  I hope they were less heavy-handed with the air-freshener on the press night. 

My review is on the Remote Goat website.

Kept Waiting: Four Days of Grace at The New Diorama in  Regent's Place

It's not often that an off-west end theatre could be called smart, at least not the ones I usually attend. 'Efficient', yes, 'welcoming',  usually, but  'smart verging-on-glamorous' is definitely unusual.

Given the location, perhaps it's not so surprising. A three- minutewalk from Warren Street tube station,  it lies on the other side of Euston Road, in a newish  area of high-rise offices called Regent's Place. It's not far, either, from Regent's Park tube.

I sipped a cider in the sparky wine bar among a crowd of fashionable young office-workers,  with fashionably loud voices. The two sitting next to me, though, were actresses, evidenced by their gossip about auditions. It's usual for supporters to turn up on press night, so I wasn't suprised. I just hoped they wouldn't try to orchestrate a standing-ovation at the end of the play. (They did)

The theatre itself doesn't disappoint, with its nicely-raked rows of well-padded seats, upholstered in the theatre complex's signature orange. Studio theatres-in-the-round encourages an intimacy with the actors, but if someone tall sits in front of you it can be a problem. No need to worry about that here.

The play didn't disappoint either, with its instantly engaging  scenario - a perky young woman waits in her flat for a fridge to be delivered, and while she does she takes the audience into her confidence. As she waits, and chats, we learn with an increasing sense of dread about the events that have led up to this point.

Here's my review on The Public Reviews Website