Profile for Guildenstern

The Jonathan Miller Mikado still works well. As it's a satire on British society, transporting it to a hotel lobby, inhabited St Trinian's schoolgirls and golf-playing toffs, seemed to do the business.

I enjoyed the show at Chichester, well enough. In its revised state, I think it is still a bit overlong but its still a fun pastiche show. Although, I'm not sure it stands alone from The Boyfriend to work as an entity, but I say that knowing The Boy Friend. The original cast album is a bit of a strange affair, Patricia Michael, who played Polly, was ill during the recording and Jenny Wren covers for her in a couple of numbers. The Chichester recording is also a good version.

I've no doubt there are some glorious disasters - John Gielgud, springs to mind - but for directors not known for musical theatre work, Messrs. Daldry, Ockrent, Pimlott and Mendes might disagree. I'm not sure it's a hard and fast rule.

'Dismissal' is the wrong word, I admit, however, I'd suggest it is too pat a reading of a more complex character.

I enjoyed this production a great deal more than many of the other productions I have seen of this piece, especially the last two Broadway outings. However, I am not at all convinced of the idea that Sally is necessarily suffering from a mental illness, per se. She has always struck me as being a rather nervy, anxious woman who becomes an unpleasant drunk, with a good line in emotional blackmail and attention seeking. That really came over in Imelda Staunton's performance.Young Sally threaten...

As a long-time lurker, I hesitate to comment on this - I've admired the show, but I'm not sure I've really ever liked it, but I have somehow managed to see most major productions. And with Staunton, I felt, finally, saw a Rose, I understood, there was no pulling of punches with the character -no attempt to make the audience like the character - she's a monster at the beginning of the piece, she ends as one and probably creates, at least, one other in the process. There's no journey or develop...