I can remember a time when productions of Joe Orton's comedies were as ubiquitous as Noel Coward's.
Although stylistically these gay writers couldn't be more different, both their work symbolised a theatrical era. If Coward was all about a mid Twentieth Century style and wit that has turned out to have timeless appeal, the spiky, surreal, dark humour of Orton's writing, conceived to shock and be anti-establishment in the 1960s, can either be roll-on-the floor hilarious or seem dated, infantile and tedious depending on the national mood of the decade in which it's performed.
I finally caught up with the much anticipated, much acclaimed West End revival of Cat on A Hot Tin Roof.
I thoroughly enjoyed a West End Sunday night at Foundation bar in Covent Garden where one of its underground chambers transformed awkwardly but effectively for the night into a cabaret spot, and twelve or so young musical theatre singers and a great band enthralled an enthusiastic home crowd with a series of songs from shows.
It’s been announced that John Pielmeier’s stage adaptation of The Exorcist will open at London’s Phoenix Theatre on October 20 to running until March 10, 2018. It is produced by Bill Kenwright, whose production of 
Audiences at recent Globe productions have enjoyed or had to endure several egocentric productions which have been more about the director's agenda rather than the playwright's so it's great to have the refreshingly steady hand of veteran director Nancy Meckler in the driving seat for Shakespeare's masterpiece, King Lear.