Amidst the dire predictions for theatre’s immediate future (due largely to the unwelcome spread of the omicron variant), there remain fantastic causes for optimism. One such ray of hope, is Tamsin Greig’s superlative turn as the extraordinary Peggy Ramsay (the once formidable power broker to the literary set). Greig literally inhabits and hypnotises as the title character in Hampstead Theatre’s revival of “Peggy For You” under Richard Wilson’s masterful direction.
Tamsin Greig and Jos Vantyler in Peggy For You - © Helen Maybanks
A father invites his three grown-up sons to come together at the family home, where despite being surrounded by the trappings of Christmases past, this year something is clearly not right. Following its Broadway run at the Hayes Theatre, (which boasted Armie Hammer in the cast) Korean American playwright Young Jean Lee's Straight White Men is playing a limited run at the Southwark Playhouse until 4 Dec.
During a meteorological maelstrom, a dilapidated Manor House and its vibrant but cash-strapped owner Diana (delivered in a beautifully nuanced performance by Nancy Carroll) are unexpectedly inundated by a disparate group of shelter seekers. Can they weather both the ongoing storm and the clash of personalities which erupts from their enforced containment?