Theatre magic

Never mind Two Gentlemen of Verona – how about Two Nights of Theatre. I saw The Lehman Trilogy last night – great play, great design, bitterly disappointing acting – all about Jews. And tonight I saw Giant, an exceptional play about Roald Dahl and his antisemitism – wonderfully acted by all and particularly John Lithgow as Dahl. The BSC has produced more productions by Dahl than any other company in the world, so his stories have been a huge part of my life and our first twenty years. Just before the play started, there was a tap on my shoulder – and sitting behind me was David Walliams, whose work has been at the centre of the most recent ten years of our company. Indeed, this is my final week performing in David’s great story Awful Auntie. Two fans of Dahl, whose work has imbued itself into both of our lives, together watching this fascinatingly complex play. What a night to remember!