From Morning To Midnight - The National Theatre

The first half lures you into a false sense of security about the tone of the piece. The laughs are many and the story intrigues you. A bank clerk steals a large sum of money in the hopes of running off with a beautiful customer. But when his advances are rejected, there is decidedly less, if anything at all to laugh at in the second half and the plays descends into the dark journey of the clerk trying to find the value of money in brothels and gambling on bike races. Until his redemption comes at the end of the play

Great set and some fantastic movement on stage but a somewhat confusing and slightly boring piece.

FromMorning to Midnight can be seen @ The National Theatre until 26^th January

In The Next Room - St James Theatre

I was a little bit anxious as this play is dubbed ‘the vibrator play.’ But happy to report that there’s nothing rude or vulgar about it. Although brace yourself for an unexpected ‘revelation’ in the last 2 minutes of the show.

 Dr Givings (Jason Hughes) has nothing but the utmost respect for his patients and cares deeply for their well being; until he sees his wife’s hand on one of their cheeks… He uses his new electrical creation as a treatment for hysteria. It’s ironic though that he can’t see his own wife’s frustrations and unhappiness, caused greatly by her inability to sufficiently breast feed her baby.

NatalieCasey does a wonderful job of portraying an incredibly tactless (but sweet and funny) Mrs Givings. She’s genuinely curious as to what’s going on behind the closed doors of her husband’s operating theatre and goes to great lengths to find out.

Brilliant supporting roles by Edward Bennett as the hilarious male artist whose hysteria has affected his sight and thus ability to paint and a more somber, moving performance by Madeline Appiah as the wet nurse grieving the loss of her baby.

InThe Next Room can be seen at St James Theatre until 4^th Jan