BRISTOL

BRISTOL

Aside

Me:   Why are bosoms called Bristols
MTL:  Because there is a Bristol milk sherry.

There are some very attractive parts of Bristol but we were dropped outside the Hippodrome Theatre and walked to The Bristol Old Vic so the snaps are informative rather than lyrical.  Clifton Suspension Bridge – designed by Brunel is an exception and I always look forward to seeing it on the way in and out of Bristol.  One of the West News TV programmes has a fantastic shot of Concorde flying over the bridge.

We were going to see a matinee ‘Ghosts’ by Henrik Ibsen ( or Henry Gibson if you remember ‘Rowan and Martin’s Laugh In’)  The play started at 2pm so it was almost time for lunch.  We had a coffee in the BOV café and I asked a man who looked as if he belonged if I could possible take a photo of the auditorium whilst the theatre was empty.  He very sweetly went to get a key to unlock the padlocks (health and safety), let me in, but asked me not to take the set as it was copyright.  So I took it with my back to the stage.

For the first time in that area, we found somewhere good for lunch – a fish restaurant, Loch Fyne where they had a bargain theatre lunch – two courses and a side dish for £10.  Bread was thrown in and we paid for wine (linen napkins were an added bonus). The two courses are meant to be a starter and a main but it was my lucky day and I was allowed a main and a pud.  Fortified we had coffee in the theatre – at least I did – an espresso as I tend to nod off after wine at lunch.

There has been a bit of a hoo ha about the adaptation of ‘Ghosts’ by   Frank McGuiness who has modernised the text by inserting some contemporary four letter words.  I thought this was daft in a period setting with period costume but in fact one hardly noticed it.  I don’t know the original text but was dissatisfied with the ending which didn’t ring true to me.  It is a tragic tale –sins of the father’s being visited on the children – syphilis in fact, the tragedy is dissipated by the ridiculous posturing of two of the characters; Pastor Manders and Engstrand. There was a great deal of Victorian hypocrisy and I was reminded of Hedda Gabler- also one of Ibsen’s plays.

Manders was played by Simon Shepherd who recently had the awful experience of being dropped from ‘The Sound of Music’. The actors did a good job; it was the writing which failed to move me.  Could have been an off day – could have been me.
This isn’t a serious crit – just my impressions.
All things considered it was an enjoyable day.