You may have your own views about the title of this week’s newsletter. Who was more memorable: Villanelle or Moriarty (or Ripley, Netflix fans)? After the success of our Prima Facie Jodie Comer tour-de-force, this week National Theatre Live (Encore) returns with Andrew Scott’s 2019-filmed performance of Noel Coward’s comedy Present Laughter. Another actor for whom the grand gestures and virtuosic turns of the theatre stage were made, you can judge for yourself who is the country’s top live actor as No.6 again turns into London’s West End this Thursday evening.
Here is this week’s timetable. Bar opens at 6pm for the 7pm screenings (except Present Laughter – performance starts promptly at 6.30pm).
The Critic
Thursday 10th October at 4pm
*Please note that this matinee showing of The Critic will be captioned for the hard of hearing. Following the death of his father, David Brooke (Mark Strong) takes ownership of the Daily Chronicle newspaper and proceeds to transform it into a crusading, patriotic publication. So far, so Charles Foster Kane. But the plot takes a different turn as theatre critic Ian McKellen and aspiring actress Gemma Arterton engage in blackmail and subterfuge to bring down Brooke in revenge for his firing of McKellen. Directed by Anand Tucker and screenplay by Patrick Marber, based on the best seller Curtain Call by Anthony Quinn (not that one!), this is an engaging and absorbing thriller.
NT Live (Encore): Present Laughter
Thursday 10th October at 6.30pm sharp
We’ve always loved those out-of-context quotes that hang outside the theatres of London’s West End extolling the virtues of the production within. So for Andrew Scott’s turn in this month’s NT Live (Encore) presentation of Present Laughter, we’re tempted to put up signs like, "hilarious and moving – The Arts Desk", "suave but wickedly scathing – The Standard", "very good indeed – The Telegraph" (masters of understatement there) and of course "2020 Best Actor – Olivier Awards". It all adds up to another red carpet night courtesy of the National Theatre, so join us for a prompt 6.30pm start to this great event.
The Critic
Friday 11th October at 7pm
For this showing of The Critic, take the plot described under the Thursday matinee and relocate the action to the evening. Following the death of his father, David Brooke… The extra space gives us room to praise Ian McKellen’s dark turn as the theatre critic of the title, ‘relishes another devious character…a deliciously caustic turn that will provide him with nothing but the finest notices’ (The Guardian, see what they did there?) while Gemma Arterton is ‘more than a match for him’. And with great support from Lesley (Mum) Mandeville as, of course, Arterton’s mother, this is well worth your time for the performances alone.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Saturday 12th October at 7pm
For this showing of The Critic, take the plot described under the Thursday matinee and relocate the action to the evening. Following the death of his father, David Brooke… The extra space gives us room to praise Ian McKellen’s dark turn as the theatre critic of the title, ‘relishes another devious character…a deliciously caustic turn that will provide him with nothing but the finest notices’ (The Guardian, see what they did there?) while Gemma Arterton is ‘more than a match for him’. And with great support from Lesley (Mum) Mandeville as, of course, Arterton’s mother, this is well worth your time for the performances alone.
Up Next Week:
The Goldman Case, Lee, Harder Than The Rock.
Coming soon:
Not all No.6 patrons grew up in South London in the 70s, pre-Thatcher and vibrantly multicultural, but the resonances of that time made themselves felt nation-wide, with British reggae at the very forefront of that cultural moment. Harder Than The Rock recalls a unique set of circumstances when a group like The Cimarons could be popular not just in London, or across England, but even back in homeland Jamaica. Mark Warmington’s fabulous documentary tracks the Cimarons story, right up to the present day as they seek to return to the stage, and begs to be seen by anyone with a nostalgia for the true-but-hidden history of modern Britain. And if you think we’ll be beating the nyabinghi drum for Harder Than The Rock again next week, you’d be dead right, as we can’t urge you enough to come and see it on Saturday 19th October.
And Finally...
We are hoping to get some much-needed funding for No.6 from the 2024 Cinema Incentive Scheme. You may remember this from last year, it is dependent on our customers filling in a simple questionnaire and submitting it to the scheme. Click here to access the questionnaire. We’ll be sharing this in the next few newsletters so would be eternally grateful for your cooperation in completing this, either now following a recent visit or after a visit you’ll be making soon. Many thanks x
