We Made This

Boeing Boeing

We picked up this BOAC sticker at Sunday's Ephemera Society fair (see down here), and handily we can now use it to post about a play we've just been to see.

Boeing Boeing is a proper old-school farce, written by French fella Marc Camoletti back in the 60s. This latest revival is at the Comedy Theatre in London, and has an astounding cast that includes the staggeringly great Frances de la Tour (from Rising Damp, and more recently seen in The History Boys); Roger Allam* (most recently seen in The Queen); and the unfeasibly talented Mark Rylance (all round Shakespearean genius and ex-artistic director of The Globe).

As if they weren't reason enough to dash out and grab a ticket before the run ends on 28 April, it's topped off with a hysterical performance from the truly wonderful Michelle Gomez (from Green Wing and Wedding Belles).

* We urge you to follow this link. It's fantastic.

The Overwhelming

We went to see Out of Joint's new production, The Overwhelming, at the National Theatre last night.

It's a powerful and visceral political thriller about Rwanda, set in 1994, just as the country teeters on the brink of genocide. The action centres on an American college professor, who has gone to Rwanda to research a book, and has taken his family with him. The family become entangled with various different political factions, Hutu, Tutsi, French, British and American, and are forced to confront their sense of right and wrong as they gradually become more and more aware of the situation unfolding around them.

You can't help but feel slightly awkward as you sit sipping a glass of wine at the interval, pondering the sheer terror of what happened in Rwanda from the saftey of London's South Bank. But theatre's strength lies in that special ability to drive an emotional message right through your heart, and if audiences come away from the play inspired to join human rights organisations, then the play has succeeded.

If you're feeling inspired, go look at Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.