Friday 25 March 2011

Toothache - Thank you very much

Toothache is very painful but, rather strangely, it earned me a very enjoyable evening's entertainment!

It started back in January... I had neglected getting my teeth looked at for a few years since retiring and I broke a teeth on a wine gum. I managed to find a dentist - my old one didn't love me any more as I had gone off and left him - and managed to get an early appointment. She took a look and told me I would need two fillings and  a second appointment was made. During the cleaning process it became clear that the 'referred' pain I was having was, in fact, more problems with other teeth. Oh dear!!

As you know those of us who have toothache do not actually make life better for those around us. I don't really understand why and how that happens but there you go. I still had toothache and the prospect of possibly 3 more fillings. Wifey took to complaining on Twitter - an organisation that should be made illegal as it steals time from people and the crime goes unreported - and the Nottingham Playhouse took sympathy and gave her a 'little' compensation.

As a result of this, last night we went to see Steven Berkoff's Oedipus. The story of Oedipus is, of course, a classical one but I find it causes me angst. How can anyone condemn him when he had no reason to even contemplate doubting the rightness of his actions? But this play affected me more than on any other previous occasion with the passion that the company put into it.

We saw Berkoff's production of 'On the Water Front' a couple of years ago and I was swept along by that and 'Oedipus' features the same player's in action. The play is an hour and three quarters with no interval and is performed using only one set. There were 'glitches' but this is live theatre and there always are but some nights it will be one thing and sometimes another but once the play got under way I was entranced and really enjoyed it.

Lighting was used with particular effect with actors appearing in the middle of the stage after the action had held your attention and the live music must not go unmentioned. It was not until the final 'curtain' and bows were being taken that I realised the entire sound had been done by one man and the music by his own accordion. Also, it is easy to credit the performances of Creon,  Jocasta (whose hanging scene was both clever and convincing and had me looking for the rope) and Oedipus (whose scene when he stabbed his own eyes out was probably the goriest piece of theatre I have ever seen) but the 'ensemble' deserve a real special mention. It is difficult to watch them and think of them as 8 individuals - they work so well together they seem to be a sixteen legged symbiotic entity.

It was a fantastic night, from the drinks on arrival to the final curtain.

Oh and the teeth...  Well I have a temporary filling soon to be replaced with a proper one but I may yet need two more sorting but perhaps I can put them off a little while.