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1. Man in the Moon theatre

There are more photos from this production below. Selecting any of the small thumbnail images will show a larger version of the picture in the main part of the page. »

People for Dinner by Sheila Yeger - Mike

- King Street Gallery, Bristol. Directed by Briony Waite.
- Man In The Moon Theatre, London. Directed by Stephen Butcher.

Two productions for the price of one! The first performance of Sheila Yeger's four-hander was under the aegis of the Playwrights' Company in Bristol. A snapshot of middle-class angst that sharply skewers the formless guilt of the 'haves' when faced with the reality of the 'have-nots' of the world, the play is well-observed, insightful and relevant, and Sheila's ability to write dialogue that sounds just the way that real people talk meant that the lines were a joy to play - naturalistic, funny and believable. The action of the play takes place in real-time over the course of a dinner party, and first-time director Briony Waite did an excellent job of choreographing the dynamics of the dinner party.

TV director Stephen Butcher wanted to take the play to London and was nice enough to ask me to reprise Mike in his production - at the Man in the Moon Theatre in the Kings Road. Stephen was a great director to work with and it was a pleasure to work on the play again and bring out even more of the subtlety of the writing with his help. The new cast members included Jo Munroe (from 'Angels' - and later 'That's Life'). Sadly the - perhaps more cynical - press in London were not as kind to us as the Bristol reviewers.

This job directly led to my first (and pretty much only) major TV role as Stephen was about to direct several episodes of 'Angels' including one which introduced the character of Dr. Edward Clarke. He suggested me and after a couple of casting calls I was cast, moved to London and spent the next year in soap-opera land!

On a side note, the food we ate during the course of the dinner was real - lentil soup, beef bourguignon and a Walls Vienetta, washed down with red wine (or Ribena anyway) and coffee. I ate that (slightly cold) every night for the whole duration of the run. I can now, after many years, enjoy lentil soup again and even, at a pinch, beef bourguignon, but I still can't face a Vienetta!