Great plays at the New Vic

While cinema may be returning to Audlem next month (see story last week), apart from the '5As' productions, theatre normally means a trip outside the village. Today, we carry what we hope will be the first of a series of reports on plays at the New Vic by Ann Tilling.Himself, my significant other, and I have become, over the past couple of years, culture vultures. That is to say we avail ourselves of the offer of cheap seats at that splendid theatre, The New Victoria Theatre, Stoke, or is it Newcastle-under-Lyme. It does seem as if half of Audlem is there sometimes, and not just the ones we tend to go with, and although individual tastes may find some of the plays not as much to their liking as others, the experience is rarely less than a good night out.

If you eat there beforehand, as we generally do, you enter the auditorium calm, sometimes sleepily so, well fed and happy, and by going early, you can park, for free even. True the food is not Cordon Bleu standard but it is good and the salads are generous in the extreme and tasty. Go for a few half portions or take a friend!

Recently we have seen two thoroughly good plays and when we meet up with the friends we accompany, Oleanna is still keenly discussed. Very thought provoking and covering many modern topics – education, political correctness and feminism to name but three.

Friday last, some of us went to see The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, a good adaptation of the Muriel Spark novel. As ever, I marvelled at the effects good lighting and a few props can produce and the acting was really good. Occasionally I suffer at 'theatre in the round' when the person speaking is facing away from me but at this performance the actors spoke so well that I caught everything, in spite of the Scottish accents!

I would strongly recommend a good night out at the New Vic and they have an exciting programme, which includes an Alan Ayckborne set of four plays, in the run up to the Christmas production of Oliver. What can one say more – good food, good company, a drink or two, especially for the non-drivers, and good acting. Staying awake is the hardest part on occasions. Enjoy – we do.

Ann Tilling

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