There is not much I miss about living in London. Out in the sticks, we have space, fresh air and peace. We have surprisingly good restaurants, decent facilities for sports and leisure. We are lucky, I know, to have fantastic provincial theatre at the new Curve in Leicester and the revamped Royal & Derngate in Northampton.
But that is just not the same as being able to pop down the road to the local, as the National Theatre used to be when we lived in London, to see Richard Griffiths and Alex Jennings on stage with a brand new play from Alan Bennett, The Habit of Art, as we experienced last night.
I can't really do justice to this wonderful play, exploring themes of aging, sex, genius, art and even the theatre itself but I can report of the sheer exhilaration of being in a lively and engaged audience in a wonderful venue with a cast and script that crackled with theatrical magic. For just a second, I envied those who could walk home... and walk back for something different next week, next month...
For those who would like to hear more about the play, here is Michael Billington's review in The Guardian. All I can say is, if you get a chance, go and see it.
