Swiftly, Moving On

March 1st brings us Moving On by P-P Stalwart Michael Mills. Michael hits us with a radio script every couple of years, and this one is, in my humble opinion, his best yet. More emotional ( dare I say it's even bitter sweet ) than his usual comic/satirical fantasies, there are worse ways of spending the first day of spring than by dropping in on the Green Man next week. It was observed at our last AGM that we'd been suffering a dearth of radio dramas in the last couple of years. So this will be a breath of fresh air at the very least.

7.45. Be there.

And now, After the Accident

I've been tracking the progress of After the Accident for many a month on this blog. After winning the Amnesty International Protect the Human prize two years ago, Julian Armitstead's play is now being broadcast on Radio Four this coming Friday at the peak time of nine o'clock.

So, after you've spent forty minutes listening to a bunch of politicos speaking gibberish on Any Questions you can calm down with an hour of dramatic excellence featuring such stars of stage and screen as Lia Williams and Russell Boulter.

So, get yourself a nice cup of cocoa, turn on the wireless and switch it to the Home Service.

Nine O'clock, Friday 26th.

Tough Love

February 22nd brings us the long-awaited return of Alison Wilkie. Her last script for us, How Not to Change Your Boyfriend, was a rip-roaring success with the P-P public, and her new one, Tough Love, promises similar garlands. The log-line tells us that it's about:

"An idealistic social worker sets out to save her self-destructive boyfriend from himself…
And ends up saving herself".

Which sounds a bit Ken Loach to me. ( and not in a good way ). For a start, this is funny. The synopsis, which starts thusly, is a bit more user-friendly:

"Annabel, a feisty social worker at a homeless hostel and Barry, a dangerously handsome builder, are in love. And Barry doesn't drink (or take narcotics). Not for two whole years.

That is, not until their return to London from celebrating their engagement in Sri Lanka . …When Annabel's life falls apart. But desperate to have her boyfriend back (and now pregnant) Annabel sets about to save Barry from himself".

Read more here. You can even read the first twelve minutes too, as a taster. But do come along on Monday and judge for yourself.

7.45. The Green Man.

Sweatbox & The Hotel

I've never been inside a sauna, but I have been in a hotel. On Monday 15th, the P-P audience get to do both.

Two weeks ago a tsunami swept through the Green Man. Fortunately, no lives were lost, but it brought the evening to a swift ending, leading to the postponement of Sweatbox, just as the cast were gargling and changing into their costumes. But the show must go on! Instead of kicking the show into the summer, cast and crew have worked 24/7 to rearrange the programme and bring it in now.

So here we go again: Sweatbox, by Lexie Howe.

But what to double with it? Sweatbox is only half an hour long and we can't end the evening at a quarter to nine. So, phones were manned, emails were sent, and another new, short play, The Hotel, has been drafted in. This is by another P-P newcomer, Niall Boyce. Again, it's a two hander, and again it's a bit spooky.

Come to the Green Man on Monday to explore. Bring a raincoat.

Scenes From Childhood

Monday February 8th brings us a new play by multi-talented newcomer ( to us ) Andrew Bridgmont. Acting, playing the violin, writing, and growing a beard, there isn't much Andrew can't do. It's a two-hander, and the man who mentored it said it was one of the best things he had ever read for P-P. Coming from him that is high praise indeed.

I shall be there, and I trust you will be too.

7.45, at the Green Man.

Sweatbox Will Return

Last February we had to postpone a show because of the snow. This February we had to postpone one because of flooding. What'll happen next February? A plague of locusts?

Anyway, for those who were settling down with their popcorn before the tides broke there is good news. Sweatbox is still coming to P-P, in under a fortnight. This is because the previously scheduled piece, Franchise, by John Anderson, has been postponed to a later date. Sweatbox will now be doubled with Hotel, by another newcomer Niall Boyce. Check out the programme on the website, which has been updated to reflect the changes. More news will come, as and when we have it.