Daniel Deronda

You're a cultured lot at P-P, so you'll no doubt be familiar with 'Daniel Deronda' by George Eliot. Well, there's a stage version, courtesy of Traffic of the Stage, to be directed by Harry Meacher. It will be playing at Upstairs at the Gatehouse, Highgate, 5th - 29th May, Tuesday - Saturday 8pm, Sunday 4pm £12 / £10 concessions, £15 / £12 Saturdays. Box office: 020 8340 3488

Why am I telling you this? Because it stars our very own, Caroline Langston, playing Fanny Davilow.

Here's a teaser. Okay, she isn't actually in this version, but let's face it, she should have been.

When the Dog Dies

At last! It was 2008's P-P Comedy of the Year, and now it's on the wireless. Radio 4 to be precise, starting this Friday at 11.30 in the morning, and there are six episodes in total.

"Ronnie Corbett reunites with Ian Davidson[/p and Peter Vincent, the writers of his hit BBC sitcom Sorry, for this new comedy for BBC Radio 4.

Corbett plays Sandy Hopper, who is growing old happily along with his dog, Henry. His grown-up children are both married to people Sandy doesn't approve of and would like him to move out of the family home so they can get their hands on their money earlier. But Sandy is not having this - he's not moving until the dog dies.

Sandy also has a lodger and his daughter is convinced that the too-attractive Dolores is after her father and his money.

Luckily, Sandy has three grandchildren; sometimes a friendly word or a kindly hand on the shoulder can really help a grandad in the 21st century. Man and dog together face a complicated world".

So, get ready to put the kettle on, dig out the jaffa cakes, and put your feet up. Here's some footage of a dog to put you in the mood. Don't worry. It's very much alive.

Deadlock

April 26th brings us act one of Deadlock, a new comedy thriller by Peter Vincent and Barry Cryer. PV needs no introduction to P-P members. He's got a radio sitcom starring Ronnie Corbett coming up on Radio4 before the month is out, has written for Dave Allen, the Two Ronnies, Frankie Howerd, Bruce Forsyth, Les Dawson, Ben Elton ( Ben Elton?? )and many, many more. Check him out.

For that matter Barry Cryer doesn't need much of an introduction either. I guess he's currently most known as a panellist on "I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue" but he's got a record as distinguished as PV's. So, PV and BC together again - this is history in the making. It's a bit like Led Zeppelin reforming for the O2 gig a year and half ago. Only louder.

So, act one on Monday. I tried to persuade them to do the whole thing, but then it was gently pointed out to me that it is quite long. And hey, if you want to see it all, you'll just have to wait for it to come to a theatre near you. Which it surely will.

Monday, 7.45, at the Green Man.

The Competitive Spirit

In one of those serendipitous moments for which Player-Playwrights is justly famous, on Monday 19th April, the day of the Boston Marathon, we bring you a play about... the Boston Marathon. Well, kind of. One of the characters intends to run in it. It's by Eliza Wyatt, who hasn't given us a script for many a year. It will surely be worth the wait. Writing plays is not a sprint after all, and this one has been around the block once before.

So while it's evening in the UK, and our cast are sweating it out in the confines of the Green Man, it's morning in America, and thousands of lardbutts will be sweating it out on the mean streets of Boston.

Monday 19th April, at the Green Man. Be there.

The Summer Programme

is up! Same place, but different pieces. As ever it's subject to change.

Bonfire Night

So that's it for another term. There is no meeting on Monday 5th of April, it being Easter. But we are back on April 12th with a play written by me. It's entitled Bonfire Night, and is a black comedy about murky goings-on in the English countryside. It will star Anthea Courtenay, Chris Prior, and making his long-awaited return, Richard Evans. Please come along.

April 12th is Bonfire Night. Be there.

Charlie Is My Darling

The winter season ends on a typically upbeat note on March 29th with the reading of a piece by P-P veteran Peter McKelvey. Members with extremely long memories may remember ( I don't, I wasn't around back then ) that Charlie Is My Darling has been given a showing at P-P before. Or rather its first act did. Then it was a tremendous hit, and Mr. McKelvey has finally picked up his quill and written the second act. On Monday we'll be getting the complete, unexpurgated version.

It's a "somewhat surrealist take on Charles Dickens", we are old and should run for approximately 80 minutes. There is a cast of three: Philip Philmar, Cheryl Anderson and Peter Picton.

That ought to whet your appetite. Sticklers for the original programme may have noted that Nightmare in the Garden of Eden by the same Mr. McKelvey was originally planned for this evening. That is now undergoing something of a rewrite, but will no doubt be rescheduled soon. It's got a great title, if nothing else.