I saw TRF [The Royal Family] last evening at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. My friend Helen and I were in 5th row, seats 11 and 12, almost center. The theatre is just beautiful - - rich warm jewel tones with golf leaf and gilt, and a very tasteful crystal chandelier in the middle of the ornate ceiling. It was wonderful to be transported from the vulnerability of today's world into the roaring twenties of New York.
They use one art deco set through all three acts. In the middle of the set is a long twisting stair case, definitely the focal point of each scene. It is made of black wood with scrolled gold lattice. The foyer in the back of the set looks similar to Rocky's original hallway in ATGB. It is a filled with dark wood bookcases and a burgundy wall. There is a black piano behind a black leather sofa. It has old b&w photos in silver frames on it. There are oriental vases filled with ornate flower arrangements all over the room. The walls are horizontal stripes. They are beige and gold. There are three large windows above the staircase stage right. The lights between them are covered with Japanese fans.
On the stage right wall, is a portrait of a young Fanny Cavendish (Judi) as Lady MacBeth in flowing gowns and holding a gold crown over her head. It is nothing like the MacBeth portraits of her with Ian MacKellan.
The set was ostentatious - - it really represented the over the top life of the Barrymore family.
Harriet Walter played Julie Cavendish, daughter of Fanny. She looks like a younger Janet Henfrey. There is a portrait of her on the stage left wall, and all I thought about when I saw it was "Wow...Mrs. Bale is quite a dish!!"
I have to say that I thought Harriet's American accent was the best of all the performers. More about accents later.
Harriet Walter carried a lot of the second act. She is incredible and for anyone that knows me, I don't hand out compliments often.
The most flamboyant costumes and sarcastic lines belonged to Dame Judi's Fanny. She wore black turbans encrusted with rhinestones, long flowing crushed velvet gowns in contrasting dark black and light black. Her first entrance set the tone. She wore a black turban, with silver crystals embedded in it. She walked down the grand staircase with the aid of a cane, but in high heels. Even Fanny's black cane was ornate. The most wonderful of her gowns was an empire waisted burgundy velvet gown with a gold silk embroided jacket. She wore long strands of pearls, black crystal beads, diamond and sapphire brooches. Picture Gloria Swanson in Sunset Blvd, and you have Judi's Fanny down pat. But Fanny is much livelier and funnier than Norma Desmond.
Judi's timing when delivering the play's funniest lines just made the show for me. And the facial expressions?! One of the lines was when Fanny's brother, Herbert, played by Peter Bowles (To the Manor Born, The Irish RM) says "I'm not that pathetic". Instead of hearing Fanny say "Yes, you are", she instead thinks for a moment, is about to say something, but stops and rushes out of the room."
Julia Mackenzie's Kitty, sister in law to Fanny, looked just like Betty Boop! She plays a woman of "mature years" who keeps trying to pass for an 20 something ingenue. Some of Fanny's best lines are at Kitty's expense.
Julia MacKenzie looks like Betty Boop but acts like Judy Holiday.
I have to admit, that some of the play dragged on a bit. At one point, Fanny (Dame Judi) was reading a newspaper while her brother Herbert, daughter Julie, granddaughter Gwen (Emily Blunt) and sister in law Kitty chattered away. I think Judi also thought the scene was going slow, but she had to wait for her cue to say her next line. I think she sighed and rolled her eyes out of frustration, but she rustled the paper at the same time, so it could have been that Fanny didn't like a story in the paper, not that Judi was wishing the others around her would hurry up. But I'll never really know. If others see her do it in the upcoming performances, then it will be scripted. If she doesn't do it, well, that will be a treat for me.
I did not care for the part of the granddaughter, Gwen. Very whiny and pretentious. It reminded me of the prima donna actors in the US today.
Part of the play at times reminded me of Ken Ludwig's farce "Lend me a Tenor".
Harriet Walters made two mistakes. She kept calling her love interest Gil Marshall "Gwen", which was her daughters name. And Judi made one tiny mistake. She meant to say "on the stage"...but it came out "out on a...out on the stage.."
All in all, I'd give the play a B. I'd give Harriet Walters and Dame Judi's performances an A.
Special kudos to Toby Stephens as Tony Cavendish, Fanny's son. He was like a Tasmanian devil whirling around that set. He looked and acted exactly like Errol Flynn. And at one point, while fencing on the set with a friend, he turns to Fanny, and she fences with her cane versus his sword. Very funny.
The play is about this flamboyant theatrical family who live, eat and breathe the Theatre. They are happiest when they are on stage. They have egos the size of the grand canyon, they are all spoiled rotten, and are at their best when they are trading sarcastic quips. Fanny is the expert at the verbal sparring match.
As I said before, Harriet Walter and Judi were the best performers in the play. I wasn't happy with Peter Bowles as Herbert. He was rather wimpy. He let this household of women walk all over him, and I doubt Lionel or John Barrymore would let Ethel get away with this behavior.
(But when Herbert dyes his hair brown to try and pass for a man of 35, Judi's doubletake is a riot. She looks out into the audience and smiles like a cheshire cat so Herbert can't see her expression.)
Unfortunately, the theatre is not selling any TRF merchandise. And there are no plans to.