John Osborne is a fabulous storyteller. His quintessential Englishness makes us immediately warm to him. He apologies for the stuffy, hot room and promises us that he won't go on for longer than 45 minutes, so we can all head outside into the sunshine. But I don't think a single member of the sold out audience wants to be anywhere else.
Osborne is a master at creating captivating theatre out of quirky, simple stories that make heroes out of everyday people and heightens normal tales into pure folklore
Circled in the Radio Times is a story about Osborne being left his late Grandfather's personal possessions, long after his death, amongst which is a collection of the Radio Times that spans about thirty to forty years. Through this collection, Osborne can trace his Grandfather's mental state, personal history and his love of television. This is a personal story that we can all relate to. Nostalgic without being saccharine and sentimental without being twee. It's moving and funny, heartwarming and genuinely captivating.
Osborne is a master at creating captivating theatre out of quirky, simple stories that make heroes out of everyday people and heightens normal tales into pure folklore. His descriptions conjure up beautiful mental images of my own Grandparents and their little quirks, and the performance made me both laugh and cry.
This was billed as a work in progress and it does feel it could do with a few tweeks; if anything to make it longer and to use the ubiquitous Radio Times more, to allow us an insight into his Grandfather’s head. But even in this raw state, it still very much deserves its five stars.
