Well, it is time. ‘The Government Inspector’ comes to town. Three nights only.
It has been a throughly engaging and enjoyable journey since first it threatened to become a reality in a haze of wine flavoured, post-‘Great Books’ euphoria, but now all the hard work comes to its fruition. There is little point me waxing lyrical to encourage you to come see the show, it is pretty much fully booked and you are either coming or not coming or are in it; so instead let me just use this as a forum to doff the metaphorical cap to all involved in what has been a hugely rewarding production. It has been a pleasure to attend rehearsals where the actors have been in double figures, to enjoy the camaraderie that brought me into The Matchbox in the first place, and to be part of such a creative, though relatively brief journey. A truly delightful change in flavour, it has resulted in many laughs, some great ideas and wonderful chemistry which any of you watching will hopefully witness at some point over the run.
There is a lot of talent on stage tonight, I genuinely mean that, and I hope that you will agree come the end of the show. Whether it’s the regular stalwarts, member of the old guard who are returning from hiatus or new, younger talent, the commitment and vibe has been a true pleasure to be part of. And that this cast performs in front of such magnificent sets is a testament to the hard work of the production designer and crew, this time constructing marvels in very limited time. It always comes together, of course, but it has been a while since it has come together like this.
I have no idea at all how the show is going to be received; one always wonders how this or that show is going to go down with ‘our’ audience, though it is wonderfully heartening to see a whole host of new faces coming over the run. It is frantic, fast and funny, no question but, as the great ‘Compleat Work’s Curate’s Egg ™’ shows, you can’t please everyone. That said, therefore, I will certainly be back on here with reflections and updates and, as always, a freshly filtered review at some time but, in the meantime, in the absence of a bevy of ‘luvee’ cards – a notable characteristic of all my performances with The Matchbox – I just want to wish everyone involved with the show a fun and deservedly successful run and before I get too elegiac (in the thoughtful rather than mournful sense) hope any of you watching enjoy your evening.
Until later, very best wishes
Mike x
The Matchblog 