As I watched Plaza Suite I had an epiphany about the vital importance of laziness.
Evening Standard|April 11, 2024
WE'VE won the lottery!" my girlfriend messaged me on WhatsApp, which did not excite me
Martin Robinson
As I watched Plaza Suite I had an epiphany about the vital importance of laziness.

An actual National Lottery win is call-worthy, no? Even FaceTime-worthy. As ever in our relationship, I was right. "We won the lottery for front row seats for Plaza Suite!" What? A quick check confirmed this was the revival of Neil Simon's Seventies play starring New York royalty Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick. I quickly messaged back: "Can you take someone else?"

I'll spare you the details of subsequent discussions, and who won or lost, but at the weekend I found myself sitting with my nose on the lip of the stage watching the triptych of scenes about marriage as an arena for the disappointments of ageing. Since I'm both curmudgeonly and infantile, its despairing view of life combined with slapstick comedy effortlessly won me over.

I was also greatly cheered by the Friday night audience and wondered if the atmosphere of Sex and The City fans unleashed was the reason for some snooty reviews of the show. Critics hate people they get in the way of the art.

Much like politicians hate people - they get in the way of running the country.

Not being a theatre critic, I love a rowdy audience with phones going off, people coming in late and everyone pissed.

This story is from the April 11, 2024 edition of Evening Standard.

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This story is from the April 11, 2024 edition of Evening Standard.

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