“. . . THE NOTEBOOK is a play which takes its roots from Agota Kristof’s LE GRAND CAHIER. . . A beautiful piece of writing, staged simply, using only two chairs and the proximity of the actors in the space. Arthur and Lodown are excellent; bringing gravity, naivety and cheekiness to the boys; working in such perfect tandem that you could almost believe they were one and the same. . . For a piece which tries to shun and strip emotion, The Notebook is definitely one of the most affecting and difficult plays I have ever seen.”

” . . . Circus music plays, a silhouette of a clown acting out a sequence of seemingly unfunny moves plays out, a Nazi salute, mock-gunfire, death, an angel’s wings unfurling. For some reason, laughter and applause rings out on the speakers . . . Nigel Francis acts and directs this piece of theatre that is low-key and ambitious, tragic and comic, perhaps forty years too long yet too short to convey its protagonist’s depths. It is difficult to term. Francis does a fine job . . . He is masterful in his delivery of the beauty of the script, evoking cityscapes and distinct characters in a breath . . . “

This was a lavish, sumptuous production from a company that is by far the best at bringing imported Russian opera and ballet to British audiences . . .There is a current trend in theatre for the curtain to be up and the set to be visible to the audience as they enter, rather spoiling the surprise. The surprise and delight last night was palpable as the curtain rose to reveal one of the best sets of its type I have seen in recent times. It was real old fashioned, beautiful scenery. It was like being inside a Pollock’s toy theatre or at La Fenice in Venice.