Last time my fellow Aussie Nicole Kidman was on stage was in the 90’s, when she was part of David Hare’s The Blue Room and her performance received many accolades. I remember hearing about it but at the time I was in high school on the other side of the world, thus a plane fare and ticket was a bit out of reach!
So when I received an email from The Noel Coward Theatre stating that Nicole was returning in the upcoming play, Photograph 51, I bought a ticket. I had no idea what the subject of the play was except that it wasn’t a musical!
The Noel Coward Theatre is modernising its thinking and it has a goal to make quality theatre accessible to all. As a result there are a substantial amount of £10 tickets for each performance and opportunity to get standing only places on the day. I really admire old institutions who embrace the modern world, adapting so they can stay open and continue their life’s work. This should be a tact that cinemas do to fill seats as I don’t know how they are surviving with their mainly empty seats. So many businesses ignore change and find themselves without patronage and shutting down.
The play is about Rosalind Franklin’s contribution to the discovery of DNA. It is both comedic and poignantly sad with an incredibly talented cast. Rosalind isn’t included in the Noble Prize for DNA as she had passed four years earlier and it seems her contribution is only being acknowledged now from what I can gather. This play shows how she was involved and gives glimpses into her private life and the sacrifices she willing gave for her work. Nicole’s performance was stellar and throughout the play she took my breath away with her natural presence and great timing. At the end she received a standing ovation that was well deserved.
The play is located in Covent Garden and runs until 21st November 2015 if you wish to purchase tickets. As seems to be the custom for modern plays there is no interval and the running time is 95 minutes.
Enjoy!
PF
xo
