A comedy of style and wit

Went to the National Theatre last night to see The Man of Mode, a 17th century restoration comedy by George Etherege, which is up-dated most convincingly. The fops all give the impression of being Chinawhite junkies and the aspirational Asian family could well be junk-bond dealers. Rory Kinnear steals the show, but to be fair to the excellent Tom Hardy who plays the lead, Dorimant, the part of Sir Fopling Flutter is the sort of role any actor would die for. It brought back happy memories of Donald Sinden's brilliant performances in The Relapse and London Assurance, and frankkly although this was good, Sir Donald would be hard if not impossible, to surpass.

Tried the theatre's Mezzanine restaurant afterwards which used to be so bad that one trouped off up the road to the local fish and chip shop (Livebait), but is now greatly improved and well worth a visit - efficient, fast servie, good food and pleasant surroundings. The same cannot be said for the Ashcroft Room which was quite pathetic and unfriendly. It's meant to be for those people who have supported the theatre over many years, but don't bother to pay any extra to have that privilege - it isn't worth it.