Directing

I intend continuing with my mini series on directing especially for the newer and inexperienced director started in a previous post.
However in the interlude I am delighted to say I got the autograph of Sir Richard Eyre, who directed "The Last Cigarette" at the Minerva as part of the Chichester Theatre Festival 2009. If he had hoped to sneak in to a performance of his production without being spotted by an eagle eyed theatre fanatic like me he was mistaken. I caught him leaning against the first floor rail and in my most oily tones asked him for his autograph. He signed my programme over his own autobiographical notes and I managed to let him do so in silence without my usual gushing, bowing and scraping and licking of toecaps. Usually I burble on about how brilliant their production is and probably sound as insincere as hell. I once sat next to Harold Pinter in his production of "Blithe Spirit" at the Lyttleton. I must have been at my most obsequious because he didn't come back after the interval. I laughed at all the "jokes" as well even though, with a cast led by Richard Johnson and I can't remember the star playing Madame Arkadi, I didn't enjoy it very much.
We have "Hay Fever" tickets for this year's production at Chichester but I wait to be convinced by Noel Coward. This is a hint to the director, Nikolai Foster.