Now You're Stalking! (# 19)

Don Warrington, the star of Rising Damp, Strictly Come Dancing, and the Kenco coffee ads was spotted by your intrepid reporter on Friday night, sitting in the audience at the Tricycle Theatre, Kilburn.

Interestingly - or not, just as you please - the play was Joe Orton's 'Loot'.

I think this is interesting because Don's co-star in Rising Damp, all those years ago, was the great Leonard Rossiter... who died in 1984... while waiting to go onstage at the Lyric Theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue.

The play he was starring in at the time? Yep, it was Loot. So I'm guessing the play may have a particular poignance for Mr Warrington.

Rossiter played the part of Inspector Truscott - expertly, no doubt - but on Friday night the character was played by the ever-excellent David Haig.

I blogged a while ago about this marvellous actor, when I thought he lifted an otherwise tepid farce above the forgettable mire and into the realms of the almost-good. Now he's done it again.

That might be slightly unfair. Although it's rather dated, Loot is still a sparky piece of work - full of great lines and gleeful tastelessness. But Haig's performance was still easily the best thing about it. By turns hilarious, brutal and astoundingly callous, he really brought the piece to life. Doon MacKichan's equally amoral Irish nurse was good too, but it was David Haig who stole the show.

The rags seem to agree. Here's the reviews of the Independent, the Sunday Times, the Guardian, and the Evening Standard.