I went to watch "Breath of Life" in London today, the two person play that stars Dame Maggie Smith and Dame Judi Dench.

In a word, the the show was FANTASTIC! Dames Judi and Maggie were in top form. Their verbal jousting and sparring was a joy to watch and the acting was masterclass. It was simply amazing how they were able to hush the audience one moment and then make us burst out into laughter the next. Dame Judi's character, in particular, was really brought out by her body language- her ability to somehow project to us her emotions without speaking a word. In the first act she somehow seemed so tentative and unsure, and shrank back under Dame Maggie's verbal barrage, but as the play went on she became more confident and we were able to actually watch her character develop and get fleshed out before our eyes. I bought a copy of the play in the lobby for £2 and was surprised to find that there wasn't much in terms of direction in the play. It made their choices seem all the more interesting. Instead of making the ending of act 2 poignant, for instance, Dame Maggie made it casual and slightly humourous, undercutting Dame Judi's outburst just before it. It makes you really think.

The downside to my experience was my seat. I was in the last row, right at the back, and I couldn't see their facial expressions at all, and the sound, by the time it reached me, was slightly muffled. So when Dame Maggie exited stage right and talked from the 'next room', I could barely make out what she was saying because even though I could hear it, it was muffled. The seats were also small and hard- next to no leg room- but I wouldn't have minded if I could've heard everything. But then, I paid merely £9.50 to see two of the premier actresses in the world act together on stage in front of my very eyes. Can't beat that deal!