Going Out: Theatre - CURTAIN CALLS

If she had not withdrawn from rehearsals - a torn Achilles tendon - Judi Dench (above) would have been the first person to record the Andrew Lloyd Webber/ Trevor Nunn smash hit "Memory". I suspect that the great Dame was cast in Cats for two reasons. Firstly, she was London's first Sally Bowles in Cabaret, and secondly, she broke hearts singing the beautiful "It's Always Darkest Just Before the Dawn" in the almost forgotten Andre Previn/ Johnny Mercer musical The Good Companions.

That was based on one of 27 novels by JB Priestley, who was also no slouch in the play-writing department (he knocked out 47). Now, not all of his plays are box-office certs, but An Inspector Calls has proven pretty durable. Less well known are his "Time" plays: three tightly-structured family dramas that play thriller games with past, present and future. The best of these, Dangerous Corner, is back. Definitely worth checking out.

Palace Theatre, Clarendon Rd, Watford (01923 225671) 5-27 Nov