From the moment you walk into the theatre, the set has a distinct 1984 (the book, not the year) feel. An invisible government controlling a population through clever slogans who treat any contrary voices as harshly as possible, an external threat forever referenced but never named. Very "Big Brother is Watching You". The development of the story only strengthened these echoes. Luckily, 1984 is one of my favourite books. The play started off somewhat slowly with a brother and sister (Caleb … [Read more...]
Golden Age Theatre Company Presents: Testimony | Review
Each night for a week two different monologues written by Ian Dixon Potter will be performed. I watched Call Back and Trivial Dispute. Call Back is about a man who discovers he has the power to make phone calls to the past, exactly 4 days before the present, so why is nothing changing when he warns of a terrible accident, and why has the weather suddenly got so bad? A whistle-stop tour of theoretical physics later and we have our answer and a new more political plot is hatched. The story was … [Read more...]
Love Down the Line Written by Sophia Hatfield and Jack McNamara
Firstly, I would like to start by saying how much I admire and am grateful to, anyone creating theatre at this time, and, whilst I am thoroughly enjoying the volume of live and pre-recorded streams available to watch on my television, the concept of Love Down The Line means that this is the first time since September that I have experienced a live, in-person, performance. Of course, in-person does mean down the telephone rather than in an actual theatre, but there is a lot to be said for … [Read more...]
It’s Beautiful, Over There at the Tristan Bates Theatre | Review
It's Beautiful Over There is a story of death. We are warned this from the start and stories of death are what we get. As Stephanie Greenwood (Steph) takes us through the stories of the deaths of various relatives, we are made very aware that this isn't really the story she is intending to tell us. But, it is easier to tell the stories of the deaths of ancestors she never knew, and even the deaths of the older generations that she did, than it is to tell the story of her friend's suicide. Thus, … [Read more...]
Islander: A New Musical at Southwark Playhouse | Review
There are a whole host of tiny Scottish islands, many stretching miles north of the mainland. Naturally this brings a whole host of problems to residents - huge population decrease (especially amongst young people), a lack of investment, and some very rainy weather (although that certainly applies to my experiences of mainland Scotland too). Amy Draper takes these serious issues as the starting point for her new musical Islander and takes them to an extreme. Eilidh is now the only child left on … [Read more...]