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...]
NOISES OFF at the Garrick Theatre | Review
A company of relatively inept actors attempt to stage a tour of poorly written play, Nothing On. What could possibly go wrong? In Act 1 it's midnight, the show opens in less than 24 hours, they've had less than two weeks' rehearsal and they still haven't finished their dress rehearsal. We are introduced to the company of fictional actors who are caricatures of what I think many would stereotype actors to be, my favourite being the gossip mongering Belinda played by Sarah Hadland who goes around … [Read more...]
The Elixir of Love at the King’s Head Theatre | Review
Opera has long been seen, rightly or wrongly, as a high brow form of theatre and this perception alone is enough to put many people off going. Cue Opera’r Ddraig, a Welsh opera company who take classic operas and adapt them to Welsh settings. Their latest adaptation sets Donizetti’s L’Elisir D’Amore on Barry Island, probably most famous for its links to Gavin and Stacey. The result is brilliant. Adina owns a café in Barry, Nicky sits in that café all day mulling over his unrequited love for … [Read more...]