This is a play that repels. Even what attracts at first, Marta, charismatically played by Ida Bonnast, ultimately becomes repellent. Leavened only by a dark humour, often two edged and offensive, this will not be a comfortable evening at the theatre and you will know that within seconds of the opening. The language is often coarse and offensive, images described often fall under the description of too much information while the disabilities described, both visible and … [Read more...]
Review of Love Lies at the Hope Theatre
This is a series of five short plays of new writing, exploring the risks and lies in love in a running time of one hour. The playwrights are all women with a keen eye for the fallibility of both sexes in their love predicaments. The small cast impresses, taking on very different roles in each play and exerting firm control of the material from the start. Humour is an important component throughout, a counterpoint to the disappointments of love displayed. The … [Read more...]
The Rinse Cycle at Charing Cross Theatre – Review
This is a fun filled evening put on by a clever creative team who know their difficult opera and use its absurdities to deliver irresistible humour while simultaneously serving up to a beguiled audience the power and musicality of the operatic voice. The audience is invited to sample the delicacies of ‘Pattiserie Valkerie’ in the form of two hours of humour all mixed up in a ‘mash up’ with operatic highlights from Wagner’s sixteen hour Ring Cycle. The story … [Read more...]
Powerful version of Hamlet at The Rose Playhouse – Review
The Rose Theatre has put on a powerful version of Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet in their space among the archaelogical ruins of the first Tudor theatre built on Bankside, whose distant, watery remains are on occasions used to play with perspective in this production. The play has been cut here to just seven characters and a speedy playing time of ninety minutes. This edit proves effective in the domestic sized playing space mostly utilised, focusing the drama on the intimate interaction of a … [Read more...]
Review of Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch at Sadler’s Wells
Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch “….como el musguito en lad piedra, ay si, si, si..” (Like moss on a stone) This production is a joy of grace, poignancy and artistry combined. Do whatever you must, to experience it at Sadler’s Wells. We meet the female dancers in this piece as if they are nymphs, maidens in flowing jewelled colours as yet unknowing of the powers of youth and the feminine they have assumed and the impact these have on the world of men. On a vast, empty stage, shimmering … [Read more...]
Review of Scenes From The End at The Tristan Bates Theatre
This is an examination of the consequences of loss, by means of a contemporary art piece performed by the talented and charismatic soprano soloist, Héloïse Werner. There is seating for an audience of seventy in the attractive, intimate space of the Tristan Bates Theate which was recently redeveloped and is now equipped with top of the range technical equipment. The set of Scenes From The End is minimalist. There is a surprisingly effective material backdrop of some lacy material, a frame … [Read more...]
The Tower Theatre Company’s Edith and Margueritte
This new play, written by Martin Mulgrew, is a jewel. A four hander, one hour in length it is put on in a large room, in costume but using an expanse of floor about ten feet deep as a stage (in the front row you could touch the cast), with no scenery just cast shadows with the air conditioning set to create a chilly atmosphere (bring your coat). This production is performed by the Tower Theatre Company at The Proud Archivist, a stunning architect designed building situated on the walkway … [Read more...]