Guildford Shakespeare Company’s (GCS) content warning certainly tells you everything you need to know! "Shakespeare’s Macbeth contains themes of violence, war, murder, infanticide and the supernatural." No surprises then. However, the production is set against the background of a very contemporary guerrilla war, with whistling gunfire amidst a smoky haze, making … [Read more...]
All’s Well That Ends Well at Jermyn Street Theatre | Review
I was disappointed that I wasn’t able to see this production in Guildford as I always try to see everything that Guildford Shakespeare Company (GSC) produce, but what a treat! I get to see it in the delightful Jermyn Street Theatre for GSC’s first London transfer. Most of the set is covered with dust sheets as we take our seats but enough is showing to see that … [Read more...]
The 39 Steps at the Leatherhead Theatre | Review
The talk in the foyer before this evening’s performance is that one of the actors hurt his leg last night and had to finish the second half in a wheelchair. There is no sign of any injury this evening as the amazing cast of four all skip run and dance their way through the performance. Patrick Barlow's adaptation of John Buchan’s novel and Alfred Hitchcock’s film … [Read more...]
MUSE: A new play about the life of Dora Maar | Review
Antonia Georieva’s play Muse is based on the life of surrealist photographer Dora Maar and her relationship with Pablo Picasso. As the audience enters, the entire cast are already present evoking the image of a Classical Greek Chorus. The play opens with the cast undertaking an inventory of Dora’s possessions: they note; her photographic equipment, her photographs, … [Read more...]
Pilgrims and Sadness and Joy in the Life of Giraffes | Review
From the 3rd to the 11th of August the Orange Tree Theatre are showing four productions from emerging directors who have been studying on the Orange Tree and St Mary’s University MA Theatre Directing Course. Last night I saw two of these productions: Pilgrims by Elinor Cook, directed by Ellie Goodall and Sadness and Joy in the Life of Giraffes by Tiago Rodrigues, … [Read more...]
The Mikvah Project | Eight Gigabytes of Hardcore Pornography
From the 3rd to the 11th of August the Orange Tree Theatre are showing four productions from emerging directors who have been studying on the Orange Tree and St Mary’s University MA Theatre Directing Course. On the opening evening of the festival, I saw two of these productions: The Mikvah Project by Josh Azouz, directed by Georgia Green and Eight Gigabytes of … [Read more...]
Guildford Shakespeare Company’s Twelfth Night – 14th Open-Air Season
Having attended many productions by Guildford Shakespeare Company in the last few years my overwhelming feeling is how imaginative the company are in finding unique and special places to put on their productions. The audience may come to watch a play but many like me will also have discovered how lovely this historic town is. This summer’s Twelfth Night is being … [Read more...]
Billy Bishop Goes To War at Southwark Playhouse | Review
I fell just a little bit in love with this production as I walked in, Daisy Blower’s set design is wonderful! The tiny performance area, just big enough for the cast of two is crammed with vintage items and topped off with parachutes. Oh, I would love to have helped put this together. Billy Bishop Goes To War was first performed in Canada in 1978 and is now one of … [Read more...]
Measure for Measure – Guildford Shakespeare Company | Review
As the action begins I am comfortably sat at a table with a cheese board and a gin and tonic. How have the Company made the church seem so big this time? Didn’t there used to be pews either side of a narrow aisle? How have they done it? The space is transformed and the audience is spread over the whole central area. There is no obvious focal point; there are at least … [Read more...]