I have to admit that until last year I had never seen a production of The Winter’s Tale and now I have seen two great productions within three months. This production is staged in the beautiful surroundings of Holy Trinity Church on Guildford High Street; the staging is therefore both dominated by and limited by its amazing setting. Special mention must be made to the creative team of the director, Caroline Devlin, and her team of designers who used light, space and sound to create the … [Read more...]
Review of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland at Holland Park
I thought I knew where I was going! We headed confidently towards the Open Air Theatre in Holland Park only to be sent back to the Yukka Lawn, where this delightful family-friendly opera is being performed. Guides in Victorian costumes direct you to the starting point, the Grimthorpe pet shop, where Alice arrives with her family and meets the White Rabbit. The Rabbit persuades Alice to release him from his cage; she is puzzled, as he can speak but cannot open the door himself. “Slow evolution”, … [Read more...]
Review of Iphigenia in Tauris at the Rose Playhouse
If you, like me, are passionate about history and theatre, then you really must visit the Rose Playhouse. Bankside’s first Tudor theatre was re-discovered in 1989 and is now hosting plays, as it did over 400 years ago. The stage area used for productions is built over the partially excavated site and is so close to the audience that the experience of watching a play here is very intense. Wolfgang von Goethe’s version of Iphigenia is quite different from Euripides’ original; there is no … [Read more...]