Author: @BookingAround

THE LITVINENKO PROJECT at the Oxford Hub

“. . . This play could hardly be timelier. With the public inquiry in every news bulletin, it is hardly surprising to find that this show has sold out very quickly. Entering the upstairs room of Oxford’s Turl Street Kitchen, an audience of about 30 people takes seats in sofas and armchairs around the room. Low tables in front of us hold china cups and teapots. We sip Gunpowder Green tea and as the room falls silent, the play begins. . . A stunning, engaging, and unusual piece that well deserves more attention!”

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THE PILLOWMAN at the Oxford Playhouse

The stories which create a framework for the play are horrible and brilliant at the same time. Reminiscent of the writings of T. C. Boyle, there are very few happy endings in Katurian’s stories, but they raise the fascinating questions of how the creative mind works, and what factors can bring out the dark heart of literature, and of humanity. Martin McDonagh is a superb writer, and has created stories to hold together the narrative arc of the play which captivate the audience from the beginning.

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SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER at the Oxford Playhouse

“…Hilarity ensues as identities are mistaken, the audience is let in on secrets which the players don’t know, and Kate Hardcastle stoops to conquer the man she wishes to marry….Mr Hardcastle, played by Howard Chadwick, is a blustering squire who wishes nothing so much as his daughter’s happiness in love. There is something of the pantomime dame in Gilly Tompkins as Mrs Hardcastle, who seems to have no real aims in life beyond being wealthy and fashionable, and controlling her wayward son…”

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THE KITE RUNNER on tour

“…The staging of this production is spare, and wonderfully so. An empty stage with a vibrant backdrop of lights, paintings, and curtains changes each scene smoothly and with minimum clutter of props. At the front of the stage sits Hanif Khan, a musician who, with a series of hand-drums and other small instruments, conveys the tone and emotion of the play marvellously.”

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MACBETH in the Gardens, Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford

The cast is made up of only six actors, which is a bit of a surprise when they come to the final bow. Scott Ainslie’s portrayal of Macbeth’s descent into madness is chilling – his swagger and bravado giving way to paranoia and fear. Laura Murray as Lady Macbeth begins her role delightfully wickedly, and ends it tragically in the horrible scene on the ramparts of the castle, desperately trying to remove the ‘damned spot’ from her hands.

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