Author: Graham Wyles

EXIT THE KING at the Ustinov Theatre, Bath

“In Ionesco’s list of the realities of life, death looms large. In Exit the King, which is like a panto for grown ups, set in a kind of crumbling Ruritania, designed by Anna Fleischle, we find king Berenger in the last hour and a half of his life. The play stands outside conventional time and space (indeed surreal) so aiming at (we might suppose) a universality of context. . . The play continues the season of high quality international theatre which is becoming the hallmark of the Ustinov under Laurence Boswell.”

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WNO CARMEN at Bristol Hippodrome

“. . . It is the fate of all ground-breaking works that their effect on subsequent audiences can never quite be the same as for those who experienced the thrill of seeing something new which escapes the conventions of the time. So the step towards realism which to us seems tame and almost comical when not actually melodramatic can no longer be a feature of the pleasure a work such as Carmen gives us today. . . “

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AN ELEPHANT IN THE GARDEN at the Tobacco Factory, Bristol

” . . . Reade winnows out the emotional and narrative core of Morpurgo’s original allowing the audience to be drawn in to the story. In Alison Reid he has the perfect combination of experience and talent to bring the enterprise to life. Like a ball of knots waiting to be unpicked in order to reveal some inner goodness she goes about her task with an eager effulgence. . . . This is masterful storytelling by all concerned and a gem of a standout performance of the Brewery’s year.”

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ERIC AND LITTLE ERN on tour

“. . . The timing is perfect, the idiosyncratic twitches and mannerisms, the playing with the glasses the tilt of the body, the thrust of a one-liner are all as you remember . . . You’ll find the Grieg’s Piano Concerto sketch and the paper bag gag done with as much freshness as at their first outing. Ashpitel and Stephens have worked hard to retrieve the original feeling of the routines and it has clearly been a labour of love. If you share the affection or if you ever wondered what your parents were groaning on about this show is for you.”

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ECHO BEACH at Cooper’s Loft at the Bristol Old Vic

” . . Her personal style is engaging and fluid and not without a sense of humour. . . . It’s a brave thing to do to think you can entertain a bunch of people in this way, but Hannah Sullivan does it in some style. Here is novelty and innovation on the unclaimed land between dance and mime presented with confidence and skill – rare talents. Where she goes next we shall have to wait and see and content ourselves for the time being with this little nugget.”

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