There certainly is comedy, often of the laugh-out-loud kind, though the overall tone is most certainly dark. We are left in no doubt that the Don is a nasty piece of work, even if we are sometimes amused by his outrageous bravado. When George von Bergen’s Don is not being persuasively seductive he is often being vicious, and in his final rejection of the hopelessly conflicted Donna Elvira we see him at his most ruthless.
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In this adroit stage version of A Room With A View, adapter Simon Reade has given prominence to the sheer fun Forster had in mocking the stifling conventions of upper-middle-class Edwardian society. This is a warm-hearted production, and that warmth is emphasised in designer Paul Wills’ clever use of scenic back projections, soft-focused and full of colour . . . Forster’s sunniest and most optimistic novel, and it is those qualities that shine through in this highly enjoyable production.
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This story is less substantial than Isherwood’s, and its lack of depth limits what can be achieved in a stage adaptation. The original is too fragmentary, too implausible and too reliant upon Capote’s dazzling prose style. Breakfast At Tiffany’s is a worthy attempt to bring Holly Golightly and her sparkly, amoral world to the live stage. Though it does not entirely succeed, there is certainly much to enjoy in this show, for there are some memorable performances.
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Footloose started life as a 1984 film musical, starring Kevin Bacon. Reviews were mixed, but it went on to gross over 80 million dollars. It is yet another tale of a stranger coming to a sleepy backwoods town and shaking things up. In this particular instance the stranger is a young lad called Ren whose father has recently run off, forcing him and his mother to move to Bomont, a remote spot in West Virginia.
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Despite its dark theme, Out Of Sky has a celebratory feel, fueled by the young actors’ obvious joy in performing. Co-directed by Julia Head and Jack Orozco Morrison, this play is packed with an extraordinary variety of images and ideas, perhaps a little too much so, but they and their talented writer should be congratulated for such inventiveness and ambition. All of Splint Theatre should be very proud of what they have achieved.
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