Author: Mike Whitton

MASS at the Bristol Old Vic Studio

” . . . Risking excommunication, and taking audience participation into hitherto unexplored territory, Amy Mason has created a totally non-churchy ceremony for our times, modelled closely in structure on the Catholic Mass. A recent survey suggests that less than 40% of us are religious, a statistic supported at the start of the evening by the few hands raised in response to the question, ‘Do you believe in God?’ Has this absence of faith created a vacuum and, if so, what might be filling it? . . . “

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VITOMORI at the Alma Tavern & Theatre, Bristol

“The Tobacco Tea Theatre Company is back in the Alma with a play written and directed by Christopher Cutting. Vitomori takes a wry look at our narcissistic, selfie-obsessed age through the eyes of a 1000-year-old vampire. This satire on social media certainly has bite, mounting a forceful attack on those whose self-esteem depends entirely upon the number of ‘likes’ they score, and I particularly liked the line: ‘PR – the modern form of friendship’. . . this play certainly responds to our growing obsession in an often clever way. . . ”

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THE HERESY OF LOVE at the Bristol Old Vic

“. . . A heady mix of intrigue, passion and sexual politics, Heresy of Love is an ambitious play, and this Bristol Old Vic Theatre School production, ably directed by Jenny Stephens, certainly does it justice. . . . This is a wordy play with a number of weighty themes, but in this production it seldom seems too heavily freighted with ideas. The cast give each character a distinct individuality, and there are many shifts in mood. . . This is a thoroughly enjoyable production of a powerful play. Thoroughly recommended. “

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CHRISTIE IN LOVE at the Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol

“. . . Christie In Love is one of Howard Brenton’s earliest plays, and Substance & Shadow deliver this dark, claustrophobic three-hander with great skill . . . passionate hatred is conveyed with terrifying intensity . . . Christie In Love does not make for comfortable viewing, not least because it perhaps suggests that Christie’s horrible perversions were but an extreme expression of a more general malaise, but Substance & Shadow’s production is uniformly well acted, gripping throughout and certainly thought-provoking.

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Mike Whitton’s review of 2016

StageTalk Magazine reviewer Mike Whitton takes a look back over some of the shows he has seen in the past twelve months in Bristol and Bath. He reveals his overall favourite and explains why some shows turned out to be a bit disappointing.

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