Simon Bishop

THE LIGHT PRINCESS at the Bristol Tobacco Factory

Posted by Simon Bishop | 4 Dec 2015

The Light Princess from Tobacco Factory Theatres in association with Peepolykus and directed by John Nicholson, succeeds on many levels. That something special was in the air was immediately apparent as you entered the theatre itself – the usual simple black-draped entrance had been transformed into a wall of trees and flowers twinkling with lights. A slight mist hung in the air, while large white candles marked out the front of the stage are a . . . deserves all the accolades that surely must come its way.

HAPPY HOUR at the Brewery, Bristol

Posted by Simon Bishop | 20 Nov 2015

The Tobacco Factory has set the bar high for new works. This collaboration between director Gethin Evans and writer Anita Vettese is an exciting one – I’m already looking forward to their next production. This is Anita Vettesse’s first play after a 20-year career as an actor, and Gethin’s first production as Associate Director of Sherman Cymru.. . . . Happy Hour is a fast-paced miniature masterpiece. It is skilfully written and perfectly executed. Anita Vettesse is a bright new talent to take note of, with a well-tuned eye and ear for human detail. Strongly recommended.

AN INSPECTOR CALLS at the Theatre Royal, Bath

Posted by Simon Bishop | 18 Nov 2015

J B Priestley’s classic polemic is very much in step with Jeremy Corbyn’s recent social inequality cris de coeur. The production is clearly in danger of being closed down any minute by the Ministry of Information! As Inspector Goole stepped forward to entreat us with his sermon of a caring society, I fully expected George Osborne’s thought police to storm the building, arrest the cast and put the audience on advanced surveillance.

Rambert’s THE THREE DANCERS at the Theatre Royal Bath

Posted by Simon Bishop | 13 Nov 2015

The evening began with The 3 Dancers, a piece inspired by the 1925 painting by Picasso. Dutch choreographer Didy Veldman had been curious to see if she could apply Cubism to dance using light and layers of movement. Two groups of three dancers, one dressed in black, the other white, each began by striking mixed poses, spotlit in turn, giving a feel of kinetic animation, negative/positive visuals that mirrored Picasso’s original design . . . An uplifting and inspiring night, Rambert are alive with talent.

ETO’s PELLEAS ET MELISANDE at Bath Theatre Royal.

Posted by Simon Bishop | 10 Nov 2015

I would argue that Claude Debussy’s dark meandering score for Maeterlinck’s original play, part fairy story, part symbolist essay, is one for the more academic, purist of opera-goers. A gloomy tale in a shady place, this is not so much an entertainment as a show of technical prowess for digestion. All credit must go to the impeccable skills of the English Touring Opera’s singers and orchestra who followed the composer’s complex pathways of discordant harmony with utter conviction, in sequences of self-possessed musical exploration.

Author: Simon Bishop

THE LIGHT PRINCESS at the Bristol Tobacco Factory

HAPPY HOUR at the Brewery, Bristol

AN INSPECTOR CALLS at the Theatre Royal, Bath

Rambert’s THE THREE DANCERS at the Theatre Royal Bath

ETO’s PELLEAS ET MELISANDE at Bath Theatre Royal.

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