★★★★☆ Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory’s Othello is beautifully acted and full of fresh invention. Right from the start Othello’s ‘otherness’ is seen to be more significant than a mere difference in skin colour. Director Richard Twyman has drawn on the expertise of creative adviser Abdul-Rehman Malik to give us an Othello who is first and foremost a Muslim, even though the crucifix he wears might suggest otherwise.
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★★★★☆ My instinct was to compare stage and film versions, having loved the movie directed by Alan Parker back in 1991. The staged version remains true to all the main characters, but has a tendency to fast forward the more subtle interchanges between them. With 10 more songs than feature in the film to get through, relationships tended to be sudden, rather than evolve, in order for the production to push on to the next foot stomping hit.
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★★☆☆☆ Vera is raging outside, desperate to penetrate a residential care home. No, this is not a thriller. Vera is a storm that threatens to engulf the world that exists for five elderly ladies in Gravesend, and the river is rising. She does deserve a special mention though, as the lighting and sound effects throughout this play, written by Sandi Toksvig, are very well done.
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★★★★★ The pacing of the show is perfect, with the acts seemingly building upon one another . . . A proper spectacle, featuring everything from a woman shooting arrows with her feet, to motorcyclists performing death-defying stunts on-stage, Cirque Berserk showcases talent from across the globe, and needs to be seen to be believed.
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★★★★☆ The play will be familiar to many, having been staged with some regularity since 1992 and with a BBC adaptation aired in 2010. But for those not in the know, A Passionate Woman concerns Betty, (Liza Goddard) who ends up reflecting on her life and a particular past love as she tidies in the attic on the day of her son’s wedding.
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★★★☆☆ There have been Reality television shows as far back as the 40s and 50s but they really become a big phenomenon on our screens in the 90s with the rapid development of the ‘Big Brother’ style of programme. Later almost every job, subculture, sport or hobby seems to have been the subject of a TV programme.
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