BAD JEWS on tour

BAD JEWS on tour

by

I originally reviewed this play on its first UK run at the Ustinov. Now back in the main house after a successful run in the West End and with a new cast this is not a reassessment but a fresh review. . . Undoubtedly deserving of its plaudits the play sparkles with rich characters and scintillating, raw dialogue, which entertains and amuses as it provokes. It could indeed, stand as a metaphor for society as a whole– are we not after all, in the broadest sense the members of the same family?

Read More
AND THEN COME THE NIGHTJARS at the Bristol Old Vic

AND THEN COME THE NIGHTJARS at the Bristol Old Vic

by

In folklore, Nightjars are emblematic portends of death. We hear the song of the bird at crucial junctures in this story. But despite the shadowy nature of the tale, Roberts’ writing always manages to dance along. These men are not two-dimensional . . . Bea Roberts’s piece leaves us with some hope, that even between two ageing and failing men there can be connection and resolve, even love. She is a writer who is equally at ease with farce and ferocity. Recommended

Read More

Cheltenham Literature Festival 2015

by

10th October – ANTONY SHER. Year of the Fat Knight: The Falstaff Diaries is Sher’s third book based on the journals he kept while preparing major roles. The other two were about working on Richard III for the RSC and the Primo Levi piece for the National. It is fascinating to see how an actor prepares a role and the daily processes through which he goes. It was not made clear whether the diaries are an aid to creating the character or are in some way cathartic after a hard day’s work at the coal face of Thespis. I suspect a mixture of the two.

Read More
EVERY BRILLIANT THING at the Tobacco Factory, Bristol

EVERY BRILLIANT THING at the Tobacco Factory, Bristol

by

Imagine writing down everything that makes you smile, uplifts you, pleases you, makes you momentarily happy. Now suppose you start the list aged seven (starting with ice cream) and keep adding and adding with everything that delights you and those around you, including first love and abiding love. Like much of what is good in life it is inclusive: so here we find ‘peeing in the sea when no one knows’, ‘the jangling sound of keys’, ‘the smell of books’ and ‘a hairdresser who listens to what you want’. . . To spin gold from a mere list is no mean feat and this show produces it by the yard.

Read More
FIRE IN THE NORTH SKY at The North Wall, Oxford

FIRE IN THE NORTH SKY at The North Wall, Oxford

by

The storytelling and music in the production are brilliant, but for me, the main strength lies in its rawness. In true storytelling tradition, the narrative doesn’t feel perfectly scripted – the words seem as though they might change to suit the audience or the storyteller’s mood. This feels very true to the spirit of passing on an oral tradition. I could imagine this performance would work equally well in front of a roaring fire in a pub, in a family living room over mugs of hot chocolate, or under the Northern Lights where Väinämöinen himself might stop to listen.

Read More
DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS at the Bristol Hippodrome

DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS at the Bristol Hippodrome

by

The stylish Michael Praed is wonderfully languid and vain as Jameson, masquerading as a prince from some Ruritanian backwater as he smoothly seduces wealthy ladies into handing over their jewellery. In comic contrast, Noel Sullivan is outrageously uncivilised as Benson, a Jack-the-lad who makes up for his lack of sophistication with formidable cunning. Much of the fun in this hugely entertaining show comes from the disguises they adopt as they try to dupe their chosen victims and outwit each other at the same time.

Read More

Pin It on Pinterest