There is no question in my mind as to the best theatre of the year; that has to go to the Ustinov in Bath. The plays, both imported and produced have been of the highest quality and that applies to the acting, the writing, the direction and the sets. Let’s hope that under artistic director, Laurence Boswell, the continued mix of home-grown works with his excellent selection of international plays maintains the standard.
Read More
“. . . It would be impossible not to be interested in Willy Russell’s Rita and Frank. Rita has the infectious, uninhibited enthusiasm and humour of the cliché Scouser while Frank has seen better days and finds solace in a bottle until the arrival of Rita revives his raison d’être. Frank the university lecturer, Rita the hairdresser who, as we used to say, wants to better herself. . . The story is essentially that of Shaw’s Pygmalion but to me this is a much deeper play. Frank is a much fuller, sadder character than Higgins and Rita an eager guinea pig rather than a reluctant one. . .”
Read More
The powerful story of the fate of soldier Joe Bonham still stands as a pacifist warning of political failure. On another level it is an uncomfortable personal journey down an avoidable path of physical destruction and mental anguish. Just how much of yourself can you lose before your humanity is extinguished? Joe takes us inside the prison that is the remains of his body after being hit by a shell, which removes his face and leads to multiple amputations. This is what war really is like. Rumbo does not want us to forget it.
Read More
“. . . Helen Edmunson’s script sucks the marrow from the book whilst Tom Morris’s direction (revived in this production by Pieter Lawman), spreads it across the stage in a dazzling display of theatrical ingenuity. It is as imaginative in its staging as the story is in its mapping of the inner terrain of a group of children given the whole world as their life’s stage. . . This is five star entertainment for any one who is or ever has been a child with an imagination and is itself a perfect treasure to lock away in your hoard of memories. . .”
Read More
” . . The contributions of the supporting players here are outstanding. Mei Mac is the most consistently comic performer. She and Mike Goodenough have wonderful synergy in their performances as Corgi and Queen . . , There is an honesty in its intent that is very easy to appreciate A problem arose with two odd jokes in its second half—whether they were offensive, or “politically incorrect,” or simply poorly delivered, I do not know—but the team may do well to avoid such material as it can make the show seem dated.”
Read More
” . . . The production had a lavishness reminiscent of the Victorian theatre with live music (I would love to be able to see the musicians in future productions, space permitting), well-tailored and colorful costumes (the slick, black leather, punk style suit of Rumpelstiltskin could well appear in Bath fashion week) but most of all the quality of the rhyming words and lyrics introduced a level of imaginative stretch that we no longer associate with family entertainment. . . ”
Read More