The Merchant of Venice (Propeller) @ Liverpool Playhouse
January 31, 2009
After some rather poor Shakespeare at the end of 2008, I have to say that it’s a relief and a pleasure to begin 2009 in the company of Propeller and their thoroughly interesting Merchant of Venice. It’s been a couple of years since I was wowed by their Shrew in Stratford, and happily Edward Hall …
Romeo and Juliet (RSC) @ The Courtyard Theatre
December 8, 2008
Writing about web page http://www.rsc.org.uk/whatson/6433.aspx I’m not going to beat around the bush with this review. The RSC’s new production of Romeo and Juliet is one of the worst productions of Shakespeare I’ve ever had the misfortune to sit through. As hard as I tried to find some positive aspects to the production, I honestly …
Twelfth Night (Filter) @ The Courtyard Theatre
November 8, 2008
Writing about web page http://www.filtertheatre.com/ As part of the original Complete Works ‘Bardathon’, I was one of the few people lucky enough to catch the earliest days of Filter Theatre’s production of Twelfth Night, when it was still just a work-in-progress being tested out in the tiny Cube space. The finished version has been touring …
King Lear (Headlong) @ The Everyman Theatre
November 6, 2008
Writing about web page http://www.everymanplayhouse.co.uk/whats-on/show-detail.asp?id=219 Rupert Goold’s new production of King Lear is a particularly major event for the Liverpool Everyman Theatre, the small repertory theatre with a longstanding reputation for excellence. One of the central events of Liverpool’s year as European Capital of Culture, the production brings together one of the nation’s most prominent …
Love’s Labour’s Lost @ The Rose Theatre Kingston
October 30, 2008
Writing about web page http://www.rosetheatrekingston.org/whats-on/loves-labours-lost The opportunity to see two different productions of Love’s Labour’s Lost in close proximity of each other doesn’t come around very often, yet October has offered this in the shape of Greg Doran’s production for the RSC and Peter Hall’s new production for the Rose Theatre Kingston, which also happens …
Love’s Labour’s Lost (RSC) @ The Courtyard Theatre
October 18, 2008
Writing about web page http://www.rsc.org.uk/WhatsOn/5725.aspx Love’s Labour’s Lost is often regarded as a difficult play to stage, and in many cases can be a difficult play to watch. There are many good reasons for its long absence from the British stage, and modern revivals have to tread a fine line between clarity and dumbing down, between humour …
Play Without a Title (Fail Better) @ The CAPITAL Centre: Responses
October 6, 2008
Despite having worked alongside the Artistic Director of Fail Better productions for about a year, it’s perhaps surprising that this is the first production I’ve seen by that company. Play Without a Title, however, is special for a number of reasons. It combines the professional experience of the company with an all-student acting company (as …
Hamlet (RSC) @ The Courtyard Theatre
September 7, 2008
I have to wonder, in many ways, what is left to say about this production. Ever since the announcement, about a year ago, that David Tennant would be playing Hamlet in Gregory Doran’s new production of the play, the hype machine has been in full gear. Endless blogs, articles, debates, releases, the adoption of several …
The Merry Wives of Windsor @ Shakespeare’s Globe
August 26, 2008
So, finally, on to The Merry Wives of Windsor, the last of my three London plays this weekend and, in my opinion, the best. Not as inventive as Timon, nor as technically outstanding as Waves, it might seem an unlikely judgment, but Merry Wives did exactly what it said on the tin. By far the …
Timon of Athens @ Shakespeare’s Globe
August 25, 2008
After years of not knowing what answer to give, I recently finally decided that Timon of Athens is my favourite Shakespeare play. Structurally it’s fascinating, built in recurring circles of action that allow examinations of the varoius character types from a variety of angles. The language, as befits a Middleton collaboration, is suitably depraved and …
Find, follow, join us
