Norwich and Norfolk Operatic Society at the Theatre Royal, Norwich Review published in the Eastern Daily Press, 27 January 2004 Kiss Me Kate A sizzling heart-warmer is filling the stage of the Theatre Royal this week – a perfect antidote to the winter chill outside. The plot is cleverly interwoven with The Taming of the Shrew, but it isn’t necessary – as the song says – to Brush Up Your Shakespeare. This is no ordinary backstage-onstage romance. It is what many regard as Cole Porter’s finest work. Songs such as Another Op’ning Another Show, Why Can’t You Behave, Wunderbar, So In Love and I Hate Men stick in the mind and come back afterwards very agreeably. The show is a treat. It looks good, sounds good. Costumes and lighting, singing and full orchestra, actors and dancers … Read entire article »

Maddermarket Theatre, Norwich Review published in the Eastern Daily Press, 18 February 2005 Sleuth It is no big mystery why this thriller has stood the test of time. It has some of the best twisted plots in the business. Parallels with earlier productions since its first outing in 1970, or with Michael Caine/Laurence Olivier are beside the point. This production in the intimacy of the Maddermarket, its stage converted to a country house, is a joy to watch – a parody of the Agatha Christie genre yet utilising many of its tricks. Built around the classic rivalry of a younger and an older man over a woman, the twists and turns are both pleasing and ingenious. What marks this thriller is the humour that crackles throughout – “never speak ill of the deadly”. Noel Jones as the … Read entire article »

Hull Truck Company at the Cut, Halesworth Review published in the Eastern Daily Press, 3 April 2006 I Want That Hair John Godber, now one of our most performed living playwrights, directed this bittersweet piece by Jane Thornton. A cracking good job he made of it too. That they are married to each other is entirely coincidental I am sure. Set in a hairdressing salon, it is a lively slice of life in crackling Hull Truck’s fast-paced comic style. Two well matched staff – Bex and Heidi – fortysomethings, one older and brighter than the other, engage in daily banter and old jokes until, suddenly, the laughter dries up. The relationship fractures. Talking, an occupational hazard in a hairdressers – is “more like psychiatry sometimes” and gradually we are drawn in. We care. Yet the sting in the … Read entire article »

The Maddermarket Theatre, Norwich Review published in the Eastern Daily Press, 20 October 2007 The Tempest A brave new world that hath such creatures in it. This production is a brave experiment indeed. Director Peter Sowerbutts steps out with a mainly female cast. And why not? In Shakespeare’s day all parts were played by men. Susan Seddon holds sway as Prospero, gradually growing into the wordy role of rightful duke. On one level it is a story about justice restored, and the feminine touch lends a fresh perspective. Lucy Stevens is Ariel, the airy spirit, and, if not ethereal, brings a quirky presence. Caliban the ragged and deformed slave (Barnaby Matley) finds the humour along with the jester and drunken butler. Billy Dickens as Miranda, the innocent girl raised, knowing so few other faces, had the most difficult … Read entire article »

Open Space Theatre Company at the Fisher Theatre, Bungay Review published in the Eastern Daily Press, 27 November 2008 One Glass Wall A new local theatre company in the rural areas is welcome. Open Space Theatre Company’s debut play by Danusia Iwaszko is intriguing, so it makes for a compelling evening. Clearly drawing on her own childhood with a Polish father and Irish mother, the playwright explores a comic surface rippling with dark undercurrents. Direction comes from the accomplished David Green, the driving force behind the company and he interprets the comic yet complex family relationships while allowing the deeper moods to bubble up periodically. First the family goes on a drive in their Morris Minor – mum, dad and eight year old daughter. Amusing references to the 1970s are strangely comforting but finally dad can take … Read entire article »

Maddermarket Theatre, Norwich Review published in the Eastern Daily Press, 18 October 2008 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead Hamlet is a tragedy of failure, dramatic irony, characters’ true actions revealed and the play within a play. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern is the brilliant offshoot, developing two minor characters into a study of life and death, the waiting in between, the searching for meaning. They have been sent for. “Is this it, then?” is the frequent cry. Notoriously difficult to play, it’s a masterpiece of clever manipulation of our language, and the often gallows humour is just hilarious. It’s an ambitious choice for the Maddermarket, but under the imaginative direction of Peter Sowerbutts with Jenny Dewsbury, it works on many levels. Audiences have to listen hard and some knowledge of Hamlet helps, but is not essential. The play also deals with … Read entire article »

Norwich Theatre Royal Actors’ Company at the Playhouse Theatre, Norwich Review published in the Eastern Daily Press, 17 September 2008 Pool (No Water) The idea for this play sounds innocuous  enough. A famous artist invites old friends to her house, but suffers a terrible accident when she  jumps into  the drained pool. As she lies in a coma, they make her suffering their own artwork. They film her, over and over. Then she wakes. Then it gets interesting as the fragility of friendship and jealousy of others’ success is exposed. Mark Ravenhill, contemporary writer of savage social drama, is not afraid of shocking audiences. The Actors’ Company – Norwich Theatre Royal’s own professional repertory group – is equally open to edgy work. Drawing heavily on physical theatre techniques, it is a stream consciousness that tells a … Read entire article »