HAMLET, By Zimbabwe

2 men playing 8 characters.This specific performance of Hamlet, was original and inspiring as they took on the challenge of creating a Zimbabwean Shakespeare. Putting their own history and language into it. Talking to the audience in a foreign tongue and educating the audience with snippets of Zimbabwean culture.

MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR, By Shakespear

Shakespeare has always been a 50:50 ratio of like: dislike with me. However, this performance of "Merry Wives of Windsor" was wonderful. It was one of the most entertaining pieces of Shakespeare I have seen in a long time. It was performed in the traditional way that I feel Shakespeare should always be demonstrated. Great lead roles from Mistress Ford and Mistress Page, who prance around like little school girls, enjoying the practical joke they play on the fat and hairy John Falstaff. Shakespeare shows once again his mischievous humour and outrageous wit. The play was simply performed to the perfect presentation. Thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyable!

ENRON

ENRON, Directed by Rupert Goold and Written by Lucy Prebble

Enron was an American energy company based in Huston, Texas. It was one of the 5 largest audit companies’ and accountancy partnerships in the world. It then became the largest bankruptcy reorganisation in the world at the time. “Enron”, the play, was all about the rising up and the downfall of the company. A pretty serious casualty to the world wouldn't you think? So why did they try and make this piece of theatre a Broadway production with star wars and Jurassic Park flittering about the performance??
You have to confess, a play that just shows the history of the down fall of a big bucks company could be quite dull. So I will admit the director did a splendid job providing the audience with visual entertainment and a constant vigour to the performance. There was always something to see, whether it was dancing and singing in a broadway fasion, with strong voices and jazzy dancing or dinosaurs which resembled the ever increasing debt that overcomes the company. It was, in essence, a 101 guide book on “The Economy for Dummies”. And for a lot of us students we were educated by the play. We were taught about the stock market and basic investment. However to me, it was a play that was trying to entertain you through any way possible but the words. It really was a great way of making the economy interesting, but for young viewers such as myself, as soon as they stopped the Broadway dances and singsongs and got down to brass taxes, it. was. boring. There was far too much contrast between the script and the direction. You weren't able to get used to the realism or history of the true story because it tried to entertain you too much with fictional extravaganza. If it was naturalistic from the very beginning, I think people would have watched it with a very different perspective.
The play was well supported by good actors, especially the actress , who played the part of Amanda Drew who showed a strength and personality that would be worthy to fight an ox and there was a never a moment when you felt the actors were letting the play down. But I believe the director Rupert Goold thought too much about entertaining the audience with stuff.

Lilly Through The Dark, by the River People

Lilly Through the Dark is a play that teases your tear ducts but tickles your face with smiles or hits you with an out raw of laughter. It plays on your emotions so never leaves you bored or absent of feelings.
Lilly's performance is demonstrated through puppetry, where she is moved with such precision it is utterly encapsulating for the audience. The lighting is subtle yet very effective as it is soft and inviting, reflecting the story line. The live music sets the ambience perfectly.
A highly recommended play!

Blythe Spirit

THEATRE REVIEW

Blythe Spirit by Noel Coward

I believe a play often depends upon the accuracy in which the main part is played. A character that could be seen as “just plain weird” provides a phenomenally fine line between perfection and disaster for the actor who takes on the challenge. Let me help you grasp what I mean:

Madam Acarti is a lady whom believes she can reach the dead through some form of ritual. Mr Condomine is in need of some material to help him continue with his novel, so he invites the delightful “witch of the world beyond” to conjure up the spirits that he believes are not there. To his amazement the poltergeist of his late wife Alvira arrives with the one idea of mischief. 

Madam Acarti who is played by Allison Steadman is flamboyant, screechy and utterly endearing as she gyrates and gallops around the room finding a spirit. She is over the top and seems somewhat over bearing, however, she is performed by Steadman with an accuracy so perfect it sets the whole stage alight. She provides the energy and the entertainment and is supported beautifully by the contrasting pompous Mr Condomine (Robert Bathurst) and his uptight and cynical wife played wonderfully by Hermione Norris. The added bonus is the playful and cheeky Alvira, who lightens the ambience considerably, with her childish ways and youthful beauty. 

There are times within the play where you feel a lot of the script isn’t necessary and may drag on a little, but you will only feel that restlessness for a little while, before you are once again entertained and captured by such an obscure situation. I would also suggest that the scene splitting curtain up and down habit was utterly unnecessary as there was nothing to show for it when the curtain revealed the next scene, however, the Royal Theatre was a wonderful set for the old fashioned play.

All in all a success that could be improved by minute changes.