South West Reviews

Writer: Daniel Keene Music: Beth Duke Director: Edwina Strobl Reviewer: Margarita Shivarova A story most relevant in today’s geopolitical climate, Boxman shows the true and rough perspective a homeless refugee has on life, love, loss and dreams. Directed by Edwina Strobl, in this one-act production Ringo (Reice Weathers) lets the audience into the two most precious things a homeless man ...

Adapter: Ken Bentley Director: Sophie Boyce Couzens Designer: James Turner Reviewer: Bethan Highgate-Betts After their success with Travels with my Aunt and Our Man in Havana, Tilted Wig Productions and Malvern Theatres Present return with Charles Dickens’ much-loved classic, Great Expectations. The last stop on their five-month tour, Ken Bentley’s adaptation is at Exeter Northcott for five days. Adapting Dickens’ ...

Director: Thom Sutherland Book: Peter Stone Music / Lyrics: Maury Yeston Reviewer: Helen Tope The recipient of five Tony Awards, Titanic the Musical deserves to be better known than it is. Making its debut in 1997, this revival returns to the stage, a leaner production. The focus on telling Titanic’s story becomes more determined. We know how it ends, but the challenge posed is ...

Words, music and performance by RashDash (after Chekhov) Reviewer: Julia Beasley It’s Chekhov, but not as you know it. Actually, it’s not Chekhov at all. Or perhaps it’s Chekhov torn into bits, mashed up, smeared thinly over a feminist diatribe against patriarchy, and then set to live music and dance. RashDash imagines the original three Russian sisters Olga, Masha and ...

Director: Guillaume Pigé Composer: Alex Judd Devised by Theatre Re Reviewer: Leah Tozer Memory is a cruel mistress: meticulous and muscular, ephemeral and fractured and fragile, it’s all too easy to forget how crucial memory is to character; after all, what – or who – is left when memories are forgotten? Theatre Re’s thoughtful and affecting The Nature of Forgetting ...

Writer: Anders Lustgarten Director: Rod Dixon Set & projection design: Tim Skelly Reviewer: Julia Beasley In 1974, Don Revie replaced Alf Ramsey as manager of the England football team.  The job that Revie vacated – manager of Leeds United – was then filled by Brian Clough from Derby County. Clough was talented, charismatic and outspoken.  But his appointment at Leeds ...

Writer: Agatha Christie (adapted by Frank Vosper) Director: Lucy Bailey Reviewer: Joan Phillips Agatha Christie’s work seems to be enjoying a renaissance in the last few years. Kenneth Branagh’s Murder on the Orient Express had an all-star cast, while two recent BBC TV adaptations attracted critical and viewer’s acclaim and Lucy Bailey’s revival of Witness for the Prosecution is enjoying an extended London run. ...

Writer: Jack Thorne Director: Simon Reeves Reviewer: Beth Steer Following Marian and David, a couple in their thirties, as they spend an inordinate amount of time in their bathroom over the course of a single day, Jack Thorne’s Mydidae has the potential to awkwardly, and massively, miss the mark. But, the excellent writing, brilliant direction, clever set, and flawless acting come together ...