Tag Archives: Janet Bird

Writer: Mike Leigh Director: Sarah Esdaile Reviewer: Lauren Humphreys If ever there was a play that was well and truly burned into the memory of all those who saw it, Mike Leigh's 1970s masterpiece, Abigail's Party is it. There are few who haven't seen the 1977 BBC Play For Today production of the stage play, who can't recite a plethora of ...

Writer: Mike Leigh Director: Sarah Esdaile Reviewer: James Garrington When it was first written in 1977 Mike Leigh’s masterpiece was very much a commentary of the time. This was a time when social mobility started to become a real ambition for many, when the aspirational middle-classes wanted to have the latest and best of everything and would do everything they ...

Writer: Mike Leigh Director: Sarah Esdaile Reviewer: Simon Topping A new touring production of Mike Leigh's classic comedy of manners, Abigail's Party, opens in Brighton to a warm reception from a welcoming audience, whose demographic is predominantly fifty plus. From the off laughter fills the auditorium, as we take a trip down memory lane. The stunning period set (wonderfully designed ...

Writer: John Mighton Director: Nancy Meckler Reviewer: Claire Hayes When memories fade, what is there left of us? John Mighton’s play examines issues of memory and identity; how reality blurs with age, the balance shifts and we become more diminished by what we have forgotten than defined by our recall of the past. It’s a subject matter that reflects the ...

Writer: William Shakespeare Director: Tamara Harvey Reviewer: Taylor Simmons Much Ado About Nothing, a light-hearted tale of love and mischief, is one of William Shakespeare’s best loved comedies. Stylised by its stichomythic exchanges between Benedick and Beatrice, the play powerfully represents the struggles of love in a society where marriage is revered – a theme that resonates as much today ...

Writer: Tennessee Williams Director: Robert Hastie Reviewer: Charlie Senate   Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof opened on Broadway in 1955 to sterling reviews and won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama later that year. On considering his body of writing, Williams declared Cat the “closest to being both a work of art and a work of craft.” It ...

Writer: Roald Dahl Adapter: David Wood Director: Sarah Esdaile Reviewer: Jay Nuttall For over 30 years, Roald Dahl's tale of the The Big Friendly Giant has lit up classrooms, libraries and bedtimes. It is no surprise that David Wood's adaptation has been produced for nearly 25 years and has been chosen as The Octagon Theatre's festive production. Filled with Dahl's ...

Writer: James Fritz Director: Anna Ledwich Reviewer: Harry Stern This is a beautiful production that impressively demonstrates that less can very definitely be more. While everything about the production is stark, spare and streamlined its impact is substantial. Debutant writer Fritz offers us a set of eternal ethical and moral dilemmas that are very definitely rooted in our own times. ...