Tag Archives: Paul Pyant

Writer: William Shakespeare Director: Rufus Norris Reviewer: Lu Greer The National Theatre’s Macbeth, one of Shakespeare’s most popularly retold plays, tells the story of the aftermath of a ruinous civil war and the Macbeths being inexorably pulled towards the crown by forces of darkness. The tone of the show is evident immediately from the set which is dominated by an ...

Writer: William Shakespeare Director: Simon Dormandy Reviewer: Claire Hayes With controversy over Trump-as-Caesar raging in New York, the latest collaboration between Bristol Old Vic and its theatre school seems set on a similar theme. As an examination of a society in the process of destroying itself, their contemporary production of Julius Caesar feels at least as relevant to the political ...

Writer: Noël Coward Director: Stephen Unwin Reviewer: Kris Hallett Another night another West. The night after Timothy West climbed the mountain of Lear for the fourth time in his career, his son Sam takes up the gauntlet with his own bravura stage role as Gary Essendine in Noel Coward’s Present Laughter. It’s an old-fashioned barnstorming leading role; hardly off the ...

Writer: Terence Rattigan Director: Adrian Noble Reviewer: Bill Avenell Sometimes you go to the theatre to see an actor at the top of his game; there is one playing Ross at Chichester at the moment. Sometimes you go to see a talented cast combining to produce an all-round team performance; there is just such an opportunity in Chichester’s production of ...

Writer: Alan Bennett Director: Sarah Esdaile Reviewer: Phil Lowe Since Alan Bennett’s original six-part televisual masterpiece of social observation, collectively known as Talking Heads, aired on the nation’s televisions in 1982, some of the groundbreaking monologues have been transferred to the stage by both amateur and professional companies. The choice is usually an evening of two monologues and invariably two ...

Book: Joan Littlewood’s Theatre Workshop Choreographer: Lynne Page Director: Terry Johnson Reviewer: Pete Benson In the early 60s Joan Littlewood’s Theatre Workshop Company in an ensemble collaboration between writer, director and actors created Oh What A Lovely War:a series of sketches punctuated by songs that tell the narrative of the First World War. It has stood the test of time, ...

Writer: Arthur Miller Director: Stephen Unwin Reviewer: Audrey Pointer Arthur Miller’s private life achieved notoriety with his famous marriage to Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe in 1956. Around the same time, he wrote A View From The Bridge, which was influenced by his impoverished adolescence in the 1930’s Depression. It is widely considered a 20th century classic tragic drama. It is ...

Writer: Arthur Miller Director: Stephen Unwin Reviewer: Lindsay Sykes A View from the Bridge is currently undergoing a major revival, with the multi nominated, award winning version playing at the National Theatre. This version from the Touring Consortium Theatre Company is (thanks to the Arts Council) showing at the Darlington Civic and six other regional theatres; and if it hasn’t ...