To See or Not To See, There is No Question...

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Review of 'Hamlet'

(SPOILER ALERT!)
 

...About whether this production is incredible! An absolutely astounding performance delighted the audience on Saturday at the Barbican Theatre (London) where I watched the  latest production of  'Hamlet', starring Benedict Cumberbatch (Hamlet), Ciarán Hinds (Claudius), Matthew Steer (Rosencrantz) and Anastasia Hille (Gertrude). In one of the Bard's most classic tragedies, we find young Hamlet stricken with grief of his father's death, struggling with his family's turmoil. The young prince is then sent into a tragic plot of revenge, ruin and bloodlust that threatens both his sanity and his life.

Overall the production lived up to its hype. With tickets sold out a year in advance and A-list star Benedict Cumberbatch as the play's heartbeat, the production had high expectations to live up to.  

Miraculously it succeeded.

Firstly, the staging was spectacular - a cavernous manor house dining room, come ball room size setting with a grand sweeping staircase lining the left of the stage. It was rich in colour, elegance and style with antlers and deer heads coating the walls, along with grand portraits of former kings of Denmark. This gave the play an authentic, spectacular feel, truly embracing the idea of 'removing the fourth wall' despite the classic, theatrical script.

After the interval, the stage was consumed with rubble and debris, creating a 'battlefield' look - the house seemingly full of death and destruction to reflect the family's position of undisputed turmoil and treachery. It wasn't only the set that was stunning, so were the costumes. From wedding gowns of jewels, lace and feathers to army uniforms of gold with stunningly elaborate detail. Yet perhaps the simplest costume was arguably the most striking - Hamlet's modernisation himself: often wearing a simple black cotton jumper or even a hoodie!

The lighting also enhanced the unashamed theatricality of the production, for example the use of shadow created a wonderful emphasis on character intentions vs their actions. For example, Hamlet stood up on the staircase with his dagger raised as he struggled with his desire to kill the praying Claudius below - despite there being meters between the actors, the shadows were mere millimetres away from one another. This clever use of light added an extra dimension to the play, highlighting the questions of insanity, mind, conscience and action. It also created a rich, gothic-horror undertone, for example when Claudius revealed his plans to have Hamlet murdered in England, the light cast villainous shadows against the ornate walls. Furthermore, when the ghost of Hamlet's father visited him, eerie silhouetted tree-like projections framed the scene, not to mention the dark hallways adding spine-chilling depth to the cavernous stage, enhancing the play's embrace of the supernatural.

The actors themselves were exquisite. Sian Brooke (Ophelia) created a beautifully tragic story of confused love interest to ghostly, sinister victim of the play's events - even singing about her father's death in a floaty black lace dress which enhanced her sinister, tragic qualities. Villainous Ciarán Hinds perfected the role of Claudius - from supposedly trusting uncle to murderous traitor, subtly building up the worry and cunning ambition of the devilish fiend superbly.

The production was also unafraid of incorporating contemporary themes and techniques to enhance the visual impacts of the plot. For example,  surreal contemporary/ballet style choreography was integrated into the final Act when Hamlet kills Laertes. The combination of spotlighting in slow motion the fatal blow, whilst the rest of the cast on stage were left in darkness performing a ghostly routine, created a truly spectacular climax to the play as Hamlet sunk further into the pit of death and gore. By entwining graceful movement with horrific action, the scene was absolutely breath-taking, and felt like an out-of-body experience - to see something so strange yet perfectly balanced as Hamlet's impending doom was thrust upon him.

And now to the man himself. Cumberbatch's entire performance was electrifying! The pace, energy and ferocity with which he encapsulated the role was astounding. Every line was uttered with perfect clarity, depth of feeling and musicality that only Shakespeare can provide. He even became the comic relief during his pretence of madness - creating  a hilarious childlike character in a toy castle with exuberant music. This allowed a wonderful contrast to his tormented, haunted, revenge-stricken Hamlet which he played to perfection.

 

Overall: 5 Stars.

A glorious example of the best Britain has to offer. A fantastic cast, staging, set, lighting, music and of course play writing. I cannot express enough how much I would urge anyone and everyone (particularly those who love excellent Shakespeare) to see the production. This can be done by heading down to the Barbican's box office to try and nab one of the golden '£10 day tickets' (only 30 are sold a day). Get there early though as they won't hang around long for this truly 'insane' show!

 (Alternatively, Hamlet will be broadcast live in cinemas on 15th October 2015 keep an eye out for it!)

 

Pictures: http://hamlet.barbican.org.uk/v30_hamlet_GALLERY.html + own editing on Paint.

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'1984' - A Review of my Unexpected Experience

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Review of '1984'

SPOILER ALERT!

Staring Matthew Spencer (Winston), Tim Dutton (O'Brien) Janine Harouni (Julia), Robert Ike's and Duncan Macmillan's adaptation runs until 5^th September 2015 at the Playhouse Theatre, London with a running time of 101 minutes (no interval).

 

 

After reading Orwell's acclaimed classic, I waited with bated breath as we were directed to our seats in London's playhouse theatre last night. I was excited to see how his complex novel would be transformed to a production for the stage. I was eager to discover how 'double think', the 'ministry of love' and the 'ministry of truth', as well as 'newspeak', the '2 minutes hate' and of course the 'telescreens' would be adapted for a live audience.

Unfortunately, despite roaring reviews from other critics I came away with mixed emotions. The first part of the play seemed slow, heavy and ambiguous. I would not recommend this play to anyone who has not read the book as the scenes flitted from real life, memory to the imagination simultaneously. It felt like it was trying to be too witty for its own good. Having just read the book (in the past year), I could luckily remember most of the action, and could distinguish between performed real action and performed internal monologue. Yet I felt these abstract concepts would be utterly confusing had I not read the novel beforehand as the script delivered a confusing, dilapidated plotline of thoughts and repetitive action. Indeed, there should be an element of ambiguity to allow for self-questioning and for the play to raise Orwell's perspectives without being too demanding, yet the complete lack of clarity left a lot of his themes and ideas to be desired. Furthermore, the play (quite cleverly) ran for 101 minutes (clearly a reference to 'room 101') which although was a clever quirk of technicality, the practicalities of this moderately short running time meant (I felt) that many of Orwell's larger ideas of truth, reality, privacy, free speech and other elements of fundamental human psychology were lost as the play tried to conform to this inadequate time length.

However...the second part of the play (despite having no interval it was clearly marked between "paranoid confusion" and "when Winston meets Julia") rapidly picked up the pace and the sense of foreboding that is entwined in the book was finally clearly demonstrated. The ever looming sense of 'Big Brother' and 'the party' were cleverly conveyed using cameras and film on a large screen above the action on stage. The set was also rather clever - an oppressive, wood-panelled room filled with book shelves on the walls and frosted glass windows set with a heavy desk just off centre stage which was the basis for a train station, office, canteen, O'Brien's office and Winston's home. After seeing this boxed-in set, when the room was completely dismantled after Julia and Winston's capture leaving just a white blank space for Winston's torture in the 'ministry of love', it created an intense sense of panic as the set's bright white glare and clinical sterility created a heightened sense of cruelty, manipulation and psychotic madness. This, bizarrely, was the highlight of the play. Strobe lights and sirens had been used already, yet here the staging was used to create a simulation effect on the audience - hitting us with strobe lights then total darkness as Winston is slowly brain washed and excruciatingly tortured. Each time the bright white lights on stage were re-illuminated, Winston would have more blood over him - from his mouth, from his toes,  from his fingers, from everywhere - creating a realistic, sickening sensation which was almost unbearable to watch. Yet this is where theatre is at its best - the uncontrollable emotion that real life performance can produce, the depth of passion of disgust at his torture was at a similar level if not worse than what I had when reading the book itself.

This leads me on to Matthew Spencer's utterly incredible performance of Winston. I've not seen a theatre performance like it. Watching his psychological and emotional journey from paranoid and confused to enlightened and hopeful to ultimately broken, powerless and yet heart-breakingly defiant in the face of extreme orthodoxy was undeniably astounding. His colleagues were also well-played, yet I reckon Julia (Janine Harouni) could have been stronger and more defiant, yet I believe this was down to her poor script not her acting capability - it seemed she was there more for a love story rather than being with Winston together to fight the party. Furthermore, Tim Dutton as O'Brien, was brilliant in his sickening role as a lead controller of Winston's torture and 'rehabilitation' yet, sadly, the punch of his betrayal was missing due to the rushed and disorganised script which neglected to build or convey any of Winston's trust in O'Brien to make his betrayal that much worse. This sadly meant his character lost the depth and meaning of that which is stunningly created in the book.

 Overall: 3.5 Stars.

Despite these mixed emotions, I would still recommend '1984' but only to those who have read the classic - do not have high hopes of being able to appreciate every aspect and theme of Orwell's novel that of course make it so brilliantly timeless, but do have high hopes of a spine-tingling, unnerving experience as you explore the world of 'the party' and the constriction of the infamous dystopia.

 

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Unexpected treasure at the National Theatre

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Review of 'Treasure Island'

SPOILER ALERT!

Staring Patsy Ferran (Jim Hawkings), Arthur Darvill (Long John Silver) and Joshua James (Ben Gunn),this wonderful play by Bryony Lavery transforms Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel "Treasure Island" into a fearsome real-life adventure; packed with pirates, expeditions, and vicious villains. The production runs until 8^th April (2015) at the Olivier stage, National Theatre, London with a running time of 2hrs 10mins (including interval).

Before we even made it to the stage, the national theatre already delighted us. We 'wined and dined' at the National's in-house restaurant, "Kitchen". Despite this seeming like a slap-dash, takeaway style of dining facility (which we hurried into as we arrived late), this quirky restaurant, delivered an unexpected delight for dinner. I ordered "mushroom and spinach risotto" (£8.60) which resulted in an absolutely scrumptious dish. It felt rustically homemade with a subtle hint of class underlying the flavours and presentation. The spinach was a tasty addition to a bowl of well-cooked risotto. What served as a pleasing surprise was a subtle hint of lemon to the dish that although may sound peculiar, in fact complimented the spinach and mushrooms wonderfully. If you're booked to go to the National, make sure you visit this little gem, beware it's quite busy but due to its quick-paced atmosphere and delicious cuisine, you won't need long to finish your meal and be desperate for more. Its snappy service is also incredibly satisfying when hungry and needing to be quick for your show.

Ok, now let's get down to business - the show itself. When we entered the theatre, we were hit by sounds of crashing waves, roaring seas and the creaks of the decks of a ship - not to mention the rib-like, skeletal bows of a ship framing the stage (designed by Lizzie Clachan).

 I'd never been to the National before but its amphitheatre design meant that we all had a brilliant view - no matter where we were sitting - there was certainly no 'restricted seating' in this theatre. I didn't know the plot of "Treasure Island" before going to see the production but I have since found out that the principal, Jim Hawkins (Patsy Ferran) is in fact a boy in the book. The gender change of this main character was by no means covered up as many of the characters drew our attention to it which suggests director, Polly Findlay wants to open up this 'book for Victorian boys' to a modern audience - regardless of gender.

However, speaking of audiences, I'm not sure this production was strictly aimed at children. The book's darker themes were definitely highlighted here as over five deaths were graphically staged in full view - from cut throats and stabbings to induced madness and one character being speared through the chest, centre stage (I have no idea how this effect was created). Not to mention Arthur Darvill ("Doctor who", "Once", "Broadchurch") as Long John Silver. He delivered a truly terrifying performance - from your trustworthy pal to your back stabbing (quite literally here) malicious villain. Darvill played the role with such agile subtlety - not over-playing the overly-aggressive, loud stereotype of a pirate villain but instead playing on the betrayal and plain evil in his character.

The whole production felt like a true adventure - sword fights, 'goodies vs baddies' and spectacular special effects. One in particular was the unique and imaginative staging Clachan designed for this fantastical tale. When needing a star-covered sky, a ceiling of hanging light bulbs illuminated over the audience so we were also under the stars. When needing a full scale ship on stage, a two-story stage of captain's room, hammock bedrooms, kitchen quarters came up out of the stage  with rigging, ropes, sales and pirate flags to match. Then, when we thought it couldn't get any better, the second half of the stage also came up and showed us the maze of Ben Gunn's (Joshua James) caves. Although I normally prefer simplistic, clever staging, this show delivered a certain excitement as new parts of the revolving stage were unveiled at different moments. It added to the play's adventurous and exciting atmosphere.

Overall: 4 Stars.

As a wonderful escape from the mundane boredoms of 'real life', "Treasure Island" delivers a truly fun production to watch but I'm not sure it's totally 'family-friendly' due to its slightly darker undertones. However, it's still worth a visit and provides classic escapist entertainment!

Picture: http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/treasure-island + own taken with editing on Paint

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Outstanding 'Othello'

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Review of 'Othello'

SPOILER ALERT!

Staring Steven Miller (Iago), Mark Ebulue (Othello) Leila Crerar (Emilia), Kirsty Oswald (Desdemona), Frantic Assembly's inspired production runs until 7^th February 2015 at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, London with a running time of 1hr 40mins (no interval).

Last week, I went to see ‘Othello’ at London’s Hammersmith Lyric theatre. The incredible contemporary production was performed by Frantic Assembly and was set in a pub in West Yorkshire during the 1980s. Overall, it was absolutely stunning – a definite must see!

As we entered the club, sorry – theatre, pulsating music hit us immediately as we took our seats and eagerly awaited the start of the show. Set in a 1980s run-down West Yorkshire pub, the set consisted of a blandly beige and burgundy local with a small back alley and ladies toilets as set changes. Nether the less, the staging was very original and clever as the pub’s walls could move with shocking flexibility – a particularly helpful bit of engineering when Cassio was forced to become drunk – as we saw him fall into the moving walls, the disorientation meant that we felt equally intoxicated. The play centred round a pool table – an interesting choice as this play looks at race, jealousy and love – here set around a game where the white pushes other balls round to play but potting the black finishes it – I can’t help but see the production’s analogy here between Othello and Iago. The table was masterfully used for spot-lighting murder plots, death and a wedding bed – not to mention focusing the setting of the production.

The play combined a clever mix of Shakespeare’s original text with contemporary dance. This meant the cast actually shed some light onto Iago’s malicious motives before the play even begun as we watched Othello take his long black pool cue and ‘use it’ to show the girls how to play – a clever ‘pre watershed’ euphemism for Othello’s alleged affair with Emelia – as well as watching him see Cassio being promoted above himself. It also created some astonishing imagery for us as we watched Cassio completing fall after fall, back flips and back drops when he was unwillingly intoxicated.

Othello, played by Mark Ebulue, was very good. He balanced Othello’s aggressive traits well with a softer, vulnerable side to him. He packed in plenty of raw power. Particularly when confronting poor Desdemona and when asserting himself in his army or what here was a gang fight between the ‘Cypriots’ and rival gang, the ‘Turks’ (again, a show of wonderful modernisation as the producers brought this centuries-old play up to date). Ebulue also conveyed a believable gullible trait in Othello which served him well when believing Iago. Yet, as I will mention in a moment, this Othello compared to the production’s Iago almost became comedic when calling Iago ‘honest’ as this was so ironically far from the truth. Overall a solid, believable performance that was both entertaining and shocking to watch.

Iago, on the other hand was almost impossible to watch! Steven Miller portrayed this hateful villain with such painful sincerity that on many occasions we felt almost dirty as he colluded with us his diabolical plans. This was acting at its best. Despite Iago having such an evil reputation as a role, Miller promotes a sympathetic tone to the villain’s ploys. It was a perfect mixture of sly anger, bitterness and revenge with the timid, loyal, ‘honest Iago’ that poor Othello is blinded by. An overall brilliant piece of casting and an indulgent joy to watch.

Emilia, Leila Crerar, despite starting the play with an almost bland and watery portrayal, the development of her character to reach her climax was unforgettable. She grew throughout the performance until she claimed her role and took command of the stage. She was incredible. Delivering an ultimately heart wrenching performance as she unravelled the acts of her (fairly abusive) husband we saw her empowered by truth and righteousness. This meant the play truly climaxed at a heart-stopping, exhilarating end.

Overall: 4.5 Stars.

A wonderful production that amazed, angered, entertained and ultimately intoxicated us. Unfortunately, the necessary deviation from the original script must bring it down somewhat as I feel Shakespeare’s texts should not be altered as much as it was here. However, the inspired use of contemporary chorography (from Scott Graham, Steven Hoggett and Eddie Kay) and dramatic performances redeems this production to just off perfection.

Picture: www.franticassembly.co.uk

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Superb Shakespeare

Review of 'Shakespeare in Love'

 

SPOILER ALERT! 

From the screenplay by Marc Newman and Tom Stoppard, Lee Hall has adapted "Shakespeare in Love" for the stage. The play follows the story of young William Shakespeare as he suffers with writers block whilst in the process of writing ‘Romeo and Juliet’ (or ‘Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter’ as he first deems his well known love story). Upon casting the role of Romeo, Will's path crosses with the beautiful Viola De Lesseps which infuses him with the passion to write his intoxicating masterpiece. Trials and tribulations strike the young couple from law braking antics to heroic scenes of love to culminate into one of the most beautiful twists on classic theatre we've seen to date.

It played in the intimate Noël Coward Theatre, set in Shakespeare’s' Elizabethan era. The staging itself was very clever yet also simplistic. Two balconies created a sense of his globe theatre as well as bed chambers, grimy taverns and a long voyage ship! The costumes, on the contrary, were luxuriously made: Queen Elizabeth’s gown had plush white peacock feathers on the back of her intricate period dress, complete with golden ruff and farthingale (the large hooped skirt underneath). Viola’s dresses too had beautiful encrusted jewels with elegant, flamboyant designs. Of course Tom Bateman's costume (Shakespeare) was cliché-ishly simplistic but then anything different would have been a disappointment.

Lucy Briggs-Owen who played Viola De Lesseps portrayed a gloriously passionate character. The perfect balance of tomboy and elegant Lady, more so than even Gwyneth Paltrow who played the young heroine in the previous film. She would often make us laugh out loud with her giggles and outraged glances as circumstances trapped her in the most compromising situations. Yet she would equally break our hearts with her inconsolable desperation and battles for her soul-mate. I particularly felt enthralled by her passionate declarations of love for not only young Will's work but also for himself.

Of course Tom Bateman (Shakespeare) was just as excellent (if not more so) and the chemistry between him and Briggs-Owen was faultless. He played the role with accurate precision and mastery of the role. In some stages hopeless, then hopeful, then consumed and intoxicated with love to being equally heartbroken. He fought with passion and bravery in some scenes and even ended up becoming a fool to lighten the tension (particularly when he disguises himself as Viola's chamber maid). A true lead for this challenging and demanding role that most definitely exceeded my expectations as he dominated the whole show.

Overall: 4.5 Stars.

Of course, I’m a huge fan of Shakespeare's work so I felt this helped with some of the 'in' jokes, however I'd thoroughly recommend to anyone who loves good theatre. It has laughs, cries, passion, drama, a good solid yet clever plot and above all a glorious cast.

Transfixing Theatre at its Best - 'The Crucible'

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Review of 'The Crucible'

 

SPOILER ALERT!

 

Written by Arthur Miller in 1953, “The Crucible” depicts the 1692 and 1693 Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, America. The brutal play unravels through town hysteria and paranormal activity as the events of the witch trials put innocent women through perils and intense hardship at these suspicious and terrifying times. Richard Armitage (“Spooks”, “Robin Hood”) played the principal of John Proctor, joined by the equally talented Anna Madeley (Elizabeth Proctor), Adrian Schiller (Reverend John Hale) and Samantha Colley (Abigail Williams). The play runs until 13^th September 2014 at the Old Vic Theatre, London with a running time of 3hrs 30mins (including a 20 minute interval).

 

What an intensely, satisfying, dynamic show! Incredible performances all round make the seemingly long play not long enough! As the intimate setting of the Old Vic Theatre presented the play in the round, the piece felt literally surrounded (as I’m sure its characters did) and conveyed a shocking depiction of Arthur Miller’s infamous classic. The setting itself was minimalistic which I often prefer as it gives actors more freedom and allowed our imaginations to run riot in this powerful portrayal.

As we encountered the town disputes that led up to the trials, all actors performed incredibly – all were dynamically detailed and thought provoking. Particularly, the performances from Adrian Schiller who played Reverend John Hale and Anna Madeley who played Elizabeth Proctor. Schiller delivered a wonderfully developed performance as his character emerged as a dominant authority in deciding whether witchcraft had indeed entered Salem to becoming a dishevelled, broken man, pleading for the lives of those he’d allowed to be condemned. He enabled us to truly empathise with the weight of his character's earlier decisions to then sharing his grief and misery of what he had unleashed – just stunning. Madeley must also be mentioned as she portrayed the rightfully bitter Elizabeth Proctor outstandingly as she enveloped you in a wonderfully tense atmosphere as she resents her husband’s actions yet also conveyed the underlying love of the couple. This chemistry most clearly portrayed at the climax of the play when her love was sentenced to hang for his uncommitted crimes indeed moved me to tears as they uttered their final farewell in the madness of the play’s events.

I felt all the other actors also portrayed their parts admirably with similar depth to that of Madeley and Schiller. However, I felt Samantha Colley who played Abigail Williams had perhaps not quite understood her character as thoroughly as the rest of the cast. Of course she was strong, confident and out-spoken as this is what the character of Abigail entails yet she seemed to lack the subtlety that can make an actor go from being ‘great’ to ‘inspirational’. I felt on a few occasions she could have embellished her character more by whispering to the Judge or Proctor rather than brashly shouting every one of her lines. However, I realise I’m being quite picky here as for the most part she did the role justice. One element of hers and indeed the other girls, who dominantly steered the accusations, that cannot be overstated was the overwhelming hatefulness they portrayed yet almost an underlying awe as they contorted their bodies in abnormal ways in fits of possession, hysteria and enchantment as they pretended to be controlled by witchcraft in order to wreak revenge on their enemies. Most shocking of all was Marama Corlett who played Betty Parris, Reverend Parris’ sick daughter who began the rumours of witchcraft throughout Salem as she contorted herself into strenuously unnatural positions – contorting her back into an arch for over 10 minutes, holding it there like a statue with her arms splayed against the blood stained bed whilst the action continued around her – culminating in an overwhelmingly eerie and discomforting performance – just exquisite!

However, the true star of the show had to be Richard Armitage. He played John Proctor to absolute perfection – showing how guilt can truly corrupt a good man into madness by his own actions (or those of his mistress!). From the outset he portrayed the booming John Proctor first with authority then into bleakness as he perfectly expressed the broken, uncomfortable marriage he had been left with and the pain this caused him. Truly owning the stage as he demonstrated the lustful outrage of Miller’s character in a fury so violent I was pleased I was sitting on the balcony above – far from his reach.  The anguish he expressed – often without even needing movement – was astonishingly satisfying: just the flick of his head, the change in his tone was enough to draw all eyes to him and him alone. Wonderfully balancing subtlety with a true satisfyingly brash interpretation, Armitage interpreted the character faultlessly – it was truly mesmerising. All this culminated in the final scene, where his initially soft and tender farewell to Elizabeth developed to a finale in fire and anguish as he tore up the stage at the Old Vic in his electrifying end monologue. All eyes were glued; I’m sure, to his delightfully enthralling, transfixing, clever performance of this innocent, dishevelled man.

Overall: 5 Stars.

 

An intensely electrifying production of "The Crucible". Powerfully emotive – enough to move one to tears – emanating to a truly fantastic portrayal. I highly recommend and am only disappointed I cannot see it again. Wonderful!

 

 

Picture: http://www.oldvictheatre.com/whats-on/2014/the-crucible/

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