Tag Archives: Stratford Upon Avon.

Troilus & Cressida, Theatre Review. R.S.C., Stratford-Upon-Avon.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Gavin Fowler, Amber James, Oliver Ford Davis, Adjoa Andoh, Andy Apollo, James Cooney, Suzanne Bertish, Jim Hooper, Theo Ogundipe, Daniel Burke, Sheila Reid, Andrew Langtree, Amanda Harris, Daniel Hawksford, Geoffrey Lumb, Daisy Badger, Charlotte Arrowsmith, Ewart James Walters, Leigh Quinn, Mikhail Sen, Gabby Wong, Helen Grady, Esther McAuley, Nicole Agada.

Advertised as Shakespeare meets Mad Max, this production of Troilus & Cressida by the Royal Shakespeare Company brings together more traditionally garbed Trojans with motorcycle riding, metallic Greeks, accentuating what is described in the programme notes as a play that embraces contradictions, rather than flattening them.

Troilus & Cressida, Theatre Review. R.S.C., Stratford-Upon-Avon. full post

(382 words, estimated 1:32 mins reading time)

The Merry Wives Of Windsor, Theatre Review. The R.S.C., Stratford-Upon-Avon.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: David Troughton, Rebecca Lacey, Paul Dodds, Karen Fishwick, Beth Cordingly, Vince Leigh, David Acton, Jonathan Cullen, Ishia Bennison, Stevie Basaula, Luke Newberry, Sakuntala Ramanee, Nima Taleghani, Charlotte Josephine, Afolabi Alli, Josh Finan, Katy Brittain, Tim Samuels, Tom Padley, John Macaulay.

One may play with time and words and not always get them right, not every sentence uttered in this world of ours can be set down with accuracy, not every speech is heralded and praised for its rhythm and beating heart cadence. Yet, in the act of unsolicited wooing, the words never truly fit the mouth and the insincere clumsiness of the potential, unwelcome, suitor is but the action of one only thinking of one thing.

The Merry Wives Of Windsor, Theatre Review. The R.S.C., Stratford-Upon-Avon. full post

(551 words, estimated 2:12 mins reading time)

Cymbeline, Theatre Review. R.S.C., Stratford Upon Avon.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Gillian Bevan, Bethan Cullinane, Oliver Johnstone, Hiran Abeysekera, James Clyde, James Cooney, Natalie Simpson, Temi Wilkey, Graham Turner, Kelly Williams, Marcus Griffiths, Byron Mondahl, Doreene Blackstock, Eke Chukwu, Romayne Andrews, Marieme Diouf, Jenny Fennessy, Kevin N Goldberg, Theo Ogundipe

During the Royal Shakespeare Company’s quest to perform all 38 of the great Bard’s plays over the coming years, audiences get to glimpse gems of his repertoire that are less often performed. This production of Cymbeline showcases one of Shakespeare’s later plays, and the play shows a maturity and complexity that is a joy to behold.

Cymbeline, Theatre Review. R.S.C., Stratford Upon Avon. full post

(363 words, estimated 1:27 mins reading time)

Hamlet, Theatre Review. R.S.C., Stratford-Upon-Avon.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * *

Cast: Paapa Essiedu, Clarence Smith, Cyril Nri, Natalie Simpson, Hiran Abeysekera, Doreene Blackstock, Eke Chukwu, James Cooney, Bethan Cullinane, Kevin N. Golding, Marcus Griffiths, Marieme Diouf, Romayne Andrews, Byron Mondahl, Tanya Moodie, Theo Ogundipe, Ewart James Walters, Temi Wilkey.

The king is dead, a usurper and a murderer sits on the throne and the man who would be king sits and procrastinates to the point of lethargy and inaction; hardly the calling card for one of the greatest plays in the English language to be treated, the single red rose that was visible at the local church in front of Shakespeare’s stone perhaps wilting under the pressure of the enormous task undertaken by the R.S.C. as Hamlet once more roared into Stratford-Upon-Avon.

Hamlet, Theatre Review. R.S.C., Stratford-Upon-Avon. full post

(487 words, estimated 1:57 mins reading time)

Relatively Speaking, Theatre Review. The Bear Pit, Stratford-Upon-Avon.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Cast: Ben Vaughn, Karen Brooks, John Nichols, Niki Baldwin.

The glorious shadow of the R.S.C. looms large over Stratford-Upon-Avon, like Duncan at the feast, the spectral glow is always uppermost in people’s minds when they think of the much loved Warwickshire town.

For some the strength, valour and beauty of the R.S.C. might be considered a hindrance in being able to show with any type of realistic pleasure performances by other companies, that other theatres wishing to open up and bring in works away from the greatest ever playwright would find it difficult to live under the looming illumination that spreads from down by the river and into everybody’s lives, Relatively Speaking of course.

Relatively Speaking, Theatre Review. The Bear Pit, Stratford-Upon-Avon. full post

(508 words, estimated 2:02 mins reading time)

Henry V, Theatre Review. Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford Upon Avon.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Alex Hassell, Oliver Ford Davies, Antony Byrne, Sean Chapman, Simon Thorp, Joshua Richards, Jennifer Kirby, Jane Lapotaire, Keith Osborn, Andrew Westfield, Daniel Abbott, Martin Bassindale, Nicholas Gerard-Martin, Robert Gilbert, Jim Hooper, Sam Marks, Dale Mathurin, Christopher Middleton, Evelyn Miller, Sarah Parks, Leigh Quinn, Obioma Ugoala, Simon Yadoo.

Following on from David Tennant’s portrayal of Richard II, and Jasper Britton’s turn as Bolingbroke, Henry IV, the R.S.C. concludes it’s King and Country series with the reign of Henry V, in the 600th anniversary year of the battle of Agincourt, portrayed here by Alex Hassell, reprising the role following a successful run as Prince Hal in both parts of Henry IV.

Henry V, Theatre Review. Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford Upon Avon. full post

(495 words, estimated 1:59 mins reading time)