Reviews: Much Ado Abouth Nothing @ Park Theatre

Much Ado About Nothing,

my review published in The London Student from December 6, 2013

http://london-student.net/theatre/12/17/much-ado-nothing/

Reviews: The Last March @ Southwark Playhouse

The Last March

Southwark Playhouse, December 14, 2013

            One thing I took away from last night’s production of The Last March was that Sweden and Norway are two very different places and not to be confused. In one hour, three actors playing 10+ roles between them tell the tale of Captain Scott’s failed attempt to reach the South Pole before anyone else.

            With a very simple set, consisting of a white sheet, props hanging from hooks on strings and three trunks, there is a definite sense of simplicity before the lights go down on the house. That simplicity perfectly compliments the nature of the show. A simple set, with simple costumes and versatile actors kept the focus on the story and darling comedic moments that come from a fully committed company.

            With such simplicity in the technical aspects of this show, we were able to really focus on the three fine actors before us. There was Samuel Dent as the reckless Captain Scott, Sam Gibbs as almost every single crewmember in the expedition and then Pernilla Holland as Captain’s Scott’s Norwegian rival and Anonymous Crew Member #1 and others. Dent’s voice was crisp and clear with a perfect air of supreme confidence and a touch of endearing arrogance. While the very entertaining and very versatile Gibbs juggled at least seven, possible more characters. Thanks to a variety of hats and a few pocketed props, along with a great variety in vocal character and physical mannerisms, Gibbs kept his characters all very different and separate so that we were never confused about which character was in front of us. Add Holland’s mastery of the Norwegian portions of the script and great contribution to the more snowy aspects of the play – and these three created a fantastic ensemble all working in harmony with one another.

            There are specific moments that I would like to mention, primarily my heartfelt condolences to Gibbs who endured a great deal of beatings at the hand of Dent. Captain Scott didn’t always pay particularly good attention to the extremities of his crew… Holland also gave us a wonderful rendition of an excerpt from Ibsen’s A Doll’s House in the original Norwegian, as well as a lovely bit from A-ha’s hit song, “Take On Me.” I was also very impressed with the hospitality of the production when Captain Scott offered and Holland, as Anonymous Crew Member #1, passed out biscuits to the audience to celebrate Christmas.
            It was a darling show and only an hour straight through without an interval. It goes by quickly, and I found myself laughing for a good 80% of the show, which was actually less than the rest of the audience (I’m a harsh critic). With all the snow involved, you’ll find yourself exiting the house cheerful and glad you live in England where we still have 13 degrees Celsius weather in December. It’s on until early January, so if you are in town and have an hour to spare – I recommend a trip to Southwark Playhouse for some laughter and perhaps a biscuit if you’re lucky!

Reviews: In The Next Room @ St. James Theatre

My review is on a different website, so here's the link for you all:

http://london-student.net/theatre/12/06/next-room/

Yeah. I'm official now :)

Reviews: Our Ajax @ Southwark Playhouse

Our Ajax

Southwark Playhouse, November 29, 2013

            A three-sided stage filled with sand, with a sand-colored plain muslin backdrop and barbed-wire along the walls greats audiences as they walk into Southwark Playhouse’s new adaptation and translation of Sophocles’ Tragedy of Ajax. In the original Greek Tragedy, Ajax has spent most of the Trojan war in competition with Odysseus, and when Odysseus is promoted and recognized above him, he goes made with rage and attempts to kill all the Generals of the Greek Army, including Odysseus. Athena, Protector of Odysseus, plays with Ajax’s mind, causing him to confuse sheep with men and he instead massacres and a herd of poor sheep. Early on in Sophocles’ play, Ajax is killed and then his men spend the rest of the play fighting with Menelaus and Agamemnon for the right to bury their commander. Southwark Playhouse decided to do things a little different in their adaption.

            Our Ajax is set in Afghanistan, during a time when English and American soldiers are working together, based on the uniforms and iPhones, and dialogue, we can assumed that it is set in a fictional world where a war is still raging for the UK in the middle east. Like in the Original Greek Tragedy, Athena plays with the mind of Ajax, but instead of being referred to as Athena, she is just called ‘God’ by the soldiers, a modern way of maintaining the idea of ‘God-control’ while simultaneously straying from the now outdated polytheistic Ancient Greek Religion. Ajax storms in at the top of the play with two bloody sheep’s carcasses, believing that he has taken his revenge and killed Odysseus. Through the play, he and rages and transgresses back into sanity, reassuring his wife and soldiers that he will put everything to right. But once he is alone, Ajax ‘makes everything right’ by ending his life. The last quarter of the play consists of English soldiers and an American General arguing over whether or not to send the body back with honors or to leave it because of his crimes.

            Lasting only 100 minutes, Southwark Playhouse’s production of Our Ajax does not fit the bill of a traditional Greek Tragedy as one might expect. This is actually one of the best qualities of this

adaptation, Timberlake Wertenbaker wrote a fantastic script that strays just enough to fit perfectly into our modern era. Male and female soldiers, cell phones and video, a wonderful scene of celebration with the three main soldiers dancing to ‘Ceiling Can’t Hold Us’. This show was fit so well into our lives, I daresay most of the audience forgot they were watching a play originally written and performed thousands of years ago.

            It’s not one of my favorite plays, the extreme blood thirst of Ajax, not just in this production but in the script, is more than a little disturbing for my taste. This cast did well in their roles, committed and entrenched, I enjoyed their performances – especially the three soldiers who added a nice touch of comedy to this heavy plot. Timberlake Wertenbaker did a wonderful job of cutting out the outdated material, updating the dialogue and subject matter and even drawing out more dramatic elements while truncating the less relevant moments. As far as my personal experience with this play, this is the best translation that I’ve come into contact with yet. If you’ve already read a translation of the original, I would next take a look at this script for a fantastic example of modern adaptation.