Wednesday 21 December 2016

Review: Love's Labour's Lost

Hey readers!
It's time for my review of Love's Labour's Lost.
As some of you may have read in my review of Ragtime, starting with Love's Labour's Lost I am doing a theatre marathon over Christmas and New Year (I have 8 shows lined up!). I was originally planning to see Love's Labour's Lost in a few days and thought I had press tickets for Cymbeline yesterday, but it turns out Cymbeline was actually for the 17th so I went up to Love's Labour's Lost to get some day seats. What a show to kick off the marathon, this revival of the Shakespeare classic is done wonderfully! The show features a top-notch cast, they all have great chemistry with each other, they fitted in like pieces of a puzzle. They were all an absolute joy to watch! Cast members who stood out were Sam Alexander as the King of Navarre, Edward Bennett as Berowne, Lisa Dillon as Rosaline, Nick Haverson as Costard, John Hodgkinson as Don Armado, Tunji Kasim as Dumaine, Emma Manton as Jaquenetta, Peter McGovern as Moth and last but certainly not least, Leah Whitaker as the Princess of France. As soon as I walked into the theatre and saw the set design, it took my breath away. The detail that has been put into the set is truly amazing. I will be astonished if the set doesn't get an Olivier nomination. I love it when such detail is put in. The costume design was also really good and added a lot to the show. The show uses a lot of music, which surprised me, but it was a delight. Even more to my surprise, the music was played by a live orchestra! It was actually the most music I have ever seen for a non-musical. Nigel Hess has done wonders with scoring Shakespeare. The music gives this old Shakespeare play new life. It's so entertaining, I was laughing throughout. It is suitable for all ages and I think would be a good introduction to Shakespeare for younger ones without any knowledge of Shakespeare. For those like myself who struggle with Shakespearean language, I would advise looking up the synopsis of the play before seeing it. Love's Labour's Lost is the perfect thing to see for those looking for some light hearted fun around Christmas time, it's the perfect Christmas treat!

The featured star of Love's Labour's Lost is, drum roll please... EDWARD BENNETT!


Edward Bennett is the life and soul of the production. He steals the stage every time he enters, he's a star! He is immensely talented and this show would not be the same without him at all. It amazes me how he remembers all of those lines!

Now for my final verdict on Love's Labour's Lost. I give Love's Labour's Lost...


I give this rating because it is a fun and entertaining show, with a stellar cast, great music and wonderful creative aspects. It doesn't quite get my 5 star rating, but it is very close.

Think it should have got a higher rating? Agree with my rating? Think it should have got a lower rating? If so comment below.

Join me next time when I will be reviewing A Christmas Carol.

Thanks for reading!

-The Reviewer

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