Review: Jane Eyre

Hey readers!
It's time for my review of Jane Eyre.
My Mum was really eager to see Jane Eyre, as it was a book she has studied at school and had really enjoyed. I knew little about both the show and the original book, but had high hopes from what had been described to me. Luckily, this was indeed an excellent choice. It's a really unique and quirky production and its creativity is something which is quite rare. Part of this quirkiness is that Jane Eyre relies heavily on physical theatre, something which I'm not always a fan of, but it worked well here. The story follows an orphan, who despite facing horrific cruelty by her adopted family and by her teachers at school, overcomes what everyone thought of her and becomes a governess. The show follows a large portion of Jane Eyre's life and by the end of the show you feel like you have been on a journey. It's a very inspiring tale and one I found to be extremely moving. The cast are extraordinary and cannot be faulted in anyway. With the exclusion of two cast members, they all played multiple roles. Multi-roleing can become difficult, but I thought they did a terrific job at differentiating characters. Each and every cast members showed good characterisations and a large variety of talent. Jane Eyre features music, which I thought was a really nice addition. It was especially good that the decision was made to have a live band onstage, as opposed to just using pre-recorded music. In addition to this, the shows singer Melanie Marshall had an absolutely phenomenal voice! Lighting, costume and sound design were all brilliant, I have no complaints in any of those aspects. The set design didn't particularly wow me, but it was still able to serve its purpose well. My only criticism for the show is that it is slightly too long (three hours). Without a doubt, this production could have easily been shortened by at least half an hour. Due to the length of the show my concentration wavered a little, which was a shame. There are some who like long plays, but I personally feel they should be kept to a maximum of 2 and a half hours (I'm fine with musicals being a bit longer).

The featured star of Jane Eyre is, drum roll please... NADIA CLIFFORD!

Nadia gives an absolutely outstanding performance as Jane Eyre! I'm not 100% sure if this correct, but I can't actually remember Nadia leaving the stage at any point throughout the entire show. It's incredible that she would have the stamina to do this demanding role for three hours (especially as this was a two show day). 

Now for my final verdict on Jane Eyre. I give Jane Eyre...

This rating was easy for me to give. It's not quite a 5 star, but it's miles above a 3 star! 

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

Thanks for reading!

-The Reviewer

Review: An Octoroon

Hey readers!
It's time for my review of An Octoroon.
Having not been to the Orange Tree Theatre in a long time and having a free Saturday afternoon, An Octoroon seemed like the perfect show to go and see at the weekend. It was also a lot better than having to venture into London (which takes around 45 minutes). Sadly though, An Octoroon was not the show for me. Honestly, it seemed that the show lacked consistency. There were certain parts of the show that were a little all over the place. An Octoroon left me somewhat baffled and even four days after seeing it, I am struggling to understand certain parts of it. It took me over half an hour to realise what was going on onstage. It's described as being a 'play, within a play, within a play', which is an interesting concept but not one that I felt worked particularly well. The playwright of the adaption has merged himself and his life, the original playwright of Octoroon's life and the play itself.  From what I could gather, the original play itself didn't really did much editing, and therefore I am not really sure as to why so many different elements were added in. As the old saying goes, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". Luckily, that's all I have to say about the negatives of the show, let's move onto positives! The best thing about An Octoroon was its phenomenal cast. They all delivered extremely good performances in what were very demanding roles. They all showed a vast variety of talents; including some amazing American accents (I seriously believed they were all actually American). The majority of the technical aspects were good, with lighting, costume and sound design all being impressive. The storyline (the original storyline, that is, not the added parts) was actually really interesting and was able to educate me further on the issues of slavery in America. The use of white face and black face makeup was extremely unique; it's something I've never seen done before. If the parts that were added in (the two playwright's) were taken out, I would definitely see this production again. This production ticks a lot of the right boxes, but sadly it still manages to miss the mark.

The featured star of An Octoroon is, drum roll please... VIVIAN OPARAH!

It took me ages to make this decision, so in the end I decided to go through each cast member and give them a rating out of ten. The actors with the highest ratings (9/10) were Ken Nwosu, Vivian Oparah and Celeste Dodwell. From there, I just had to go with gut instinct. Vivan Oparah gave a phenomenal performance. She was immensely funny, and yet was also very good at the more serious parts of her role. It's amazing to think this is her theatre debut!

Now for my final verdict on An Octoroon. I give An Octoroon...

An Octoroon was far from the best show I have ever seen, but I cannot deny that it does have a fair amount of redeeming qualities, which is why I award An Octoroon three stars.

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

Thanks for reading!

-The Reviewer

Review: Don Juan in Soho

Hey readers!
It's time for my review of Don Juan in Soho.
We had originally booked to see this back in Easter, but had to exchange tickets due to my America trip during that week, so I ended up seeing it last weekend. I had heard very mixed opinions about it and from what I had heard it seemed like it was a 'love it or hate it' type show. Fortunately, I was one of those that loved it and the show really appealed to my sense of humour. The aspect of the show that makes it really special is David Tennant's performance of Don Juan. To say he is amazing would be an understatement; this is the role he was born to play. As much as I love him onscreen, I actually thought it was better to see him live. He absolutely nailed everything about the part. He was great at the comedic parts, he was great at the more serious parts and adding to that, he had hilarious facial expressions. David Tennant's performance is worth the ticket price alone! I don't think I would have enjoyed the show as much, if it didn't have him in. At David's side was Adrian Scarborough as Stan, Don Juan's trusted servant. Adrian also gave a remarkable performance and holds his own alongside David Tennant. He had very good comic timing and was perfectly cast. The remainder of the cast cannot be faulted either. The writing is extremely clever and witty; I was laughing throughout! I had seen another play which had been written by Patrick Marber called Three Days in the Country, and as good as that was, I really think the writer is truly in his element here. All the production aspects cannot be faulted, with the lighting, costume, set and sound design all being excellent. To my surprise, Don Juan in Soho features several modern dance numbers, which added to the craziness of the show and fitted in nicely. It's a really well made production and has been carefully thought out. Now for my criticisms (luckily, there's only a few). A lot of crazy and exciting things happened in act one, but act two felt a little flat. I was really excited in the intermission as to what would happen next, but act two just appeared as being non-eventful and rushed. The ending happened extremely quickly. I think it would have been a good idea to stretch out the ending a little more. My only other critique is that, during the play the character of Stan speaks to the audience and I wasn't sure that this was carried out too well. It was a nice idea, but if I had been directing it, I would have organised for the light to purely be on Stan during his asides. That's a nitpick though, and doesn't really affect the show as a whole.

The featured star of Don Juan in Soho is, drum roll please... DAVID TENANT!

I don't see how there could be any way to fault this performance. David Tenant's portrayal of Don Juan is perfect in every way! I would love to see David Tennant onstage again, as he is pure magic when seen live.

Now for my final verdict on Don Juan in Soho. I give Don Juan in Soho...

Don Juan in Soho is only playing for another 5 days, but luckily there are tickets that are still available, so if you think this would be your kind of show, don't delay in getting tickets! 

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

Thanks for reading!

-The Reviewer

Review: Woyzeck

Hey readers!
It's time for my review of Woyzeck.
Due it being a very busy week for me with revising for my Summer exams, I had done little to no research on Woyzeck before seeing it, which is somewhat rare for me. Being the huge Star Wars geek I am, I was really keen to see this due to its lead star, John Boyega (John played a lead role in the most recent Star Wars film: The Force Awakens). Woyzeck was extremely unique and quite different. It was not what I was expecting, but it was good nevertheless. Woyzeck deals with the dehumanising effects of doctors and the military on a young man's life. It's a very important issue, which was heartbreaking and moving to witness. It is excellently written and well structured. All cast members were remarkable, with the stand-outs being John Boyega as Woyzeck, Sarah Greene as Marie and Ben Batt as Andrews. What struck me the most with John Boyega's performance was that he showed a wide diversity of acting abilities throughout the play. Woyzeck begins as a funny, loving and caring boyfriend and father, but by the end of the play he becomes a psychotic, disturbed and controlling individual. Sarah Greene was definitely on a par with John and she also gave an absolutely phenomenal performance. She was perfectly cast. Adding to this, Ben Batt also gave an exceptional performance, especially in his final scene where his character unexpectedly turns violent. The lighting and sound design have an extremely large impact on the show; I actually don't think it would have had the same effect without these two elements. They were both very powerful and extremely well designed. A warning to those that have an interest in seeing this play is that it has some heavy nudity, sex and vulgar language. I wasn't expecting it, so it came as a little bit of a shock. I feel perhaps the nudity, sex and vulgar language were overdone a little bit, but it didn't affect my enjoyment of the show. The set design was a bit of an odd one and it left me wondering as to what was the point of it. Considering the light and sound design were both phenomenal, I definitely think that more effort could have gone into the set.

The featured star of Woyzeck is, drum roll please... JOHN BOYEGA!

The role of Woyzeck is extremely demanding and it's amazing to think that John pulls it off 18 times a week. The role seems absolutely perfect for him and he nailed it! I hope he considers doing more theatre in the future.

Now for my final verdict on Woyzeck. I give Woyzeck...

As I mentioned, this is a really unique production; I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it. It's one I would most likely recommend; however the themes may be a little off-putting for some.

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

Thanks for reading!

-The Reviewer

Review: The Girls

Hey readers!

It's time for my review of The Girls.
Before seeing The Girls, I had heard a lot of buzz about the show. It had received extremely good reviews plus a few Olivier Award nominations. Another factor for me was that The Girls had been composed by Gary Barlow. I don't know a lot about Take That, but I adore Barlow's other musical 'Finding Neverland'. This show had a lot to live up to! I am very pleased to say that The Girls lived up to my expectations and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a really sweet and heartwarming show, with a nice feel-good factor. Adding to this, it also delivers a really powerful message of hope, acceptance and not always judging a book by its cover. The story follows a group of middle-aged women in Yorkshire who decided to make a nude calendar to raise money for a settee at the local hospital. It seemed like a wild idea, but they had hope and did not give up, despite how daunting it seemed. It's an inspiring tale that tells its audience to try new things and not give up, no matter how scary or unsettling it may be. After all, you only live once! The book of the show (written by Gary Barlow and Tim Firth) is fantastically written and is one of the best musical books I have seen since Groundhog Day. It's hilariously written and had the audience in stitches! At the performance I attended, a total of 6 understudies were performing (I wonder what the record is?). There was absolutely nothing to fear though; every single cast member was remarkable and very well cast. Cast members who stood out were Jenny Gayner who was understudying as Annie, Claire Moore as Chris, Claire Machin as Cora, Sophie-Louise Dann as Celia, Judith Street who was understudying as Jessie, Debbie Chazen as Ruth, James Gaddas as John, Josh Benson as Tommo and Ben Hunter as Danny. Each cast member seemed absolutely perfect for their role. They all gelled with each other extremely well. The set design consists of several mini wardrobes stacked on top of each other, which represent hills. If I'm honest, I didn't quite see the point of the set design. I feel as if it may have symbolised something, but I'm not quite sure. Having said that, it still did a good job and serviced the show well. Now for my one critique (it's not even really much of a critique, more an aberration)... I wasn't that stunned with the music. The music was not bad by any means, but it didn't leave any impact on me. There's only one song from The Girls which has stuck in my mind. The music isn't really a big deal though, as the book of the show makes up for it.

The featured star of The Girls is, drum roll please... CLAIRE MOORE!

As phenomenal as the cast are, this was a decision that came quite easy to me. I thought Claire was both hilarious and moving in the role of Chris. I personally felt that she had a large command of the stage. There was certainly never a dull moment during any of her scenes!

Now for my final verdict on The Girls. I give The Girls...

This rating was one that I struggled with, as it's very close to a 5 star, but went with four in the end. Sadly, The Girls closes on the 15th of July, so I highly recommend this one before it closes. If you see this show, there's a high chance you will leave feeling happy and inspired!

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

Thanks for reading!

-The Reviewer