Review: The Winslow Boy

Hey readers!
It's time for my review of The Winslow Boy.
With no formal plans for my weekend, I decided to take a look at Richmond Theatre's website to see if there were any interesting shows playing within the near future. The Winslow Boy was playing over the weekend, so I took the decision to look at the reviews for this production. On the whole, it had received a very positive response, so I went and saw The Winslow Boy.

The Winslow Boy follows 14-year-old Ronnie Winslow, a boy expelled from the Royal Naval College for alleged theft. His father, Arthur Winslow, is convinced that Ronnie was wrongly accused. After acquiring the talented lawyer Sir Robert Morton, Arthur doggedly pursues the case, which becomes a sensationalised public story. As the case wears on, the Winslows' finances are drained, adversely affecting the older Winslow children. I personally found the story of The Winslow Boy to be utterly gripping. It was one of those plays where I simply could not take my eyes off of the stage for a moment. I was left transfixed. Throughout the play, I was so eager to find out what would happen next, and as a result, the time that I was in the theatre flew by. The themes tackled in The Winslow Boy are particularly interesting. The story includes subject matters such as justice, doing right in a world of wrong and feminism. The way these themes are presented are interesting; no matter how difficult the battle gets, the characters never stop on their quest to do right, something which, according to Sir Robert Morton, is different from justice.

The cast in this production of The Winslow Boy are of the highest quality. Leading the cast as Arthur Winslow, the head of the Winslow household, was Aden Gillett. Gillett was exceptional in this role. He had a clear command of the stage throughout, always making his presence known . As his loving daughter Catherine, was Dorothea Myer-Bennett. I would personally argue that it was Myer-Bennett who totally stole the show. She gave a truly captivating performance. The character of Catherine was particularly interesting, and it was great to see her progression as a character and her future ambitions. Dorothea Myer-Bennett really does excel in this role. As the Winslow Mother, Grace, Tessa Peake-Jones was outstanding. Peake-Jones was utterly hilarious, and showed clearly the different thoughts and feelings that Grace Winslow has throughout the duration of the play. Another stand-out cast member that I feel is worthy of a special mention is Timothy Watson, as their lawyer, Sir Robert Morton. Watson has a magnificent stage presence. Every time he enters, he is contributing greatly to the show. He portrayed all of the different sides needed to portray the character excellently.

The set design, which has been crafted by Michael Taylor, was also excellent. It was beautifully detailed, making it all feel very true to life. From the moment I entered the theatre, I was awestruck by this set design. The costume design, yet again created by Michael Taylor, was also brilliant. All of the costumes were very fitting for the time period.

The featured star of The Winslow Boy is, drum roll please... DOROTHEA MYER-BENNETT!

This was a difficult choice between Aden Gillett and Dorothea Myer-Bennett, however after contemplating this decision, I eventually chose Dorothea! The way Dorothea built up her character was excellent, and the final scene in which she appeared in was truly exceptional. Dorothea Myer-Bennett was the one that stole the show!

Now for my final verdict on The Winslow Boy. I give The Winslow Boy...

I was choosing between three or four stars for The Winslow Boy, however I ultimately chose four stars, as I decided that there isn't really anything I can fault this production on. It was a solid brilliant production!

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