Skip to main content

The Glow

 


When: 10th February 2022 (Matinee)

Where: The Royal Court theatre - Jerwood Downstairs

Writer: Alistair McDowall

Director: Vicky Featherstone


Going into this play I had very little idea what to expect I had briefly read a few reviews but from what I could tell there were mixed opinions on it, with the Times describing it as a contender for worst play of the year but the guardian giving it 4 stars. Personally I really enjoyed it, it was nothing new storywise, but something that is not often explored on stage, making it feel different. The first half although very short, introduced us to the character of The Woman. It also led me to believe the story would go in a different direction than it did, which made the second half more intriguing. 

One of the things I loved most about this play was how it felt as if the writer (Alistair McDowall) had written about what he wanted to, not feeling confined by rules of what can and can't be shown on stage. Despite this, it still felt as though the play had a place in society today and had a message. There was not particularly a clear moral of the story, but I think it makes the audience think about life. It shows how people will be nice to you if you are nice in return, how relationships form, and also how meaningless life can be. The main character went through the story trying to figure out who she is, but the conclusion was that she didn't really have a set purpose, she just existed and I think thats a really truthful message for people. Saying this the ending still felt complete and satisfying to the audience, the final monologue although perhaps a little too long was a nice way to end. 

The set design and lighting in this production was really interesting, it was so simple and yet so effective. The use of moving walls and tunnel was intriguing and created a strong setting in quite a minimalist way. However I would have liked it to have been used more effectively throughout, they sat on top at one moment, but mostly it was just used as an entrance and exit. The use of projection to present settings and easily tell the time period we were watching was simple and yet worked. 

The story was a little confusing at moments jumping around, but compelling in its own right, and the directing was done really well. Overall I enjoyed this play, it was not one of those that I would rave about to others, but it definitely doesn't deserve the title of Worst Play of the Year.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

ECHO (Every Cold-Hearted Oxygen)

  When: 19th July 2024  Where: The Royal Court Theatre, London Writer: Nassim Soleimanpour Director: Omar Elerian This production was unlike anything I have seen before. It is an experience not just for the audience but for the actors that take to the stage each night.  Soleimanpour's play is performed as a cold-read, unrehearsed with a different actor taking on the role each night, unaware of what is going to be asked of them. On our night Rebecca Lucy Taylor took on the role of the actor. Taylor is relatively new to acting and whilst I think many audience members will choose to see actors such as Fiona Shaw or Adrian Lester who are trained or have years of experience, I personally think Taylor's lack of training made the production even more raw and moving. Without this training Taylor fully allows herself to take the soul of the story onboard reacting genuinely and in real time, not trying in any way to perform. As an audience it felt as if we were going on the journe...
Post a Comment
Read more

J'Ouvert

  When: 3rd July 2021 (Matinee) Where: Harold Pinter Theatre, London Writer: Yasmin Joseph Director: Rebekah Murrell (Spoilers ahead) This play follows the story of three young women taking part in Notting Hill Carnival, two of whom are African Caribbean and one who is of Asian decent. With themes of community and activism, it creates a strong message whilst exploring an entertaining and uplifting story. There are moments that pull at your heart and moments that make you want to dance! Before the play had even started I was surprised and excited by the demographic represented in the audience. It was not the usual white, middle class audience that I was so used to seeing in a west end theatre. The majority of the audience was made of people with a similar ethnic heritage as the characters in the performance. This made the entire atmosphere of the audience and the play really different. Instead of sitting quietly and talking amongst themselves, the excitement of the audience was cle...
Post a Comment
Read more

We Live In Time

  When: 18th January 2025 Where: Cinema Writer: Nick Payne Director: John Crowley (Spoilers ahead) We Live In Time relies on its actors and Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield are perfectly cast. Not only do they interpret the script beautifully, but they bring their own personalities to the characters, making them detailed and nuanced. Nick Payne's script is wonderfully crafted, it shows such clear understanding and a close reading of what it means to be human. By allowing the actors to interpret it in their own ways, and I suspect improvise around it, the characters are given a texture and depth which is often lacking from film characters.  One of the most notable elements of this film is its portrayal of time. Time is what the film is all about, it's in the title, yet what may surprise many people is its non-linear portrayal of time, the film takes place in disjointed time. Disjointed time is not something new to Payne, in his play Constellations the characters similarly ...
Post a Comment
Read more