Abi at the Theatre

  When: 25th April 2023 Where: Phoenix Theatre, London Writer: Tennessee Williams Director: Rebecca Frecknall This production, which has transferred from the Almeida to the Phoenix Theatre for a limited run, has been a hot ticket. We had tried to get tickets for the original run at the Almeida but were out of luck, so I was extremely excited at the opportunity to the see it during its west end transfer, and I'm so glad I did. This production definitely lives up to the hype and deserves all the recognition it has received.  The staging of this production is wonderful, replicating the theatre space in the Almeida within the Phoenix’s proscenium. In the centre of it’s rounded, brick walls lies a square platform with open space surrounding it. The ways in which the space is used makes it feel as though the story is taking over the space, not as play being performed, but as characters emerging from the floor and walls. I definitely think replicating the stage from the Almeida was t...

  When: 29th March, 2023 (Matinee) Where: Lyttleton Theatre, London Writer: Simon Stone (after Euripides) Director: Simon Stone   I find the concept of productions within glass boxes really interesting. It often removes the key point of theatre which is for the performers and audience to be in the same space. I've seen it done well - Yerma, also by Simon Stone - and I've seen productions in which it became a hinderance - The Human Voice. In this production whilst I think it created really interesting images and worked with the themes of the production, it also created issues. With a series of different glass boxes and scene changes there were too many blackouts for my liking, and when it was a box change these were long. They tried to fill this with a voiceover from Sofiane's father. This for me was not relevant enough and instead of feeling like a different perspective on the piece, it was clearly just being used as a tool to cover for the scene changes. I also didn't ...

When: 25th March, 2023 (Matinee) Where: Almeida Theatre, London Writer: Lulu Raczka Director: Rupert Goold I don't really know where to start with this one. It was such an interesting production that has loads to explore.  In general I enjoyed this play, it was quirky and interesting, a bit different to the sorts of things I usually see. The acting was really strong, with each character clearly holding their own characteristics and nuances. I particularly felt Lydia Leonard and Alison Oliver, playing Elizabeth and Agnes were brilliant in the portrayal of their characters. I also loved the style of the piece, it was dark and moody, but at the same time infused with lots of humour. The use of direct address, especially during the devil's prologue added another layer to it, giving it a slight shakespeare-esque feel about it, but with very contemporary language and topics, giving the audience a great sense of connection to the play. I would have liked to have seen this used more...

  When: 25th February 2023 (Matinee) Where: RSC, Stratford-Upon-Avon Writer: William Shakespeare Director: Elizabeth Freestone I’ve always wanted to see a production at the RSC, and just haven’t got a chance. Even during a trip to Stratford-Upon-Avon last year we didn’t manage to see a production, technically we could have but the production on at the time was a History and in all honesty the histories aren’t really my thing. Therefore when my friend started University nearby I knew it would be an excuse not only to see my friend, but also try and encourage her to enjoy Shakespeare. The amount of travelling that I did that weekend has made much of the trip a blur, a mixture of trains and busses and generally hopping around the country. To get to the theatre we had to get a bus, easy enough, then a train, which we missed, so we had to try and get another bus instead. Which proved how little we knew about using public transport! Eventually finding a bus we then got stuck in traf...