Friday, April 19

Tag: The Gate Theatre

Dear Elizabeth – The Gate @ Theatro Technis
London

Dear Elizabeth – The Gate @ Theatro Technis

Dear Elizabeth (written by Sarah Ruhl) is an exploration of the deep yet complicated friendship between American poets Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell. Ruhl’s script is a vast selection of the letters the two wrote to each other over several decades, and each night a fresh pair of unprepared actors arrive to take on the roles of Bishop and Lowell, unaware of what they’ll be performing. This interesting if not risky concept means that each audience will have a somewhat different experience, and while the letters are funny and searingly honest there wasn’t enough there for me to make up for the lack of characterisation. I found it frustrating being offered a window into the lives of two fascinating people but not being able to dig deeper into their personalities and motivations. Th...
Why The Child Is Cooking In The Polenta – Free Streaming by the Romanian Cultural Institute
NEWS

Why The Child Is Cooking In The Polenta – Free Streaming by the Romanian Cultural Institute

Written by Aglaja Veteranyi, and adapted and performed by Edith Alibec, this play is based on the autobiographical book of the same name.  The book loosely reflects on Veteranyi’s own experiences of life on the road with her family, after leaving Romania under a cloud.  This nomadic existence was necessary for this circus performing family as they moved from town to town, they were also running away; evading detection by the Romanian authorities for a crime that was committed whilst living in Romania.  Alibec was inspired to adapt this play as it resonated with her after visiting refugee camps in Germany, she wanted to highlight the vulnerability of people forced to move from their country and seek refuge in an unfamiliar country. The play never really gives the narrator...