Caroline Worswick

The New Real – The Other Place, Stratford-Upon-Avon

11Oct

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

West Midlands

The New Real – The Other Place, Stratford-Upon-Avon

David Edgar’s 10th premiere at The Other Place follows on from The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde (1991), Written on the Heart (2011), and A Christmas Carol (2022), and continues his relationship with the RSC following on from his appointment in 1989 as an Honorary Artist. The New Real, is a bringing together of Headlong, the RSC and David Edgar to produce a new political drama, staged in the RSC’s studio theatre, The Other Place. Set in a former communist country in Eastern Europe, two American political strategists are working for competing candidates and predict that they will teach the East how to do elections, but the tables are turned… Globally, we witness diplomacy a time when the Right competes with populist politics, as seen in Britain’s recent election wit...

Interview with Stella Powell-Jones, Director of Eurydice at Jermyn Street Theatre

5Oct

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

Interviews

Interview with Stella Powell-Jones, Director of Eurydice at Jermyn Street Theatre

North West End UK’s Deputy Editor, Caroline Worswick, discussed Jermyn Street Theatre’s exciting new production of Eurydice with director Stella Powell-Jones. A play written by Sarah Ruhl, it draws its inspiration from the Greek mythical tale of the beautiful Eurydice and the musically talented Orpheus, whose doomed relationship has been re-told by many ancient storytellers, including Ovid and Plato. Eurydice was written in 2003 by Sarah Ruhl, why do you feel that now is good time to re-imagine the play? On one hand, Eurydice is about something pretty eternal: love and earth. How do we deal with death? Does love survive death? What would we do if we got a second chance? Sarah wrote the play while mourning her own beloved Father. My own Dad died unexpectedly when I was young...

17Aug

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

South East

The Marlowe Sessions – Marlowe Theatre

Two years ago, I went along to watch the recording of Tamburlaine II, intrigued by this ambitious plan to record all seven of Christopher Marlowe’s plays in quick succession, here is the link to my interview with one of the cast members Alan Cox - https://northwestend.com/spotlight-on-actor-alan-cox-and-the-marlowe-sessions-at-the-malthouse-theatre-canterbury/, which sheds some light on this project. Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593) the poet/playwright, was controversial to say the least, his open homosexuality during a period of gay sex being outlawed, atheism, and his involvement as a spy for Sir Francis Walsingham, are evidence enough of his unorthodox thinking. This spilled over into his plays, the blood thirsty Tamburlaine, the gay Edward II, and the ambitious necromancer, Doc...

8Aug

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

Scotland

Dionysa – C Arts Aquila

I am on a roll with Greek tragedies at the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and the Wellington College Theatre Collective’s take on Euripides’ ‘The Bacchae’ is interesting. The company have loaded the play into a time machine and moved it into the 20th Century, 1920 to be exact. This play written by an Athenian playwright was set in Thebes, this remains the same, but we have a gender change, as the original play is based around Dionysus, a Greek god (also known as Bacchus to the Romans), of whom was originally a Thracian god, later adopted by the Greeks. This gender change makes Dionysus become Dionysa! The basic storyline is that Dionysa (Cressida Massey-Cook), is a god, born from a union between her father Zeus and her mortal mother Semele. Dionysa is enrage...

The Sex Life of Puppets – Pleasance Courtyard

8Aug

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

Scotland

The Sex Life of Puppets – Pleasance Courtyard

An interesting title, and an even more interesting show. Brought to the stage by Blind Summit Theatre, the play does exactly what the title suggests, it gives an insight into the private lives of a selection of puppets which sounds a wee bit twee, but this play is anything but twee! The puppets are not string puppets but hand-held puppets, which I assume would make them easier to manipulate for the subject of the show. The puppeteers use a table to sit the puppets down and the rest is down to the script and the puppeteers’ imagination. The puppets are all human puppets whose characters are brought to life by their handlers, they discuss subjects such as sexual wellbeing, what they like to name their genitals, nursing home sex, lesbian sex and many more. ...

After Shakespeare: Richard III – the Space Triplex

7Aug

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

Scotland

After Shakespeare: Richard III – the Space Triplex

We have heard many tales of Richard III, not many of them are favourable, and Shakespeare wrote the play Richard III casting Richard in a bad light too. Theatre and film company Slade Wolfe Enterprises Ltd wish to look at Richard through a kinder lens, he had much to contend with, but was he the villain that he was made out to be by Shakespeare. This play analyses the period between 1464-1485 charting the period of boyhood, through to his death…he was only thirty-two years old when he died in 1485, when fighting as King, he died at the Battle of Bosworth Field. This period is history was remarkably busy for coronations, as the monarchy changed five times, Edward IV, Henry VI, Edward IV (again), Edward V and then Richard III himself. The War of the Roses ensur...

Witch? Women on Trial – Greenside @ Riddles Court

7Aug

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

Scotland

Witch? Women on Trial – Greenside @ Riddles Court

The Edinburgh Storytellers tell the stories of our past, in this case, the witch trials in Scotland which began in the early 16th century. Our storyteller is Natalie, who enthusiastically draws us into the world of witches. Just to give you a taster of some of the material spoken about, Natalie told us about Janet Cock, who was sent to jail for drunken behaviour, but was then released due to her daughter’s efforts, but a couple of months later she was re-arrested on new charges and was convicted and sentenced to death for witchcraft. Between 1590-1662 executions took place for witchcraft, and many trumped up charges were used to suppress women’s vitality, to quieten those who were outspoken or would not conform. The prosecutors were men, and we see this theme...

6Aug

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

Scotland

Antigone – the Space @ Niddry Street

Written by Sophocles, and first performed at the Festival of Dionysus in 414 BC, Antigone is a popular Ancient Greek play and is one of the favourites of the ancient cannon to be performed and studied in schools and universities. Performed by Crook and Ivy, the show has an all-female cast, and is staged in the round. The story is set in Thebes, a city in Ancient Greece, and the new King, Creon (Martha Barratt) is imposing new laws, which will affect Antigone (Isabella Williamson) and her sister, Ismene (Ella Searl). Antigone and Ismene are the only members of her family to survive a battle for the throne of Thebes. The sister’s two brothers who fought over the throne and were both killed. Eteocles was granted a normal burial with all funeral rights, but King ...

Michael Brunstrom: Copernicus Now – Hoots @ Potterow, Big Yurt

6Aug

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

Scotland

Michael Brunstrom: Copernicus Now – Hoots @ Potterow, Big Yurt

Recommended to me by a friend, I tootled along to the Big Yurt to see how you can possibly make a comedy show out of a Renaissance polymath called Nicolaus Copernicus and his work. Well, if your name if Michael Brunstrom you can! Drawing his material from the mathematician/astronomer that was under his microscope, his show is both clever and ridiculous. We are briefed about his process, which lures the audience in his balmy scheme, but he is so endearing, that you want to come along for the journey. His material is refreshing, no mother-in-law jokes here, but the fact that he chooses to use such a high-brow intellectual as the subject of his humour, makes this show so interesting. Brunstrom has a natural delivery, a self-deprecating humour which you cannot help ...

5Aug

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

Scotland

After Troy – the Space @ Surgeon’s Hall

Following the battle of Troy, what was left for the survivors? Homeless and suffering the loss of loved ones, the women of Troy grieved on the past, and faced uncertainty about their future. Based upon the tragedy ‘Trojan Women’ written by Euripides which was first performed in Athens in 415 BC, this exploration into the aftermath of the defeat of the Trojans following ten years of war, tells the tale of the women who were left behind to pick up the pieces. Presented by Badminton School, the story is weaved with actual threads, each character has her own thread, and when they share their experiences, they weave another part of life’s tapestry. Andromache is grieving over the loss of her husband; the Trojan prince Hector, she must now face the loss of her chil...