Amanda Hadingue Archives - North West End UK

26Nov

By Natalie J RomeoNo Comments

London

A Christmas Carol – The Old Vic

Returning for its fifth year to The Old Vic, Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ feels as new, as innovative and as compelling as it ever was and always will be. On entering the theatre, it’s as if the show has already started, as the entire company mill about, dressed head to toe in dramatic black overcoats and top hats, offering mince pies and oranges to just seated audience members. The hearty welcome and wishes of ‘Merry Christmas’ set the tone for the evening immediately; the excitement in the room was palpable. Enticingly, this show is performed in the round. This may not be entirely unusual, but it it’s not something all that typical in my experience either, and definitely piqued my interest as to how this would influence the production. As it turns out, this may be the most...

The Winter’s Tale – RSC Online

According to the Washington Post President Trump made 30,573 false or misleading claims during his four years in office. At the time of writing this review the Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been accused of acting dishonestly in a number of different scandals. Shakespeare knew that those in charge are not always honest and truthful. In this play he examines the consequences when an all-powerful man fails to act with honour. The shadow of Henry VIII and his treatment of Elizabeth I’s mother Anne Boleyn hangs over the drama. The play is all about honesty, integrity, honour and trust. It is at base a moral fable where purity is rewarded and sin is punished. King Leontes, a jealous tyrant believes his pregnant wife Hermione is having an affair with his boyhood friend, the kin...

The Madness of George III – National Theatre

Alan Bennett’s The Madness of George III, directed by Adam Penford, tells the story of one of the first periods of George III’s illness which plagued the later years of his life and eventually led to the Regency of his son George IV. Wryly amusing and horrifying for its exposition of tortuous Georgian treatments of mental illness, this is a wonderful play which juxtaposes the appearances of royalty and the regular lives hidden beneath. The play has a very grand opening which emphasises the importance of show for the Royal Family from the start. An assassination attempt is made on George III’s (Mark Gatiss) life and the Court points out how lucky the failed murderer is as England has asylums for her to go to whereas in France she would be executed, the veiled point being that for ma...