Phoebe Pryce Archives - North West End UK

Much Ado About Nothing – Thomas’s College

9Aug

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

Much Ado About Nothing – Thomas’s College

Tom Littler’s staging of ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ is a true masterclass in how Shakespeare should be performed, adapted and directed: intelligent without becoming academic, emotionally rich without descending into sentimentality, and uproariously funny without ever compromising the text. Presented by the Orange Tree Theatre and Guildford Shakespeare Company in the grounds of Thomas’s College, Richmond, alongside ‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’, it is an extraordinary theatrical achievement that is brilliant on every level. The production continues the stories of the same characters from ‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’, but six eventful years later. The original carefree summer of 1939 has been replaced by the summer of 1945, with the surviving men returning from war and the women revisiting the village i...

Love’s Labour’s Lost – Thomas’s College

Tom Littler’s adaptation of ‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’ is an exceptional theatrical achievement: intelligent, technically accomplished and irresistibly entertaining. Presented by the Orange Tree Theatre and Guildford Shakespeare Company in the grounds of Thomas’s College, Richmond, this glorious open-air production demonstrates precisely how Shakespeare can be made contemporary, immediate and entirely accessible without sacrificing the richness of the original text. The production is performed in repertory with ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, using the same company to connect the two comedies across six eventful years. Although the productions reward being seen together (this is highly recommended), they also stand independently. Having recently played within the grounds of Braboeuf Manor in G...

The Importance of Being Earnest – Royal Exchange

When a play is so ubiquitous that most people with even a passing interest in the Arts have seen a theatrical production or filmed version of it, anyone thinking of purchasing a ticket should always ask themselves the question ‘Why bother?’ Fortunately, the Summer offering from the Royal Exchange provides the answer, giving a fresh, funny and resolutely modern take on this classic which should serve to please both new audiences and Wildean purists equally. Director Josh Roche and Designer Eleanor Bull initially present us with a stunning visual treat, the set taking its inspiration from the floral displays in a plethora of shops and coffee houses that infest our modern world. Suspended from the ceiling an enormous imitation flower display acts to illustrate the fake nature of the world ...