Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre Archives

The Secret Garden – Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

27Jun

By Savitha VenugopalNo Comments

London

The Secret Garden – Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

When a new adaptation of a favourite childhood novel is announced, you approach it with trepidation – will the experience of the book be ruined, will they change it so much that it is unrecognisable? With this production of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic, you have nothing to worry about. Created by Holly Robinson and Anna Himali Howard, it is delightfully fresh and endearing, with new layers of love and acceptance that only add to the tale’s magic. Mary Lennox (played to perfection by Hannah Khalique-Brown) is growing up as a neglected, spoilt child in India when an outbreak of cholera orphans her. She is transplanted from the only life she has known to the foreign new climes of Yorkshire, to Misslethwaite Manor with its 100 rooms. The maid, Martha (Molly Hewitt-Richards), is her fi...

Robin Hood: The Legend Re-Written – Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

25Jun

By Zara OdetundeNo Comments

London

Robin Hood: The Legend Re-Written – Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

This show opened as part of the summer season at Regent’s Park Open Air theatre. It’s lovely venue that perfectly houses a story about a hero that gallivants through the forest. Which is why a retelling of the legendary tale of Robin Hood is the perfect tale for this summer season. This play takes a new twist on the classic story, as we delve into whether the outlaws can defeat the sheriff. Robin Hood is a folktale of the underdog challenging the system, where he takes from the rich and gives to the poor. This new take written by Carl Grose challenges everything we know about the tale. But still pays homage to the various forms the original tale has taken in different ways throughout the play. We have different iterations of Robin Hood eager to save the day, but they only exist to be v...

Antigone – Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

15Sep

By Gemma PrinceNo Comments

London

Antigone – Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

The Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre concludes its 90th season with playwright Inua Ellams' fiercely modern adaptation of Sophocles' Ancient Greek tragedy. This fresh version of Antigone explores family, faith, politics and power in 21st century Britain. Jointly directed by Max Webster and Jo Tyabji, the titular character (played by Zainab Hasan) is a British Muslim woman whose family faces a tragedy which tears them apart. Living in a politically divided world where her faith and identity are constantly scrutinised, Antigone rises up and decides to take matters into her own hands. Ellams draws on numerous real-life parallels in his adaptation, from xenophobia, political tensions and questions of religion, the famous heroine re-imagined as a determined young woman who runs a youth cen...

101 Dalmatians – Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

23Jul

By Robert BartleyNo Comments

London

101 Dalmatians – Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

Loosely based on the 1956 classic tale by Dodie Smith, ‘101 Dalmatians’ see Dominic and Danielle literally bumping into each other and falling in love while out walking their dotty dogs Pongo and Perdi. Local influencer Cruella DeVil thinks the dogs would look great in her upcoming photoshoot, but during the shoot, the dogs severe dislike of Cruella causes one of them to bite her. She attacks the dogs with a stick, and her retaliation is caught on social media, going viral within minutes. Cruella quickly swears revenge on the dogs, and plots to dognap the spotted pooches and make herself a coat that no-one will ever forget. It’s a timeless story that audiences already knows, but does the Regent’s Park production have legs, or is it more of a dog’s dinner? Visually, the show...

Legally Blonde – Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

26May

By Samantha CollettNo Comments

London

Legally Blonde – Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

It’s inspiring when women want to be more than a pretty face, which is the popular appeal of Legally Blonde. Based on the 2001 movie, Lucy Moss has revamped the story for today’s audience, while still keeping the nostalgia cues alive for those who love the original. The plot is simple: boy ditches girl because she’s not clever enough for him and his glittering Harvard Law School career. Girl decides to prove him wrong and turns her fun, party life around securing a place at Harvard where the plan is to win back the douche-bag by proving she’s not an air-head, but a totally ass-busting-legal-whizz. For me, that’s the first (of many) yawning stereotypes and a source of friction, but I tried to set my morals aside and get into the fizzy, fun time. This is a big stage production and the...