Simon Stone Archives - North West End UK

19Sep

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

The Lady From The Sea – Bridge Theatre

Simon Stone's extensive reworking of Ibsen's 1888 play relocates the action from the Norwegian fjords to Ullswater in the Lake District. In this idyllic setting, neurologist Edward (Andrew Lincoln) tries, and mostly fails, to be a good father to teenage daughters Asa (Gracie Oddie-James) and Hilda (Isobel Akuwudike). Now remarried to Ellida (Alicia Vikander) after the death by suicide of his first wife, Ed struggles to keep the peace within the family and particularly between his daughters and their stepmother. Ed's best friend, Lyle (John MacMillan) is a support for the family, although his involvement is not always regarded positively by Ed. Into this scenario comes Heath (Joe Alwyn), a young patient of Ed's who is awaiting the outcome of tests that will confirm whether his m...

Yerma: National Theatre Live – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

In 2017 Billie Piper’s much lauded performance in Simon Stone’s adaptation of Lorca’s Yerma resulted in her scooping several best actress awards. The opportunity to see this production and much Piper’s written of performance came in the form of an NT Live screening at Altrincham’s Garrick Theatre and I am genuinely thrilled I went. The play opens with Her (Piper) and her husband John (Brendan Cowell) celebrating the purchase of their first home together in London. Life is going well for them. She is in her early thirties and is a successful lifestyle blogger and he is in his early forties and enjoying growing success and significant worldwide travel for the business he has started with her support. Their plans for the future are taking shape and this large empty new home awaits the life...

Lucia Di Lammermoor – Met Opera

Producer Simon Stone provides a modern take on Donizetti’s classic opera and, putting the occasional embellishment aside, delivers one of the most complete operatic productions of the season. Fallen on hard times, Enrico (Artur Ruciński) has arranged an advantageous marriage for his sister, Lucia (Nadine Sierra), but Normanno (Alok Kumar) reveals that she is in love with Enrico’s enemy, Edgardo (Javier Camarena). As Lucia and Alisa (Deborah Nansteel) wait for Edgardo, Lucia reveals a recent dream which Alisa interprets as a portent of doom. When Edgardo arrives, he explains that he has to leave on a mission and he and Lucia exchange vows. Normanno obtains forged evidence to suggest that Edgardo is involved with another woman and when Enrico shows it to Lucia, she is heartbroken and a...