Tuesday, August 4

Tag: Stuart Rathe

Art – Theatr Clwyd
Wales

Art – Theatr Clwyd

How much would you pay for a white painting? Disley Theatrical Productions bring Art to the Weston at Theatr Clwyd. Written by Yasmina Reza and translated by Christopher Hampton, we follow the friendship of three men, Marc, Serge and Yvan. Serge has spent a huge amount of money on a white painting, a five foot by four foot white painting with a few diagonal white lines. But this purchase causes a huge rift between Serge and Marc. Then Yvan comes along, not wanting to upset anyone and tries to play the happy medium but only upsetting himself more. Simon Phillips as Marc is commanding, honest and frank, not buying in to the fact that Serge actually loves this piece of art and feels something when he looks at it. Chris Jones brings a calmness to Serge which balances out Marc’s fiery...
Nell Gwynn – Neston Civic Hall
North West

Nell Gwynn – Neston Civic Hall

A strong cast and brilliant costumes make this a funny, colourful and very watchable show. The historical character of Nell Gwynn is famous for being an orange-seller, an actress and of course mistress of Charles II and in Jessica Swale’s comedy-drama we certainly see her as a witty, outspoken and independent woman.  Swale brings together a mix of bawdy, carry-on comedy, some good storytelling and the injection of songs, to make an entertaining piece of theatre, which beyond the titillation and double-entendre, is actually saying something about theatre generally and women’s place in the theatre and society. Neston players, probably more used to presenting drama than comedy, have taken on the play under the leadership of new director Shannon McMullan.  As a vibrant group th...