Skip to main content

Review of No Way Out by Jean-Paul Sartre performed by The Masque Theatre at The Holy Sepulchre, Northampton

I found myself back at the Holy Sepulchre Church for the second time in a week for a performance of No Way Out performed by amateur dramatic company The Masque Theatre.

This was to be my first proper amateur dramatic viewing for as long as I could remember (ever maybe, other than school shows), so therefore it was an area much neglected by me. As the first arrival and with unreserved seating, I made my way to the front row after being beckoned in by a gentlemen, who would later become known to us as "The Waiter" in the main performance. This was a nice presentation touch which made me happy from the very beginning.

Now I am unfamiliar with Jean-Paul Sartre pretty much, but I was familiar with the famous quote "Hell is other people", so it was going to be interesting to see the origin of the piece.

The set was a simple three chairs (of varying types), a fireplace, a door and a bronze statue on a pedestal which worked well. There was also the interesting addition of three projection screens showing three views (the views of the three characters). One of these had the scary sight of myself being projected on it, and another sadly died towards the end of the performance. However this was a clever idea, just marred by technical faults, which was a shame.

The three main performers, Gavin Harrison (Garcin), Gemma Knight (Ines) and Lisa Shepherd (Estelle) were introduced to us one by one by the aforementioned Waiter, played by Gabriel Abrahams. All were excellent in their very different roles, hiding the secret of why they were in this place and sparring off one another well against each of their "torturers".

The play itself I have to say was fascinating, albeit pretty much grim with little humour. Although with the subject this is fine and I really did enjoy it.

Overall a superbly presented and performed show which I was happily surprised at the quality of. I have to say though that it was such a shame that the crowd was so thin for what an just eight pounds was a quality and friendly ninety minutes.

No Way Out is on until Saturday 5th at The Holy Sepulchre, Northampton. Tickets: £8.00
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Review of Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of) at Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton

It is a truth universally acknowledged... No Stop! That is too obvious an opening line to a review of any Pride & Prejudice . Let us begin anew... Of all the classic regency novels from the 19th century, perhaps, one of the most famous is that of P ride & Prejudice by Jane Austen. The novel of manners telling the story of the Elizabeth Bennet her development and her family is maybe more famous now for the many adaptations the novel itself has had, including a certain wet-shirted Colin Firth edition from the nineties. Due to this, it is ripe for many a reworking and with a guaranteed audience waiting for it. Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) is one of the more bold of those adaptations. However, for all its boldness, does this new version work, or in truth, is it one step too far? The answer is a clear yes, as this dynamic and brilliant reworking by writer and director Isobel McArthur has proven since first taking to the stage back in 2018 and now into this second UK tour, reachin...
Read more

Review of The Rocky Horror Show at Milton Keynes Theatre

Richard O’Brien’s anarchic, surreal, and often incomprehensible musical, The Rocky Horror Show , has captivated audiences for over fifty years now. With this new tour, it feels as fresh and unpredictable as if it had just emerged from O’Brien's vivid imagination yesterday. While another review might seem unnecessary given the countless dressed-up fans who fill every theatre it visits, let’s go ahead and write one anyway. The Rocky Horror Show follows the adventures of Brad and Janet, a newly engaged couple. On a dark and stormy November evening, they run into car trouble and seek refuge at a mysterious castle reminiscent of Frankenstein’s. There, they encounter the eccentric handyman Riff-Raff, the outrageous scientist Dr. Frank N. Furter, and a host of other bizarre characters. What unfolds is a science fiction B-movie narrative that is at times coherent and at other times bewildering — yet somehow, that doesn’t seem to matter. I first saw The Rocky Horror Show in 2019 and exper...
Read more

Review of Cinderella, performed by University Of Northampton BA Actors at Maidwell Hall (Avenue Campus), Northampton

So, this is a bit different, the third year actors (my fifth group of them!) do panto, Cinderella to be precise. Pantomime is my perennial favourite bit of theatre. Oh no, it isn't! However, I have long acknowledged that for an actor, the form is both incredibly important, because if you can entertain kids, you can probably do anything, it also provides a large opening for a regular gig each year as they are so abundant. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the intelligent bods teaching these students have come to the decision to create a little panto action of their own. This first of three (and the other two are very different beasts, as you will learn from the next reviews) is the ever so traditional one. Formed partly from the work of Looking Glass Theatre and director James Smith, I first saw much of this piece in January 2015, and although I didn't remember a great deal of it after this time, the cheese song managed to flash back to me, perhaps, sadly. So, ...
Read more