Review of Lydia By Any Other Name by Weekes Baptiste at the Looking Glass Theatre, Northampton

Lydia By Any Other Name is a sweet gentle little play written and directed Weekes Baptiste. Unpretentious and friendly are two words I would describe it as. It suited that it was receiving its, pause for dramatic effect, World Premiere at the quaint little Looking Glass Theatre.

The play tells the story of a bizarre happening reintroducing two former child stars back to one another and the rather coincidental existence of two Lydia's. Combining live action with archive footage of 8mm film recorded over 25 years is an effective but different approach to one I have seen previously.

The play itself had managed to get over its own little drama just a week before with the lead dropping out, therefore parachuting into place at short notice (script in hand) was Georgina Pearson who given the time constraints gave a nice performance as Rosemary Cooper. Able to discard the script for the second act part. We had three Lydia's in the piece, with a bolshy turn from Eleanor Morrison as twelve year old Lydia Cooper, while the slightly more grown-up sixteen year old version was played by Scarlett Jordan. Completing the collection was Hannah Poole as Lydia Chambers. Although all were great in there roles, my favourite Lydia had to be the dungaree wearing Scarlett. Her performance was lively and wonderfully realistic.

Both Ben Richards as Ethan Chambers and Robin Hillman as Steven Chambers were good value as well, with the latter having probably the most challenging scene. Dressed in hospital gown and talking direct to the audience, it was a slightly surreal scene much different from the previous two. However he delivered it in a wonderfully comic way.

While it was a good entertaining show, there were a couple of issues that didn't work for me. The first were the set changes, I cannot help but think they were far too ambitious and the tables and chairs might have been worked in a different way. While the video footage was playing in the background through most of the changes, the amount of movement going on did detract somewhat from the enjoyment of watching this. The only other fly in the ointment for me was the ending, it all felt very abrupt (it didn't help that there was a slight tech issue on screen). Just ending with all the cast gathering to watch the footage, somewhere over our shoulder seemed a bit disappointing. For me, it would have been nice at this stage to have seen a touch more of the footage on screen that they were watching. Also, I personally don't need to see credits rolling at the theatre, that's just not for me.

However, saying all this I really enjoyed it and it really did gain a lot from the nice down to earth performances of the cast.

Performance reviewed: Friday 29th May, 2015 at the Looking Glass Theatre, Northampton.

Lydia By Any Other Name runs at the Looking Glass Theatre until Sunday 31st May, 2015.

Tickets are available via the Royal & Derngate Box Office. Their website is at http://www.royalandderngate.co.uk/

Looking Glass Theatre also has a website at http://www.lookingglasstheatre.co.uk/

Review of Here You Come Again at Milton Keynes Theatre

Four years down the round from a global pandemic the time has come finally for a comedy musical of the trying times and much like Kevin's experience in the show, who better to get you through it than... Dolly Parton. Arriving at Milton Keynes Theatre this week as part of a UK tour before landing in the West End, Here You Come Again is billed very much as a feel-good musical, so, do you feel good after watching it? The quick and easy answer is yes, however, much of the time during this incredibly quirky musical, you do wonder why and indeed what you are watching. Here You Come Again sees Kevin, back trapped in his parents home isolating himself from them, the world and his failing relationship with Jeremy during the 2020 pandemic. He seeks solace, trapped in his attic, in memories of his constant love of Dolly Parton, and then at his most down moment, she comes alive and guides him as only Dolly and her back catalogue of songs can. Originally written by Bruce Vilanch, Gabriel Barr

Review of Frankenstein at Royal & Derngate (Royal), Northampton

Over 200 years since its first publication it is remarkable to think that what is, in essence, a scientific novel such as Frankenstein is still so relevant in content today. However, as science evolves endlessly, and now with AI becoming so dominant and controversial, the difference between right and wrong, good and evil in science, and what is too inhuman is as current as ever. Tilted Wig's production, now at the end of its UK tour at Royal & Derngate and written and directed by Sean Aydon takes the original story and sets it about halfway between the first publication and modern day, around the time leading up to the Second World War. Aydon's adaptation works really well in placing the story within this degenerating world, a place where true horror is around the corner, and veiled ideas of their (Germany's) interest in Frankenstein's work are gently developed. However, while Aydon clearly had this idea in his head and his pen when scripting this version, the polit

Review of Hacktivists by Ben Ockrent performed by R&D Youth Theatre at Royal & Derngate (Underground), Northampton

The National Theatres Connections series of plays had been one of my highlights of my trips to R&D during 2014. Their short and snappy single act style kept them all interesting and never overstaying their welcome. So I was more than ready for my first encounter with one of this years Connections plays ahead of the main week of performances at R&D later in the year. Hacktivists is written by Ben Ockrent, whose slightly wacky but socially relevant play Breeders I had seen at St James Theatre last year. Hacktivists is less surreal, but does have a fair selection of what some people would call odd. Myself of the other hand would very much be home with them. So we are presented with thirteen nerdy "friends" who meet to hack, very much in what is termed the white hat variety. This being for good, as we join them they appear to have done very little more than hacked and created some LED light device. Crashing in to spoil the party however comes Beth (Emma-Ann Cranston)

A Small Mind At The Theatre

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