Skip to main content

Review of UoN Fringe: Wonder (W?nder) by Lamplight Theatre at The Platform, Northampton

I have to say as an unreligious person, I approached W?nder with a certain amount of trepidation. Performed by Naomi Hollands, an evangelist in training, as well as an actor, it comes from her theatre company Lamplight, which has in its description that it aims "to give the student population a chance to explore Christianity through the use of theatre".

It was though slightly less of a concern, in reality, this show is presented at a nicely balanced level, which explores more what we find ourselves in life as things of "wonder". We are asked to write down on a piece of paper at the start of the show, where we see the wonder in life. It's an idea that is briefly used later in the show, as Hollands reads out three random ones from the bowl. However, it gets you thinking before the show proper begins.

Hollands takes us through several characters including a young child and an older, more officious and organised person, before finally falling into a very personal piece as herself. Indeed extremely so in it's content and you have to applaud the nature of laying some of the content in such a public environment.

It's simply done, nicely performed and far from preachy in its content, dealing more with how we gain enjoyment from life rather than banging the religious angle. It's also very funny at times, and Hollands performs the whole piece in a confident and believable way, and despite my initial concern of the themes, I left thinking about the themes raised, and from theatre, that is the most wonderful thing we can receive. It very much ticked the box of what I wrote on the piece of paper at the start, "creative ideas".

Performance reviewed: Saturday 24th March 2018 at The Platform, Northampton.

The UoN Fringe ran between Friday 23rd and Monday 26th March 2018.

Popular posts from this blog

Review of Murder She Didn't Write at Royal & Derngate (Royal), Northampton

Murder She Didn't Write , stopping off for a four-day run at Royal & Derngate on a lengthy UK tour, treads the now well-worn path of an improvisational evening of theatre entertainment. Unsurprisingly, from the title, this show from Degrees of Error's takes a murder mystery as its inspiration, with the story influenced by ideas from the audience each evening. Due to this, Murder She Didn't Write and a review are very much an individual affair. What I saw in my evening at the theatre will differ significantly from what the audience will see the following evening; however, the fine performers will remain. The touring cast, in no particular order, is Lizzy Skrzypiec, Rachael Procter-Lane, Peter Baker, Caitlin Campbell, Stephen Clements, Douglas Walker, Harry Allmark, Rosalind Beeson, Sylvia Bishop, Emily Brady, Alice Lamb, Sara Garrard, Peta Maurice and Matthew Whittle. For my performance, Skrzypiec, Procter-Lane, Baker, Walker, Bishop, and Clements were on stage alongsid...

Review of Bat Out Of Hell - The Musical at Milton Keynes Theatre

Bat Out of Hell - The Musical was first realised as a stage musical back in 2017, opening at the Manchester Opera House. Since then, it has achieved significant international success. Now, as part of a new UK tour, it has returned to Milton Keynes Theatre, which it previously visited in 2022 during its global tour. The storyline of Bat Out of Hell , written by Jim Steinman, draws on the story of Peter Pan as a basis and evolves it within a dystopian world, where a group of teenagers known as The Lost live forever at the age of 18. This plot is both flimsy and initially confusing; however, within the music of Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman, it finds a rough-around-the-edges polish that allows this weakness to shine through and succeed. At the centre of this group of teenagers is Strat, who, following an unexpected encounter, falls under the spell of Raven. Within this, a megalomaniac lurks, as all dystopian worlds require. This maniac is Falco, the father of Raven and Sloane's husband....

Review of The Killing Of Sister George at The Playhouse Theatre, Northampton

The Playhouse Theatre's The Killing Of Sister George offers to me the most unique review challenge yet as I have followed the creation process unlike any other, having had the privilege to watch a number of rehearsals. Seeing it from relatively early days of book in hand, to book down and to the penultimate dress rehearsal, I have seen it at at some very dramatic times. No one will disagree either that the final time I saw it, just one rehearsal away from going live in front of a paying audience, there was much still to refine. This review is of the fourth night and I will disregard as best as possible what I saw during rehearsals (with one very important exception). Written in 1964 by Frank Marcus, Sister George was an exceptionally controversial play at its time with its suggestions that its lead characters are in a lesbian relationship, still illegal at the time. The play itself is subtle in its telling, however the 1968 film is much more explicit, capitalising no doubt from t...