Skip to main content

Review of UoN Fringe 2019: Unveiled by Myriad Theatre at The Platform Club, Northampton

It is safe to say I think that reviewer and show maker alike never set out to deliberately write a bad review or create a bad show. There is simply no logic in it really for the latter, I mean why would you? However when the latter occurs and the former is there in the audience, things will end badly, and for me, it gives me no enjoyment.

For my penultimate show, Unveiled, at this year's University of Northampton Fringe Festival, Myriad Theatre performer Isabella Hunt explores what marriage means to her in what ends up being just 18 minutes of a show that sadly goes nowhere. Marriage to Hunt it seems involves intermittently putting on and taking off a succession of dresses, amongst a collection of anguished thoughts mostly that mainly involves an outrageously over repeated physical piece.

There is some very brief interaction with the audience among the lines of "how many of you are married?" and other light thoughts, where the answers are written onto a dress, the dress which Hunt is writing mostly distressed words upon during our entry to the theatre space before the show.

It is very light and non-existent, unfortunately, and for those paying £5.50 to watch the show, I imagine were even more disappointed as it reached, to the audience, an incredulously early and inconclusive finish, and they probably had words of their own to write upon that dress.

If as much care had gone into the actual show as the nicely prepared space, with place numbers etc on the chairs, this could have been as ever, an interesting show, especially as I don't recall seeing a University show specifically about marriage before. However, as it is, it is sadly the worst show I have seen over my six years following the BA Actors/Acting and Creative Practice groups, and that gives me no pleasure saying it.

Performance viewed: Sunday 5th May 2019

The Fringe Festival 2019 ran from Monday 29th April to Sunday 5th May 2019 at The Platform Club Northampton, and one show at Hazelrigg House.

Details here: Fringe Festival 2019

Popular posts from this blog

Review of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Milton Keynes Theatre

There have been numerous productions of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's groundbreaking musical since it first appeared in 1968 and opened in the West End in 1973. One might wonder if there is still room for another tour. However, judging by the packed audience in Milton Keynes Theatre for the opening night of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat , much interest remains for this show. Also, with this production first seen at The London Palladium in June 2019, and with a few production elements altered, Joseph still has, after all those years, the room to change and evolve. However, the question is, does this change help or hinder the show's history? For those unfamiliar with Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, it tells the story of Joseph, Jacob's favourite son, in a lighthearted and musical style that jumps between various genres. Joseph's brothers are somewhat envious of him, leading to them selling him into slavery to an Egyptian nobleman. As for ...

Review of Fawlty Towers at Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton

The seventies comedy series Fawlty Towers , written by John Cleese and Connie Booth, remains one of the most enduring shows of all time. While some now frown on some of the content as being politically incorrect, it is impossible to see the antics of Basil Fawlty, his wife Sybil, and his staff as anything other than stunningly clever TV comedy of the highest standard. So, when news broke that Cleese was adapting three of his most famous episodes for the stage, there was a mix of naysayers predicting failure and jubilators ready for success. As the show now rolls into Royal & Derngate as part of an extensive tour following a hugely successful London run, the naysayers have gone quiet, and the audiences are packed. For those unfamiliar with the show,  Fawlty Towers  featured inept hotel manager Basil Fawlty battling everything from corpses and rats to Germans in his campaign to create the very best hotel, despite his constant annoyance with humanity, including the guests....

Review of 2:22 A Ghost Story at Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton

2:22 A Ghost Story continues an endless rise and run of success on the stage. This play by Danny Robins was first staged as recently as August 2021 at the Noel Coward Theatre and since then the show continued to run in London for two years, moving to four further London theatres, before eventually closing in the city to embark on this tour, which began in September last year. During these runs, the cast has constantly been updated with often populist actors, and some, which are not even associated with acting. As this reaches Royal & Derngate, now even the touring cast has been swept clean and four further performers take on the incredible success of a show. This is the second time I have seen 2:22 A Ghost Story , and it is safe to say that on that first viewing, with the previous tour cast, I was not as blown away by the play as the success seemed to warrant. The aforementioned populist casting seemed to have driven a so-so ghostly tale into success beyond its quality, and with th...