Skip to main content

Review of The Gut Girls by University of Northampton BA Actors at Royal & Derngate (Royal), Northampton

After over two years away from seeing the BA Actors of the University of Northampton on stage, it was a delight to be back to see the final year students in their two performances on the Royal stage at Royal & Derngate.

The first of the two plays I got to see was The Gut Girls by Sarah Daniels, and I genuinely wish that after that gap in attendance I had a much better show to return with. During The Gut Girls, I continued to hope that more of a spark would appear on stage. Sadly, after over two and a half hours, that spark struggled to show.

Ro Kelly
Even now as I write this review, I can’t quite put my finger on why that spark isn’t there, whether it is the play itself from Daniels (unlikely, as it is a well-regarded play), or whether the cast for whatever reason did not jell and enthuse over the material. What occurred however was something that felt a little under-rehearsed even if maybe in reality it wasn’t. Either way, the scenes did not flow, there wasn’t a constant move of dialogue that you would expect in conversation with these work colleagues.

The play itself tells the story of a group of female workers in Deptford Foreign Cattle Market and their camaraderie over long hours and a hard-working environment. Added to the mix is Lady Helena, who, through her setting up of a group, hopes to better the prospects and social abilities of those workers.

Lauren Akkaker-Toms
The Gut Girls, while in a very different setting, reminded me often of another University show of a previous year, Blue Stockings, in its telling, very much of a female perspective and the issues they suffered. As a performance though it was a significantly lesser quality affair.

There was, despite all my negatives, much to like. I really enjoyed Ro Kelly as the jocular Polly, her winning style brightening the stage whenever present. Also, Lauren Akkaker-Toms was an excellent, spirited Kate, who performed the progression of her character nicely, from being one of the girls, and to someone who doesn’t wish to be seen with them. Also enjoyable was Aaron Mackenzie in his quartet of characters and was clearly having a lot of fun performing them which translated to the audience.

Aaron Mackenzie
Elsewhere, I just felt many of the roles were not as confidently performed and many were simply performed in such a stereotypical way, to make depth and feeling for the characters' plights worthless.

Sure, this is all extremely tough reviewing, and I really hate having to do so, and actually, to give some leverage, I know that this year group, graduating this year, has been the most challenged with training, study, and of course, the chance to shine in front of an audience because of covid. For that, this is an incredible shame.

However, I can only comment on what I see, and sadly, as a performance, The Gut Girls was lacking in the style, sharpness and brilliance of BA Actors shows of the past.

Missing the sharpness of old, despite a few strong performances.

Performance reviewed: Thursday 12th May 2022 at the Royal & Derngate (Royal), Northampton.
The Gut Girls ran at Royal & Derngate until Saturday 14th May 2022.

The Gut Girls was presented by final year actors at the University of Northampton

Popular posts from this blog

Review of & Juliet at Milton Keynes Theatre

First performed in 2019, & Juliet has become quite a global success, and now, as part of a UK Tour, it has arrived at Milton Keynes Theatre for a two-week run. Featuring a book by David West Read, it tells the what-if story of the survival of Juliet at the end of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet . Primarily a jukebox musical, it more specifically features the works of Swedish songwriter Max Martin (and friends, as the credits describe). The question is, does & Juliet provide more than the standard of many a jukebox musical before it, and does it honour the tragic tale from which it has sprung? Our story opens with William Shakespeare presenting his latest work, Romeo & Juliet , for the first time. However, when his wife, Anne Hathaway, learns how he intends the tale to end, she is away with his quill and planning on her reworking of the story. At the core of this touring production's success is Geraldine Sacdalan's powerhouse performance as Juliet. Her Juliet ...

Review of Northern Ballet - The Great Gatsby at Milton Keynes Theatre

This production of The Great Gatsby performed by Northern Ballet was my fifth encounter at the theatre of a full ballet production and as before, I happily share my review of the show with nearly zero knowledge of-the-art form and more of a casual theatre-goer. You could say that this is a poor direction to come in on a review, but I would say that casual audience are the ones to review this for. Over the years, Northern Ballet has set quite a high benchmark for ballet productions, and any audience member who is worth their salt as a ballet fan would no doubt have tickets for this new touring version of the 2013 version of The Great Gatsby , lovingly created by David Nixon OBE. So much is Nixon part of the very fabric of this show, that he not only provides the choreography and direction but also the initial scenario and costume design (assisted by Julie Anderson). So, discounting those ballet fans already sitting in the audience, what does this offer for the more casual theatre-goer ...

Review of Ghost Stories at Milton Keynes Theatre

Written by Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman, the play Ghost Stories has had great success since its first staging in 2010, with runs in the West End and a previous UK tour in 2020 and overseas. So, it is no surprise that a further tour has launched for 2025, reaching Milton Keynes Theatre this week. The pedigree for the show is also strong, written by Dyson, the unseen part of the legendary The League of Gentleman team, and Nyman, a man of many talents and perhaps most relevant for this show, as a long collaborator with magician Derren Brown. Stagecraft ideas for his work provide many tricks in this stage show. Without any spoilers, the story sees a sceptical Professor Goodman out to debunk the paranormal and using three apparent hauntings – as recounted by a night watchman, a teenage boy, and a businessman awaiting his first child as his basis for a lecture. However, has Goodman finally met something he can not discredit? Running as a speedy one-act 90-minute production, any tension the...