A Small Mind At The Theatre

Rosanna Lowe's version of Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary was originally commissioned by Simon Godwin for the Northampton Royal Theatre, so it perhaps seems apt, that it returns to a stage of the same town, in this new wacky interpretation from Masque Theatre. Masque's publicity for the show, describes it as a "madcap tragedy", and for those more familiar with Flaubert's novel you shall perhaps be a little surprised by the anarchic version created here. This is tragedy played for full-on slapstick effect, and while at times it might seem overwhelming in its intensity, the ride we are taken on is a delight. Directed by Tamsyn Payne and Alex Rex and a team of talented creatives, Madame Bovary's props and design are every bit as important as the talented cast wielding them. For an amateur production, the attention to detail is nothing short of staggering. Gloriously created books filled with delights, puppet dogs and children, mini nuns, and little ba...

Once upon a time, there was a brave theatrical reviewer. He lived in a market town in deepest darkest  Englaland, where many great and remarkable things of stage did occur. At the centre of this wondrous world of performing spectacles was a place referred to by many as the Royal Derngatus, a place of people pretending to be other people and telling tales of mystery, intrigue and frolics. Within the fortressed walls of Royal Derngatus, there were a group of fearless players who entertained local folk for no reward, other than the thrill of seeing the joy in the faces of others. Those group of artists went by the name of Actors Companus, which many pronounced carefully when they did say it out loud. This group of merry men and women did have two forms, an early and a late, and but two days before this adventurous evening of forthcoming storytelling, the late group did perform for a third and final time a most amazing feat of theatre, going by the name of Great Expectation...

There is something quite special about Playhouse Creatures by April de Angelis currently being performed by Masque Theatre at The Playhouse Theatre. A colliding of a sparky, witty and often truly sad script, and an assembled cast of five, perhaps the consistently best I have seen from an amateur production in Northampton. Set around 1669 and telling the story of the first English actresses, Playhouse Creatures weaves a fictional tale around some very real-life and renowned characters including the most famous (mostly for other reasons), Nell Gwyn. It is a captivating little play, offering bold humour and painfully sad life events for the players. If there is perhaps one issue with April De Angelis' play is that for the first act at times it can be tricky to get a handle on its path. Many of the early scenes are formed through always entertaining, but very episodic scenes, through little snippets of performance of shows and character building. However while this seems disjoint...

Our Town by Thornton Wilder is a very different play from any other I have seen to date. It is also for me a very good play and its nice to know those Pulitzer Prize folk did as well, as they gave it the award for drama in 1938. The play centres around the inhabitants of an average New Hampshire town at the start of the 20th century. Their simple lives and indeed many of their untimely deaths. We are introduced to the play by the stage manager (Ian Spiby), who remains very much a character throughout the whole performance. He gives us a comprehensive tour of the town, pointing out various landmarks, shops and houses, as well as some scenery (I was thankful there were no questions after), and yes I am happy for some scenery. He introduces us to the residents one by one, starting with Mrs Gibbs (April Pardoe) and Mrs Webb (Beverley Webster). It is an inventive approach and makes for an absorbingly interesting play. The set is a very simple affair; a few chairs and a couple of tables ...