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Showing posts with the label Robert Innes Hopkins

Review of The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas at Royal & Derngate (Royal), Northampton

With the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and all the other camps of the Second World War barely a month ago. The tale of a young boy meeting and befriending a young Jewish boy being held in one such camp is as relevant as could be. Not that this tale should never not be relevant, because as it the play confirms itself, it should always be held up as a warning to prevent such a terrible event happening again. The play adapted by Angus Jackson from the book by John Boyne and is presented as a "fable", and this is perhaps the only clumsy element of the production. Little is served by purporting it as this and the second ending to wrap up the "fable" feels an unnecessary element, whereas the more powerful ending would have had greater impact on the departing audience. The structure is very episodic, even including titles for these episodes projected upon the large ominous wall at the back of the stage. This structure is not a bad thing however as it ke...

Review of Speed The Plow at The Playhouse Theatre, London

Ever since the announcement of Speed The Plow and its stage débutante star and wild child Lindsay Lohan, the internet and press were as wild as her with comments about the likely disaster than the production was to become. I saw comments ranging from her not knowing lines, to her walking away from the show and the comment that her understudy was likely to perform more than her. I have no interest in naysayers generally and would rather form an opinion myself really and have not kept tabs on her commenter's much since the début. However a whole paragraph on Miss Lohan from me is ironic really as I didn't attend Speed The Plow to see her as I was here for the opportunity to see Richard Schiff on stage. The West Wing is probably my favourite TV series and I was never going to miss a chance to see Toby Ziegler in action live. He is not a disappointment for me and issues forth David Mamet's wordy script in all the fast paced manner I am familiar with from the aforementioned te...