Ordinary Days | New Worlds Stage
I was completely drawn to the performance throughout. I have to admit it was difficult for me to write notes during the performance, as I did not want to take my eyes off away for just one moment. ‘I’ll be here’ by Claire was one of the most touching scenes for me and I couldn’t help but teared up in the end. There were also many funny moments, particularly ‘Dear Professor’., which kept the audience laughing.
The Father | PIP Theatre
Tony Nixon’s on stage persona as Andre is flawless - he realistically embodies the role of a person with dementia who is convincing in his struggles to understand the rapid decline of his mind and wellbeing. His physical stance, range of facial expressions, rare lucent moments versus ever increasing memory loss coupled with uncontrollable nervous tics signify the transformational changes and damage of dementia.
An Ideal Husband | Lewis Treston & La Boite Theatre
An Ideal Husband provides a grim insight into how a lot of the peril we encounter currently – climate change, corruption, rampant racism, homophobia, and xenophobia – could have been prevented had a few more people stuck to their principles and didn’t give-in to corporate greed or a lust for power. All while managing to be the most joyous experience I’ve had in a theatre in a long time. Deeply hilarious. Wild(e)ly entertaining.
Maze | The Naughty Corner Collective
The actors used neon tube lighting to move around the space, giving shape to the maze and blocking Wray’s path as he approached dead ends. This was a very effective use of the small stage. Further, it made the labyrinth feel alive, almost like a character itself, with the lighting being the blood pumping through the veins of the tunnels.
Elektra/Orestes | The Hive Collective
To me, Elektra/Orestes highlighted complex family relations, and in particular fraught mother-daughter relations. After all, Sophocles’ Electra inspired Carl Jung’s Electra complex, a psychoanalytical term to describe a girl’s attachment to the mother marked by a sense of competition over the father’s love and attention. The play also made me reflect on the dangers of self-righteousness and the malaise caused by the inability to put oneself in the shoes of others.