Theatre

Staging the radio play: The audio-visual world of ‘Under Milk Wood’

“Love the words!”That was the crisp command from Dylan Thomas, the 20th-century Welsh poet, to the cast of his radio play Under Milk Wood, just before a rehearsal in...

Theatre Rhys Ponsford -

‘The Little Clay Cart’ brings Sanskrit back to life

As students left Oxford on the last weekend of Hilary, I visited St John’s...

Theatre Faye Chang -

40 years after the miners’ strike, James Graham’s ‘This House’ still has a lot to offer

‘Humphrey: ‘If the right people don’t have power, do you know what happens? The...

Theatre Thomas Armstrong -

Persuading the public: The play as propaganda

The play as propaganda has a long history. From the regime-affirming productions of Hieron,...

Theatre Nancy Gittus -

Latest

Review: Songs of the Silenced // Musketeer Productions

In the maelstrom of reinterpretations of misunderstood Homeric women and Greek tragedy revivals, the show’s lyrics stand out for consistently centring the core themes and questions asked by the ancient texts themselves.

‘To help us survive’: On Stephen Sondheim

'I didn’t know how to articulate this at the time, but watching West Side Story I encountered for the first time a quality I’ve come to look for in great musical theatre: the distillation of complex emotion into song in a rounded yet deceptively simple manner. Here was a prime example of showtunes’ unique ability to bring human feeling to a higher plane.'

‘Truly perceptive’ – Review: The Effect

"[...] it is these painfully truthful human relationships that elevate it from an evocatively written commentary on medical ethics to a truly perceptive piece of art."

Review: 2nd May 1997 // Love Song Productions

2nd May 1997 manages to use a pivotal moment in political history to explore three very different relationships and the difficulties they face. It is performed with grace and humour, using the political events as a mirror that reflects the difficulties of each pair’s situation.

“These are full humans that we have to take in”: An Interview with the Cast of Quartet

I wrote Quartet over a year and a half ago in early 2020, sitting down for an hour every morning to chip away at it as my way of getting through a term in lockdown. Having handed over my script to the trusted hands of Alex Foster (director) and our stunning actors, I was itching to find out how Quartet has developed.

Review: The Last 5 Years // Eglesfield Music Society

As a show with only two characters, the use of four actors in this production was truly innovative. It was able to showcase their talent in the best possible way, highlighting the actors’ strengths while elevating the characters to a level above how they have been traditionally interpreted on stage.

Preview: The Last 5 Years // Eglesfield Music Society

It is a poignant exploration of how couples in failing marriages perpetually struggle to see eye to eye and are so often operating, portrayed quite literally here, on differing temporal planes.

Persephone review: ‘Created with love and dedication’

suspense, tackling intense themes of mental illness, sexual violence, and survival that may be difficult for audiences to process. Though the scenes do not explicitly depict such situations, it is a credit to the performances by the cast and crew that the effect of these moments linger long after you leave the Playhouse.

The Classics on Stage

When I think of stage classics, productions like Les Miserables, The Lion King, and Wicked come to mind. These are all shows which hold...

Summer Stage Round-Up

'It is lovely to see theatre reset after so long, but it is inspiring to see it revive and attempt to do better.'

The composition of a narrator: Ralph Fiennes’ performance of T. S. Eliot’s poetic voice

'Our narrator’s tone of voice sways between the revelatory and the didactic, the divine and the desperate, so that our first job is to work out whether we are watching a man or a god.'

Review: V-Card by Alison Hall // Blue Moon Theatre

'The university-set dating satire provides a perfect balance of authenticity, heart and nuanced observations on student sexuality.'

Review: “Smart Casual” // GOYA Theatre

'For a student work the topics discussed are close to home. It’s why the promise of a grounded and tender depiction of undeniably important years works so well. The piece made me feel like that time could be a bit more real, and so a bit more manageable.'

Review: “Lost Connection” by Felix Westcott // Jazz Hands Productions

"Lost Connection, as a production, effectively memorialises the issues and troubles that lockdown caused all of us, whether in the world of performance or not."

Review: “Black Lives Playlist: Track 2” by Sam Spencer

'Spencer’s script never tries to be overly clever or conceptual, instead relying on its innately heartfelt character development and engaging humour.'

Review: “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde//Trinity Players.

"It’s the sort of production that would make even the most timid want to get involved in Oxford drama – and that’s in earnest." Hari Bravery reviews the Trinity Players' recent production of Oscar Wilde's classic farce, 'The Importance of Being Earnest.'

Live in the Opera House: A Review of 21st-Century Choreography

"I didn’t sit back and enjoy the show. And I ended up with a lot more opinions than I had ever expected four pieces of 21st-century choreography to evoke." Patrick Gwillim Thomas discusses the Royal Opera House's newest choreography project.

Review: “Half Baked” by Nina Jurković @ North Wall Arts Centre/00Productions

"'Half Baked' passes the Bechdel test with flying colours. It is truly a feminist triumph and is so refreshing to see an all-female cast on an Oxford stage—something of a rarity, especially in the genre of farce." James Newbery reviews the first live post-Lockdown show in Oxford, "Half Baked" by 00Productions at the North Wall Arts Centre.

Review: “The Arnolfini Portrait” by Tamsyn Chandler

"The Arnolfini Portrait was an intricate, sophisticated project with a controlled yet bold execution. Every element of sound was carefully considered, and I took great satisfaction in being guided along Jean’s journey through the various mediums of sound." Beth Ranasinghe reviews the audio production of "The Arnolfini Portrait" by The Industry Magazine Podcast.

Review: These Quicker Elements by George Rushton

"The lack of interaction prescribed by the online format forbids conversation between Lana and her audience, a blockage that’s mirrored by the cited words’ failure to offer clarity on Lana’s lost life events". Eleanor Zhang reviews the online production of These Quicker Elements.

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Theatre

Staging the radio play: The audio-visual world of ‘Under Milk Wood’

‘The Little Clay Cart’ brings Sanskrit back to life

40 years after the miners’ strike, James Graham’s ‘This House’ still has a lot to offer

Persuading the public: The play as propaganda

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