UrbanObserver

Saturday, January 25, 2025

Theatre

Exploring ‘Into the Woods’

Last week, I sat down with Luke Nixon, Lydia Free, and Isobel Connolly, the directorial force of a new ‘vivid and visionary’ production of Sondheim’s timeless classic Into the...

Review: Moth – ‘An unabashed, piercing piece of theatre’  

An acute attention to detail marks Moth as a standout in the world of student theatre.

Review: Endgame – ‘Nothing is funnier than unhappiness’

The play invites us to laugh at our powerlessness in the face of an apocalyptic fate.

Review: NUTS – ‘a harrowing portrait of deceit and desire’

NUTS works in its ability to keep the audience on edge, waiting for the delicately thin emotional facades the characters have built to come crashing down. 

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.

‘Blink’ and You’ll Miss It

"'A kind of circus act between two people, of juggling all these emotions and arguments and sentiments’....The play is defined by that same sense of quirkiness, instability and fascination. I’d watch Blink over a tightrope act any day." Katie Kirkpatrick previews Frangipane Productions' latest play, 'Blink'

Review: “Orestes”//Oxford Greek Play @ the Oxford Playhouse

"The intense and nuanced performances, the queasy mix of fear and fury palpable with a small glimmer of hope, made Oxford’s Orestes a very capturing play." Marietta Kosma reviews The Oxford Greek Play's production of Euripides' tragedy "Orestes".

Preview: “These Quicker Elements” by George Rushton

"These Quicker Elements is a remarkably polished piece of student drama. The acting is captivating throughout, managing to make a very simple set-up consistently captivating, and the script strategically reveals little gems of narrative information throughout its twists and turns while also speaking to bigger questions of memory, self-perception, and relationship dynamics." Ahead of its performance on Friday, 7th May, Katie Kirkpatrick previews "These Quicker Elements" by George Rushton.

Review: Oxford Mind Comedy Gala

"There were two questions heading into the night: how much money could the crowd raise, and how well have the comedians adapted their acts to fit the online format? Both questions were answered emphatically, as the audience raised over £3000." Noah Cohen-Greenberg and Owen Foster review the Zoom comedy fundraiser, Oxford Mind Comedy Gala

Black Lives Playlist: Track One Preview

"Adapting to online technology was a necessity but I also felt that recent events provided a long-due kick in the backside to get narratives about Black experiences into the Oxford drama scene. Sure, we have ‘inclusive casting’, but this inclusivity isn’t currently extending into the voices being produced as far as it should." James Newbery interviews Sam Spencer about his upcoming project.

Review: ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ – A Portrait of Theatre in the Digital Age?

"Like the portrait tapping into the existence of its sitter in the original Wilde story, so is this year’s Dorian sucked into his online ego." Eleanor Zhang discusses the virtual production of Oscar Wilde’s enduring story of vanity, desire and self-deception.

‘That’s So Fetch’: Teen Movie Musicals

"Musicals centred around teenagers are destined to become ‘cult’ shows: their audience is intrinsically niche, and, due to their youth, unlikely to be able to sustain commercially and critically successful runs, leading these shows to fan-centric cult status." Katie Kirkpatrick analyses how teen films are journeying from Hollywood to Broadway and the West End.

Checkmate or blunder? Adapting “The Queen’s Gambit” for the musical stage

"To adapt such a complex series into a musical would be to severely undermine the weight of each of these topics and in turn, the production would do no justice to the character of Beth Harmon and the communities she represents." Beth Ranasinghe considers the obstacles in the path of adapting the hit Netflix show for the musical stage.

The Role of a Lifetime? It’s Never Too Late

While actors profit from an ability to be malleable, it is often the case that they are stuck playing the roles they are ‘right...

Review: Romeo and Juliet at the National Theatre

"Why stage Romeo and Juliet a year into a global pandemic? Godwin’s primary response to the pandemic appears to be the focus on touch in the production: it reminds us of the power of human contact, and the depth of feeling that can only be experienced in person." Katie Kirkpatrick reviews the new National Theatre production of Shakespeare's classic tragedy, Romeo and Juliet.

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