I do enjoy a good Jacobean tragedy, so it was a delight not only to catch a rare performance of John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi at the Oxford Playhouse last week but also to discover that this student production was one of the highest order. And the director did not hesitate to lop almost an hour off the action, without any loss of credibility.
Tim Supple's much acclaimed multi-lingual production of A Midsummer Night's Dream (at the Oxford Playhouse until tomorrow) has taken on a life of its own. Following success in Delhi, at Stratford and in London's Roundhouse, it is now on national tour, and if the sell-out in Oxford is anything to go by, it will attract many thousands of new admirers.
A small group of stalwarts in a corner of Trinity College gardens braved rain, cold and some equally committed midges to support the Oxford Theatre Guild on the opening night of Sheridan's The Rivals on Tuesday. And, despite the conditions, it was a great show, with accomplished and witty performances by the lead characters, and Alistair Nunn outstanding as the hero Jack Absolute.
After a slightly disappointing production of The Jungle Book last year, the Watermill Theatre is back on form with a new show for Christmas, The Snow Queen, which runs until January 6. Just one word of warning: this is not really entertainment for the very youngest children, as the Watermill productions once were. There are just a couple of pretty scary moments, which could be upsetting for the under-fives, and some of the story-telling is a bit erudite.
Remember the poll tax, the miners' strike and the loony left? And the addition to the English language of the splendid verb to handbag'? The all-female Foursight Theatre's sparkling production of Thatcher the Musical! (Oxford Playhouse until tomorrow) brings it all back in such excruciatingly familiar detail that it soon feels like Margaret Hilda never really left us.
Edward Bond's 1981 play Restoration is at the Oxford Playhouse until tomorrow in a new production by the Headlong Theatre Company, which was previously known as the Oxford Stage Company. Like much of Bond's work, it is a dark piece of writing. It ridicules the English aristocracy of the 17th century, chiefly through the figure of the foppish Lord Are (Mark Lockyer), while starkly depicting their indifference and even outright cruelty to the working-class folk who depend on them for a living. But since there is little in those workers to arouse our sympathy either, the social picture appears bleak indeed.
The Live Nation Stage Experience assembled what seemed like a cast of thousands to present Lionel Bart's Oliver! at the New Theatre last weekend. This was a splendid achievement for youth theatre in general and for Live Nation in particular. The leading roles were taken by young actors, almost all in their teens, who draw on skills and experience beyond their years. They were supported by several hundred younger singers and dancers, together with a dog called Gucci (who was endowed with a particularly expressive tail) in the role of Bill Sykes's Bullseye.
