3 replies to this topic

[Parsley]

Well worth a look in.

Astounding that it was written in 1924.

Very well acted and blisteringly relevant 100 years on.

Audible gasps from the audience at several key moments and excellent expose of relationships and the role of women.

I arrived a little late and I had to laugh when I saw the matinee audience at this theatre.....all seated 20 minutes before the play started!

I think the Orange Tree are excellent at rediscovering these neglected plays. My only criticism would be that the staging is a bit tatty.

I know they are limited in the round but the ticket prices are not that cheap and I would expect a bit more professionalism.

I do not expect automation and special effects but on more than one occasion I have thought the same thing at this theatre.

[Backdrifter]

Equally, on previous visits I've thought the opposite, and admired some creative and ambitious staging for a small in-the-round theatre.

I keep intending to see something there soon as, after years of being a regular, I've drifted away from it in recent years. Perhaps this is the one to reacquaint myself.

They have a very high strike rate for me; the percentage of hits is far greater than that of misses. I agree, their stock in trade is resurrecting forgotten plays and long-overlooked authors and they're very good at it.

Plus, you get the chance to sample the delicious fabada asturiana at Don Fernando's beforehand.

[Parsley]

Yes I would try if there are any tickets left as it finishes this week.

I agree that it is  wonderfully intimate and quaint but I think the standards can fall slightly short of what I am used to at other fringe venues where I pay a similar price.

[Epicoene]

Parsley, on 02 March 2013 - 10:07 PM, said:

My only criticism would be that the staging is a bit tatty.

There is something in that criticism. On occasion I have even wondered if it has been deliberate. It is little better than amateur dramatic standard whereas the direction and acting are well above that. Thinking about it I'd say they compare unfavourably to the Finborough, for example, which is a similar venue.