[meerkat]

The Wintershall Estate, in the heart of stunning Surrey countryside is the home of the theatrical productions of The Life of Christ, The Acts of the Apostles and The Wintershall Nativity play.

This week the Acts of the Apostles is being performed, in which one of my friends is acting- hence the plug- here is an extract from the Wintershall estate website..................................
........"This is the joyous and moving play about the dedication of the early apostles and how they devoted their lives to spreading the word of Jesus across the world. They were the men who have given us Christianity.

Staged in the barn at Wintershall, The Acts of the Apostles lasts 2¼ hours. The next performances of The Acts of the Apostles will be Thursday 15th October at 7.30, Friday 16th October at 7.30 and Saturday 17th at 2.30 p.m. and 7.30 p.m. 2009.

Remember to bring warm clothing and appropriate footwear, as the car park is a five-minute walk."..........................

[meerkat]

Really enjoyed this last night. It was dramatised and directed by Ashley Herman who I believe has produced many West End shows, is the director of Encore and is the Chairman of GSA- well the show was as impressive as his CV
The performance space is limited in such a small barn but he used it creatively. The co director was James Burke-Dunsmore who also played the Apostle Peter.
The excitement begins after you park your car in a floodlit field and either walk up a hill or bravely ride in the golf caddy with delusions of grandeur as a shuttle cart. The entrance to the barn is like going into a rural version of The Globe. Like The Globe it is a good idea to take cushions , blanket and warm clothes. The owner of Wintershall Estate gave a short introduction then let the narrator take over . This was Luke; ( played brilliantly by Ashley Herman himself) the author of the third Gospel and of Acts- on which the play was based. The play recounts the trials and sufferings of Jesus apostles as they went out spreading the words and teachings of Jesus, converting people to Christianity.
The actors that stood out for me were Adrian Hoff as Saul/ Paul who was uncannily like Alan Rickman, James Burke Dunsmore ( Peter)Ashley Herman ( Luke);Brian Worthington( Caiphas) and Tim Hendy ( Simon the Tannner)
The costumes were colurful but I couldnt take the angel seriously I am afraid- the wings were just too cliched and comical for my liking and broke the mood.
In Forbidden Broadway- they used grey towels to make the elephant costume which made the sketch even more hilarious- I felt the angel costume was unintentionally funny in this case. (imho)
As I said before the barn limits the staging that can take place but the sound effects, music and lighting created the right atmosphere. I felt it could have done with being a bit shorter in length- but this was more to the fact of the benches being uncomfortable than the quality of the play. I felt just the same with Romeo and Juliet at The Globe.
The most memorable scene was the thunderstorm and shipwreck on Malta in the final scene which got applause deservedly.
Well done to all the cast and crew and production team etc for a memorable unique theatrical experience.