As Christmas (or Oxmas) rolls around there are certain things that begin to appear in Britain: festoons of decorative foliage, stormy weather and, of course, panto. While Starkid’s Twisted is arguably a musical not a pantomime, it was undeniable that this show was an end of term bundle of fun.
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Man is Liable to Error
With every production there is an element that stands out, a motif that characterises the play in your mind. For Faust this was undeniably the use of lighting.
I Don’t Believe It
If Clarendon Productions’ Amadeus is a story about raising Gods and ghosts there is no denying that they would have been appeased by such a display of energy and creativity. So much of the director’s personality shines through, which is a sign of quite how excellently his vision was realised.
Quite Literally Standing on History Right Now
From the moment that people saw that This is How we Walk on the Moon would be immersive, there was speculation about what this would entail and how it would be pulled off. The space was transformed, the creative team having considered the ways that immersive theatre could be used on a small scale.
People Who are Lonely
Angels in America is a play about lonely people grasping for connection across the parallel lines of their different lives. The rendition that has been playing at The Oxford Playhouse this week was moving, graceful and beautifully handled.
This is the Poison of Deep Grief
Every Oxford Drama show has a unique reputation, for some it is excellence and for others it is the purely chaotic nature of the production. In the case of the O'Reilly Hamlet this week, it was the loss of Yorick’s skull on opening night that made this the most discussed show of term.
A Snapshot of the North
Turn in a slow circle, taking in the history that surrounds you, a timeline captured on stone beneath the watchful eyes of the owls. Between snaking wild flowers, attracting the love of insects, lies the story of the north. Meticulous in its panelling, we see the Romans, Bede and Armstrong
Empty Chairs at Empty Tables
The vision of the director is filtered through a hundred hands and in the case of Les Mis there are many more than we may at first consider. Victor Hugo's book went through a French iteration before it reached Cameron Mackintosh's hands and became the phenomenon that we are now familiar with.
In My Reviewer Era
It has been a term of comp tickets and 2am essay submissions, a term of sudden realisation that I had a Finals paper to do and very little time to prepare. Yet, it has also been the term where I have turned twenty one and had the sudden realisation that adulthood is coming up fast to greet me as most of my peers from school graduate.
He’s the One Who Keeps me Sane
In a world where diversity is encouraged and yet somehow never quite achieved, it is a blissful breath of fresh air when a team are able to create something that represents everything that they have been fighting for. Pelican Productions' Xiao is an example of such a project.
Wild Rose and Pearls 