Aliya Al-Hassan - Page 78

It will come as no surprise to those who are familiar with the output of Richmond’s Orange Tree Theatre that Bernard Shaw is the first pick for what the theatre is calling their Recovery Season. Artistic Director Paul Miller has directed several Shaw plays here, most recently Candida in 2019. In this quick-witted revival of two of Shaw’s short plays, social expectations and marriage are skewered in typical Shavian style.

Mr Wickham is best known as the villain of Jane Austen’s iconic novel Pride and Prejudice; a dastardly rake who seduced Elizabeth’s impetuous younger sister Lydia and threatened to bring the whole family into disrepute. Adrian Lukis, who played Wickham in the seminal 1994 BBC series, now returns to the character in Being Mr Wickham, a highly engaging one-man play, streamed live from the country’s last Regency theatre, the Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds.

The Importance of Being Earnest is probably Oscar Wilde’s best-known play. Now over a century old, the satirisation of society’s desire for wealth and status holds true today. Now adapted by Yasmeen Khan, the story moves to the north of a modern-day, multi-cultural England where the cast is focused on social media, numbers of followers and Nando’s.

Following on from the Orange Tree’s successful debut into the world of theatrical streaming with Inside, comes Outside: a premiere of three plays from new and established artists. The concept of inside and outside has been questioned by everyone over the last year. For many, being outside represents freedom, space and air. For others, it represents uncertainty and a sense of not belonging.

Simon Godwin’s much-hyped version of Romeo & Juliet at the National Theatre was originally slated for summer 2020. Not to be outdone by the pandemic, a new version was filmed in just seventeen days on a closed set in the Lyttleton theatre and is now being broadcast on Sky Arts. Combining elements of both stage and screen, this is a unique and magical version of Shakespeare’s iconic play.

Over a year since the lights went out, the Orange Tree Theatre is now entering the realm of live streaming with a new concept: Inside/Outside. This showcase of six new plays is written by both emerging and established writers, who were asked to think about the mental and physical thresholds that we have all been forced to confront during this past year. Inspired by this, the results provide contrasting interpretations of this concept.

As it is now a year since theatres went dark, it seems appropriate for one of the country’s most eminent theatre companies to now produce one of the most innovative and inventive productions seen since the pandemic began. With a production that was due to open to live and online audiences in Spring 2020, Dream is possibly the RSC’s most unusual offering yet. Based on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the production is part theatre, part game, part virtual reality immersion.

Theatre reviews do not often start with a cardboard package, delivered late at night by a black lycra-clad bike courier. In modern parlance, a ‘thirst trap’ is an often sexually-charged photo, used on social media to entice a response, so I felt a level of trepidation when the box was opened to reveal multiple compartments containing a variety of items such as a thermometer, a candle and a sachet containing items for a post-show drink. Detailed instructions lead you to a QR code to stream the audio part of this immersive bathing experience.

Sharon and Barry have been married for years. They are in lockdown and getting bored. Having come across Sharon’s old school copy to Romeo and Juliet in the attic, they are inspired to help their nephew Alex study the play by acting it out themselves, having inadvertently invited various people to see it on Facebook.

Thoughtful, poignant and insightful, Ryan Calais Cameron’s play, Typical, debuted at the Edinburgh Fringe before transferring to the Soho Theatre in 2019. Shot there during the pandemic, this important and unsettling play is now streaming on Soho Theatre On Demand.

There is a particular snobbery surrounding musical theatre: critics say that in a moment of high drama, crisis or emotion, the most unrealistic thing to do would be to break into song. Musicals are too camp, annoying and definitely not cool. They appeal to the coach parties of tourists rocking up in Leicester Square every weekend (those were the days!). However, musicals are not representations of real life, nor do they pretend to be. A successful musical has a magical combination of highly memorable music, an engaging storyline, incredible choreography and visually impressive set and costume design. It’s not a coincidence that the best musical theatre performers are called a triple threat, as they act, sing and dance, often without any perceivable effort.

One of the few positives that has come out of the pandemic is that there has never been more opportunity to experience something new. Theatre, ballet and opera companies have quickly realised that their reach is now potentially world-wide and a new audience awaits online. For many, their introduction to Shakespeare came at school and this experience probably set up your opinion of his work until this day. You may have fallen in love with him, but often people’s memories are of dry, tedious and impenetrable text. Broadway World would like to try and change that with this beginner's guide.

Rehearsed via Zoom and recorded remotely, Shaun McKenna’s new adaptation of JM Barrie’s ephemeral story Peter Pan: The Audio Adventure shows that something truly wonderful can come out of lockdown. The story of the boy who never grew up and his adventures with the Darling children in Neverland may be best known for the 1953 Disney animated film adaptation, but this beautiful and ageless tale has endured since Peter Pan’s first literary appearance in 1902.

One of the few positives that has come out of the pandemic is that there has never been more opportunity to experience something new. Theatre, ballet and opera companies have quickly realised that their reach is now potentially worldwide and a new audience awaits online.

In the second part of 45North’s series of The You Play, The Haunted Woman is the latest intriguing audio offering by Rafaella Marcus. The ‘you’ in the title invites the audience to participate, to become involved and immersed in the eerie story as it develops. The result is an atmospheric and increasingly gripping fifty minutes that will disturb, alarm, but ultimately frustrate.

Christmas is often about tradition and Jack Thorne’s beautiful version of A Christmas Carol at London’s Old Vic has quickly established itself as a must-see theatrical tradition after only a few years. As part of the Old Vic’s In Camera series, established to bring socially distanced theatre to people despite the pandemic, the production is being screened live from the theatre to bring some much-needed festive cheer to the world.

For those lucky enough to be living under restrictions where you can still visit your local cinema, you can still catch one of the most festive theatrical events of the season; the Bolshoi Ballet’s The Nutcracker, which is screening in selected cinemas on December 20. Of all the many versions of this ballet, the Bolshoi’s is undoubtably one of the most traditional.

As theatre companies across the world struggle to survive this uniquely-challenging year, opera-ballet company Constella recognised both the isolation in care homes and artists’ own struggles to survive. In response, they launched the wonderful initiative ‘Connecting Stars’, which provides free, one-to-one virtual performances to care home residents.

The latest interview between acclaimed director Ian Rickson and members of the arts community has just dropped. Russell Brand has been a frequently controversial public figure; a comedian, presenter, actor and now a podcast host and advocate for awareness about mental health.

In the next episode of the podcast series What I Love, acclaimed director Ian Rickson meets international theatre producer Sonia Friedman, who chooses a favourite song, film and piece of writing to highlight what we are all in danger of losing. Friedman began in the theatre as a dresser, working as a stage manager and in an educational department before becoming a producer. After setting up her own company 20 years ago, she has produced nearly 200 shows, including Book of Mormon, Dreamgirls and Jerusalem.