Etcetera Theatre

03-12-2007
barbara abbott

Six Wives of Timothy Leary - November 2007Whole production was very impressive and held our attention from beginning to end. Great performances by the six wives and excellent script. Highly recommend seeing this.

16-11-2007
Gilly Lotsworth

Gospel - Nov 2007A lot of research had obviously gone into the several plays that made up this piece. The details however were slipped in virtually un-noticeably. One such example appeared in Jeremy Kingston's play about St Jerome's insistent refusal to believe that the mother of Jesus is not a Virgin, regardless of being presented with irrefutable proof). The opening line casually mentioned a translation of the Bible into Latin was to be finished by ad400, and automatically the audience knew where and when they were supposed to be.This meant in Carl Palmer's piece "A Right Wrong One", where specifics weren't given -were we supposed to be in a Crypt, a church, a Quaker House?- we just sit bemused by the violence. No details to worry about further than a Priest has upset a parishioner who he has not met previously, and instantly we go into an exploration of religious backgrounds, a test of faith, and a glimpse at the ultimate loneliness which maybe the company is telling us is why people turn to religion in the first place.Certainly, other plays (such as The Gospel According To Miriam) also back up the ideas that the ideas in religions, specifically Christianity have been "sexed up" over the years. This one also backs up the idea that Mary was no Virgin when Christ came to be conceived, and also refers to Jesse, our Saviour's stepbrother, of whom very little has been written.Joe Lombardelli, incidentally, who appeared as the hapless reporter in the aforementioned "Miriam" piece strikes just the right note between politely interested, and desperate to hear a better story from his unwilling interviewee.The rest of the cast certainly had their moments also. Clare Routh as Paula in "Jerome and The Virgin", perhaps could have been more commanding, but she was definitely watchable in "Matthew Mark Luke and Dave" as the putupon widow of St Matthew -I presume- trying to write "Mattie's" account of Jesus life.Lauren Shein commanded attention whenever onstage, gradually losing devoutness and belief as the plays progressed; Jon Roberts completing the foursome was the comic relief, although in Anna Jordan's mesmeric "Hands", he suddenly came across as a shockingly deluded wife-beater who by admitting his sins feels God would welcome him continuing his random acts of violence so long as he doesn't cease atoning.Hugh Allison's directing was practically faultless, although a couple of the pieces felt slightly rushed. As a whole the piece is very intelligent, slightly shocking, and an interesting perspective on the origins of the first four books of the New Testament

06-05-2007
jason

I was overwhelmed by the standard of this production, on a trip to london I ended up in Camden Town. The pub we were in had a show on upstairs, so we figured what the heck. It was like watching a newly born only fools and horses, the writing was sharp, the actng sensational and the feelgood factor tremondous. Every now and again you stumble upon something that is truly remarkable, this was one of those times. This was a very funny show that I would recommend to anyone, I am pretty sure it will end up on our screens as a sit com soon. The characters were so clear, so different from each other and yet so perfect for each other. The story was a rollercoaster of a ride which kept you on the edge of your seat, and was one of the best pieces of theatre I have seen in a long time...

30-10-2006
rory thomas

Frozen - Oct 06I went to see if Friday and it was amazing. It's a two hander set in a bedsit, and I didn't think it'd hold me, but right from the start it sets up different mysteries. You really have to pay attention to start to work everything out. The female lead Josephine Hart is amazing, and gets great supoort from Jack Bowman. Very much an adults only piece though, and runs at 45 minutes, which is just right...!Highly recommend.

10-09-2006
sophie o''mara

Second class parents - Sept 06What a brilliant production, looking into a very current topic. All the cast were excellent, although the two members who stood out for me were Paul Ferguson (who co-wrote) and James Witt who portrayed the great emotions of a Father fighting for justice. Think the play would make a great TV Drama keeping the above stars.