Reviews

Maskers Theatre Company    Townhill Park House, The Gregg School, Southampton Anne Waggott 18 July  2023 “Jane Eyre, raised in poverty and neglect, but sharp-witted and thirsty for knowledge, fights to make a better life for herself. Love is unexpected.” Theatre experiences (and reviews!) are always subjective to a degree; whether a production succeeds or fails can be as much down to audience taste as it is the performances and production elements themselves. As Jane Eyre is one of my favourite novels and I have seen many renditions of it, both on stage and screen – with a few that

Chesil Theatre    Grounds of Winchester College, Winchester Anne Waggott 11 July  2023   There can’t be many people who have never even heard of Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson’s enduring classic tale of pirate adventures on the high seas and their quest to find the late Captain Flint’s hidden golden treasure. Who hasn’t heard of Long John Silver?! So, if, like me, you have loved the story since childhood and have tickets for Chesil Theatre’s open-air production of Treasure Island, you probably think that you know exactly what to expect – but you may, in fact, be in for

Studio Theatre    Studio Theatre, Salisbury Anne Waggott 9 July  2023 It was my absolute pleasure to review Studio Theatre’s dress rehearsal of Robert Harling’s semi-biographical play, Steel Magnolias, made more famous through the 1989 film version of the same title. The original play focuses on the main female protagonists, with the men only referred to and present off-stage, thus making it a popular production for amateur dramatic groups and societies; there are often many more women than men amongst the available actors! In Steel Magnolias, six Southern women show their strength and resilience as they bond over the shampoo

SOS Presents    MAST Mayflower Studios, Southampton David A Putley  29 June  2023 When you’re sat in the theatre and just waiting to start… it’s a show that you love… know the score off by heart… tell yourself… how lucky you are… And this lively fully ensemble interpretation did not disappoint on any level, be it musically with a terrific orchestra in the talented hands of Martin Paterson and skilled direction by Sophie Barnard, combined with an all-age enthusiastic cast. They have both worked incredibly hard to create such an imaginative experience. Now a staple for Junior performers, this show

Bournemouth Little Theatre    Bournemouth Little Theatre, Bournemouth  John Sivewright   27 June  2023   For several years now, Bournemouth Little Theatre have offered, in addition to their yearly programme of six full length plays, a variety of Studio Productions. These are shorter pieces, typically presented with minimal staging and smaller casts, and take advantage of BLT’s intimate, 85-seat theatre. Judging by the strong standard of performances and the highly appreciative reaction of the first night audience, The Intervention is another winner for the BLT Studio Production division. This two-hander from Mike Bartlett is a hard-hitting and thought-provoking commentary on

Encore Theatre Productions     Forest Arts Centre, New Milton Philip & Julie McStraw  22 June  2023 Southbourne based theatre group Encore! Theatre Productions bring the swinging Sixties to New Milton’s Forest Arts Centre with their own ‘juke box’ musical Life on Carnaby Street.  Set to a backdrop of the iconic Carnaby Street with era defining popular songs, replete with brilliant dance routines, Life on Carnaby Street carries a strong story line which deals with some of the social issues of that time, which still have resonance today. The narrative follows the life of sixteen-year-old Doreen, aka ‘Dolly’, Sullivan, the daughter