Showing posts with label Edward Hall. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Edward Hall. Show all posts

Sunday, 17 October 2010

Enlightenment: Hampstead Theatre

I hesitated before I wrote my review of Enlightenment.

It's consumable, not over intellectual but actually pretty provocative and thoughful - combining shocking with watchable.

The staging is very sharp and clever - minimal, clean, simple and yet feel innovative and modern.

Crucially the play is set in a landscape that feels believable and I found myself reflecting on people I knew who could be in similar situations, as parents, as travellers, as troubled young people drifting in a wider world.

Should you go and see it: the answer has to be yes, as Edward Hall's first outing it works, but also the acting from Tom Weston-Jones and Julie Graham is incredibly compelling. Emotional. Intimate. The way in which you are drawn into the story is very compelling and the cold clarity of the set provides a great back-drop.

For my own part I found the extent to which the end was unknown pretty strong - the imagery was very clever (a simple bed sheet for goodness sakes), but it took a series of difficult family realities and brought them home... I suspect some real recognitions are laced throughout for most individuals, couples and families who go and see it.

Monday, 11 October 2010

There's no good excuse really... Enlightenment

The West End is dead expensive in relative terms
There's no parking in the west end
The Northern Line is pretty grim

In contrast fans and officianado's of Hampstead Theatre will tell you about the great value, the ease of access and the Met and Jubilee Lines... and that's before you have seen any performance.

Enlightenment has had great reviews and being directed by Edward Hall that's not really a huge surprise.

I for one will be there tonight, a good and trusted friend was there last week and raved on the phone about it over the weekend - it's the place to be it would seem.

Now I may be a bit slow but I cannna deny I'm a touch impressed with having Youtube previews and clips of the show - I'd not noticed it before but it works for me...