Faustus: That Damned Woman
Faustus: That Damned Woman is brought to the stage with energetic spirit by Headlong, in a production directed by Caroline Byrne. By making Faustus a woman, Bush’s rewriting raises angry questions about women’s...
Cyrano
Paris, in the second half of the 17th century. Enter nuns, singing hymns of repressed lust under an autumnal apple tree. An overlarge moon is shining in the background. The scene is set for this Bristol Old Vic...
Pride and Prejudice (Sort Of)
Can one really review any adaptation of Pride and Prejudice without some kind of variation on truths universally acknowledged? Probably, so I decided to use all of them in here so no one else has to.
It is a...
Roberto Devereux
The works of Donizetti are loved by some for the opportunities they provide for great singers to display their wares. In the bel canto world he dominated for a while, his arias for doomed heroines and forsaken ...
Richard III
Served by a sumptuous cast and set, John Haidar’s production of Richard III brings an instant classic quality to Shakespeare’s blood-drenched conclusion to the War of the Roses.
This production neatly reshap...
Wise Children
After premiering in London to enthusiastic reviews, Emma Rice’s latest production Wise Children has just begun the first stretch of its UK tour, in which Bristol doubtless holds a central part. The play is the ...
La Cenerentola
Welsh National Opera has taken two of their productions to the Hippodrome in Bristol, a brave venture given the limitations of the venue, the most serious of which is the lack of an orchestra pit. Despite the d...
Twelfth Night
Asked to sum up Twelfth Night in three words, director Wils Wilson said “CHARATER CHARACTER CHARACTER”. This does not go unnoticed when watching her take on the 17th-century comedy, co-produced by the Bristol O...
Henry V
Often overlooked amongst Shakespeare’s works, this production brings attention to the rich play of Henry V. The dazzling cast produce a captivating performance of the history play than can be followed by both t...