David Mercatali’s production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf though long finds layer after layer in the lashings of marital discord.
‘Their richest show yet’: THE ODYSSEY – Touring ★★★★
In tackling Homer’s The Odyssey, Bristol favourites Living Spit, known for their anarchic, slapstick takes on history’s great and infamous figures, ascend to the next level of ambition.
‘A mighty fine piece of work’: MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING – Bristol ★★★★
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory’s Much Ado About Nothing hits a higher level of excellence again, producing a work that will appeals to both Bard newbies and connoisseurs.
‘A dynamite piece of theatre’: SWEET LIKE CHOCOLATE BOY – Touring
Sweet Like Chocolate Boy is a majestic cultural odyssey that melds genres, storytelling techniques and timelines into a high octane, often incredibly moving, very funny and sharply observed 120 minutes of theatre
‘A heady mix of theatre & performance art’: DRESSED. – Touring
dressed. is an unflinching, deeply personal, deeply political insight into the horror of assault, both physical and psychological.
‘Stifles as much as illuminates the piece’: OUR COUNTRY’S GOOD – Bristol ★★★
Our Country’s Good still grips, it would take a very poor production indeed to ruin that, but you can’t help feeling that Anna Girvan hasn’t fully got to grips with this one. Theatre does change lives, but this production is unlikely too.
‘Solidly entertaining’: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM – Bristol ★★★
There is plenty to like in Tobacco Factory Theatre’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a brisk, crisp and fully accessible take on the play that should provide perfect introductions to a Shakespeare novice.
‘Constantly fascinating piece’: NO KIDS – Bristol ★★★★
At an hour No Kids is perfectly paced, a constantly fascinating piece; one that articulates a liberal generation’s worries and desire in creating a familial unit in 21st century Britain.
‘They captured my heart, engaged my mind & punched me in the gut’: In Praise of Theatre in 2018
In my round-up of theatre in 2017, I warned 2018 that it had “big shoes to fill”. Not only did 2018 not need the door to be opened, but it also didn’t even need anyone to hold its coat.
‘Resolutely stays grounded’: THE BORROWERS – Bristol ★★★
Tobacco Factory Theatres have well served Bristol festive audiences over the years, including one bona fide theatrical masterpiece in Sally Cookson’s Olivier Award-winning Cinderella. Alas, not every show can have Cookson and not every show can fly, and so it proves with The Borrowers, which resolutely stays grounded.
‘Twenty-five years on, still blazing a trail’: BEAUTIFUL THING – Touring ★★★★
Twenty-five years after Jonathan Harvey’s Beautiful Thing premiered at the Bush Theatre, it’s clear that its writing still offers hope and enlightenment alongside a cracking yarn.
‘Yields many strong performances’: HENRY V – Touring
Whilst Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory’s latest offering yields many strong and a couple of exceptional performances, the ambition and scale never really extends beyond the four pillars of the theatre.
‘Well worth a watch, but won’t leave any lasting feeling’: SOUTH WESTERN – Bristol ★★★
It has been a heady time for Bristol’s The Wardrobe Ensemble, their last two Edinburgh shows have won public acclaim and Fringe Firsts and the company is now taking up residency this August at the National Theatre with the rather charming family show The Star Seekers.
‘Has lost none of the capacity to thrill & surprise’: WELCOME TO THEBES – Bristol ★★★
Thebes is an epic undertaking that starts slowly but eventually finds its drive. Thousands of years later the Greeks have lost none of their capacity to thrill and surprise.
‘The end result is just sound and fury’: THE DAMNED UNITED – Bristol
There is a lot to be said for keeping a show succinct and there is no doubt that diehard fans of the game and the man will get a lot out of Red Ladder’s The Damned United. When you lose too much, however, and the end result is just sound and fury, the rest are just left on the benches.
‘An accomplished piece of directing’: A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE – Bristol ★★★★★
The View From the Bridge is the show to proclaim loudly that Tobacco Factory Theatres is in safe hands and ready to sail into a golden future under its artistic director Mike Tweddle.
‘An accomplished piece of directing’: A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE – Bristol ★★★★★
The View From the Bridge is the show to proclaim loudly that Tobacco Factory Theatres is in safe hands and ready to sail into a golden future under its artistic director Mike Tweddle.
‘One of the most exciting pieces of work seen on a Bristol stage in a long time’: A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE – Bristol
With this View From The Bridge, Tobacco Factory Theatres Artistic director Mike Tweddle has orchestrated a piece of theatre so seamless, so beautifully directed that his own work is invisible.
Three picks: How was the best of Birmingham’s BE Festival on tour?
This year’s theatrical smorgasbord from BE Festival offered pieces from France, the UK and Spain. Andre and Dorine by Spain’s Kulunka Teatro is a full-mask exploration of the agony and heartbreak experienced by the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
‘A solid rather than enlightening evening’: Macbeth – Bristol ★★★
Macbeth is an obvious box office draw for the theatre and the work is fundamentally solid, but it’s hard to shake the feeling it’s all a little safe, except for one performance that Bristol should be talking about for years.
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