Catherine Bennett resumes the weekly look at the performing arts world, with the sad end of Jerusalem, the luck of a cabbie, and French revolt. Do you hear the people sing?
Adam Alcock reviews Nigel Kennedy playing Vivaldi's Four Seasons and his own Four Elements at York Opera House.
Catherine Bennett highlights the trends in the performing arts world today.
Jonathan Cridford reviews 'Ghosts', one of the Freshers' plays for this year.
‘’Unleash your imagination…’’
And for this weekend’s performance at the Drama Barn you certainly needed to do just that.
Belt-up’s production of two plays, ‘William and Octavia’, saw the Drama Barn magnificently transformed into a fairytale woodland scene, with a turf floor, foliage, lambent lighting and plenty of haze.
‘Octavia’ focuses on the eponymous character, a young girl who, when her father and mother, the King and Queen, are killed by an army that finally breaches their city walls, is sent on a quest to find a warrior who can reclaim her country. ‘William’ brings us the story of a young boy, a voracious reader, who, after encounters with the mysterious Bookman, is sent on a journey to complete his ‘story’.
In true Belt-Up style, this production was dynamic and energetic. There was a fantastic and truly captivating use of props and sound effects, and the background music really gave weight to some beautiful and tender moments of the play (Octavia’s dance with the Prince, for instance).
Notable members of the cast were Rachel Finnegan in all her numerous roles and Niamh Walsh, who gave a commanding performance, particularly in her role as the White Witch. Comic moments abounded from Jamie Wilkes and Dominic Allen, but the highlight of the cast was Serena Manteghi as Octavia, bringing a breath of fresh air to the usual Belt-Up collective. Frequent slip-ups of lines, however, meant that the cast on the whole was not as sharp as one would expect.
‘Octavia’ was far superior to ‘William’. By the second half, one almost began to tire of the style of performance and parts of the play often verged on cheesy and clichéd. In comparison to Belt- Up's other productions, ‘William and Octavia’ was at times a little underwhelming, but still worth the watch.
‘William and Octavia’ is on at the Drama Barn Sunday 26th - 2:30 & 7:30. £3.50/£4.50 Members/Non-members.
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