A Chritmas Carol
Mon, 20 Dec 2004, 12:38 pmWalter Plinge5 posts in thread
A Chritmas Carol
Mon, 20 Dec 2004, 12:38 pmI must preface my review by stating that I have no use for Xmas or anything it allegedly stands for. Over the years IÂ’ve developed quite the hang up when it comes to anything Yuletidish. Imagine my shock then, when I came away from seeing this production feeling more Xmasie than I have since I was a kiddie!! Quite simply put, Attic's inaugural show is an absolute JOY!!!!!! I rediscovered the love of a tale that has to be one of the most reworked in literary history and is as pertinent today as it was when first penned.
The venue is stunning!! ItÂ’s an amazing building with perfectly tended gardens and is a really top spot for putting on the Classics. The whole space was used to great effect, so that at times you felt as though the story swirled around you. I canÂ’t wait to see how the space is utilised for the next two Attic shows.
Steve, as always, has cast this show impeccably. The cast is strong and work beautifully together. The pace was cracking and the energy levels did not drop at any point. The use of songs and music and lighting all added to the magic.
As usual, I have sat down to write a review without my programme, so I hope the actors will forgive me for not knowing some of their names. Special mention must be made for a few of the performances. The fellow playing Bob Crachett was a delight to watch. I've not seen him before, but hope to see much more of him in the future!! I nearly went to pieces each time the child who played Tiny Tim appeared. Gees, what a poppet! And the actor who played the second spirit was hilarious!!! Again, I apologise for being grossly unprepared, as always.
Lastly, I must make special mention of Sir Kingsley Judd. I’ve been a huge fan of his work since he floored me with his performance of “Danny” the drug dealer in “Withnail and I” a few years ago. I have seen many of Kingley’s shows since and always leave a little bit blown away by the depth of his range and talent. Scrooge is right up their with his best work. The transformation of the character, the physicality and the voice were all delivered with emotion, generosity and incredible energy. Thank you, Kingsley, for one of the most beautiful performances I have seen this year.
Honestly, I canÂ’t rave about this show enough!! Take the parents/grandparents, take the kids, pack booze and nibbles and DEFinitely take a cushion if youÂ’re sitting on the seats provided, as they can have a numbing effect on oneÂ’s arse.
Bugger it! Skip church on Xmas Eve and go see this instead. A couple of the carols mention baby Jebus, so itÂ’s practically the same as going to mass, only waaaaaaay more fun.
Huge congratulations to Stephen the cast and the crew for a truly magical Christmas experience!!
J
The venue is stunning!! ItÂ’s an amazing building with perfectly tended gardens and is a really top spot for putting on the Classics. The whole space was used to great effect, so that at times you felt as though the story swirled around you. I canÂ’t wait to see how the space is utilised for the next two Attic shows.
Steve, as always, has cast this show impeccably. The cast is strong and work beautifully together. The pace was cracking and the energy levels did not drop at any point. The use of songs and music and lighting all added to the magic.
As usual, I have sat down to write a review without my programme, so I hope the actors will forgive me for not knowing some of their names. Special mention must be made for a few of the performances. The fellow playing Bob Crachett was a delight to watch. I've not seen him before, but hope to see much more of him in the future!! I nearly went to pieces each time the child who played Tiny Tim appeared. Gees, what a poppet! And the actor who played the second spirit was hilarious!!! Again, I apologise for being grossly unprepared, as always.
Lastly, I must make special mention of Sir Kingsley Judd. I’ve been a huge fan of his work since he floored me with his performance of “Danny” the drug dealer in “Withnail and I” a few years ago. I have seen many of Kingley’s shows since and always leave a little bit blown away by the depth of his range and talent. Scrooge is right up their with his best work. The transformation of the character, the physicality and the voice were all delivered with emotion, generosity and incredible energy. Thank you, Kingsley, for one of the most beautiful performances I have seen this year.
Honestly, I canÂ’t rave about this show enough!! Take the parents/grandparents, take the kids, pack booze and nibbles and DEFinitely take a cushion if youÂ’re sitting on the seats provided, as they can have a numbing effect on oneÂ’s arse.
Bugger it! Skip church on Xmas Eve and go see this instead. A couple of the carols mention baby Jebus, so itÂ’s practically the same as going to mass, only waaaaaaay more fun.
Huge congratulations to Stephen the cast and the crew for a truly magical Christmas experience!!
J
A Christmas Delight
Thu, 23 Dec 2004, 09:28 amWalter Plinge
I DARE you to BAH HUMBUG! this production!!
Firstly, I have to disclose my love of Christmas...to hell with the commercialism but YAY for that feeling of "good will to all...people"! It's a time when some of us who never do anything nice for anyone during the whole year, might give something to charity (even if it's a tin of peas you've really no use for-pea's are good) or make a random act of kindness and it's a time when people travel for lots of kilometres to see loved ones they may not have seen for years or just travel around the corner to their old Uncle Scrooge whom they haven't "seen" for years. Do you see where the fabulous Stephen Lee, the magnificent Mr Judd and associates have me? In the clutches of an altruistic Christmas!
Secondly, I disclose my love of Classics...the splendid lighting collaborated with the magical setting of St George's College to provide a fairy tale setting for this well known and loved Christmas story. I was MORE than ready to be transported into Scrooge's world of pain and ultimate pleasure....and that's precisely where the wonderful Kingsley Judd took us. Kingsley's intensity from the outset made us immediately surrender to the story and the strong and talented ensemble cast convincingly carried us to Christmas 150 or so years ago. Here, I must congratulate the director and costumier who made the experience so much more pleasurable by presenting convincing and attractive costuming. Stephen Lee's careful attention to style and era specifics so graciously permeated the mood of the piece and swept us along in it's gentle enchantment.
Thirdly, I disclose that I may have met the director and worked with one or two of the cast members, erhem, indeed, am Aunt to one of them but let this in no way affect the exhuberance of my recommendation of this production. I went along with my Bah Humbug husband who quite loathes anything Christmas and he thoroughly enjoyed the experience too. So PLEASE, if you're thinking about going - DO! It's entirely rewarding.
Congratulations to all the brilliant cast and crew and to Stephen Lee for choosing this refreshingly innocent and lovely story to give us at Christmas. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!
Jen McCann
PS Take something warm because it's freezing!!
Firstly, I have to disclose my love of Christmas...to hell with the commercialism but YAY for that feeling of "good will to all...people"! It's a time when some of us who never do anything nice for anyone during the whole year, might give something to charity (even if it's a tin of peas you've really no use for-pea's are good) or make a random act of kindness and it's a time when people travel for lots of kilometres to see loved ones they may not have seen for years or just travel around the corner to their old Uncle Scrooge whom they haven't "seen" for years. Do you see where the fabulous Stephen Lee, the magnificent Mr Judd and associates have me? In the clutches of an altruistic Christmas!
Secondly, I disclose my love of Classics...the splendid lighting collaborated with the magical setting of St George's College to provide a fairy tale setting for this well known and loved Christmas story. I was MORE than ready to be transported into Scrooge's world of pain and ultimate pleasure....and that's precisely where the wonderful Kingsley Judd took us. Kingsley's intensity from the outset made us immediately surrender to the story and the strong and talented ensemble cast convincingly carried us to Christmas 150 or so years ago. Here, I must congratulate the director and costumier who made the experience so much more pleasurable by presenting convincing and attractive costuming. Stephen Lee's careful attention to style and era specifics so graciously permeated the mood of the piece and swept us along in it's gentle enchantment.
Thirdly, I disclose that I may have met the director and worked with one or two of the cast members, erhem, indeed, am Aunt to one of them but let this in no way affect the exhuberance of my recommendation of this production. I went along with my Bah Humbug husband who quite loathes anything Christmas and he thoroughly enjoyed the experience too. So PLEASE, if you're thinking about going - DO! It's entirely rewarding.
Congratulations to all the brilliant cast and crew and to Stephen Lee for choosing this refreshingly innocent and lovely story to give us at Christmas. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!
Jen McCann
PS Take something warm because it's freezing!!