Windsor Berkshire
Local blog for Windsor Berkshire Residents and Visitors. If there is anything you want to say about the royal borough, then this is the place to do it. Let the world know your thoughts and ideas about Windsor.Saturday, January 27, 2007
Theatre Review - Treats by Christopher Hampton
26/1/2007 - Theatre Royal Windsor
Last night's performance of Treats by Christopher Hampton, at Windsor Theatre Royal was excellent and this production fully deserves its upcoming west end run. The young cast of Kris Marshall, Billie Piper and Laurence Fox rolled seemingly effortlessly through this Look Back in Anger for the new Millenium. Essentially the plot boils down to a story of domestic violence and the choices we make.
Fox had the hardest task, playing the underwritten part of Patrick the office bore in a rebound relationship with Ann (Piper) who is forced to attempt to battle for her affections when Dave her abusive ex-boyfriend returns from abroad.
It is a battle he cannot win. The heart of the play is whether Ann can stand the withering emotional and physical assault of the return of Kris Marshall's Dave, a man she is attracted to and repulsed by in equal measure. Billie Piper shows the world she really is a very competent stage actress as well as being a television star. At the start she had a wobbly few minutes but soon got into the part and acted her heart out. I was very impressed.
Kris Marshall really stands out in this production. He captured the essence of rapid fire wit underpinned by insecurityconfusion and menace to a tee, giving us an enlightening portrayal of an abusive personality.
Windsor rarely hosts such thought provoking theatre and it was heartening to see no empty seats. Less heartening was the lack of knee room in the royal stalls. They need to make the physical experience of sitting in the Theatre Royal a lot less cramped if the theatre is going to survive into the future. Younger audiences simply will not tollerate being sardine tinned in for shows. It might have been acceptable in our parent's day but fewer and fewer people these days will endure the discomfort of having your knees crushed by the seat in front for 2 hours in the name of theatre.
Last night's performance of Treats by Christopher Hampton, at Windsor Theatre Royal was excellent and this production fully deserves its upcoming west end run. The young cast of Kris Marshall, Billie Piper and Laurence Fox rolled seemingly effortlessly through this Look Back in Anger for the new Millenium. Essentially the plot boils down to a story of domestic violence and the choices we make.
Fox had the hardest task, playing the underwritten part of Patrick the office bore in a rebound relationship with Ann (Piper) who is forced to attempt to battle for her affections when Dave her abusive ex-boyfriend returns from abroad.
It is a battle he cannot win. The heart of the play is whether Ann can stand the withering emotional and physical assault of the return of Kris Marshall's Dave, a man she is attracted to and repulsed by in equal measure. Billie Piper shows the world she really is a very competent stage actress as well as being a television star. At the start she had a wobbly few minutes but soon got into the part and acted her heart out. I was very impressed.
Kris Marshall really stands out in this production. He captured the essence of rapid fire wit underpinned by insecurityconfusion and menace to a tee, giving us an enlightening portrayal of an abusive personality.
Windsor rarely hosts such thought provoking theatre and it was heartening to see no empty seats. Less heartening was the lack of knee room in the royal stalls. They need to make the physical experience of sitting in the Theatre Royal a lot less cramped if the theatre is going to survive into the future. Younger audiences simply will not tollerate being sardine tinned in for shows. It might have been acceptable in our parent's day but fewer and fewer people these days will endure the discomfort of having your knees crushed by the seat in front for 2 hours in the name of theatre.
Labels: Billie Piper, Christopher hampton, Kris Marshall, Laurence Fox, review, theatre, treats
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