We are proud to have received some great
reviews for our Productions. Below is just a few of them. Also
check out our audience reviews to see what the real fans think! |
 |
"Journey’s End needs no adornment or interference, something
that director Alastair Whatley plainly understands in this fine
Original Theatre Company and Icarus Theatre Collective production.
Aided by powerful ensemble acting, the words are left to speak for
themselves." Giles Woodforde, The Oxford Times
> Full Review
"Time is almost at a standstill as everyone waits for the attack
and the tension created is truly palpable. The ending is
heart-wrenching as the inevitable tragic climax is played out.
Directed with clarity by Alastair Whatley this was a thought-provoking
evening that makes a passionate case about the horrors of war. Highly
recommended." Robin Strapp, Newbury Weekly News
> Full Review
"With a great set, lighting and sound and genuinely believable
costumes, this is a fine reading of Sherriff’s play made all the more
relevant by the rising death toll in Afghanistan" Jeremy Miles,
Bournemouth Echo
> Full Review
"This powerfully emotive production brings together the dusty
claustrophobia of the First World War front line trenches and the
touching camaraderie of its soldiers in arms with poignant
credibility...A masterpiece" Julie Watterston, The Stage
> Full Review
"While I cannot speak for the rest of the full house at the
close of Alastair Whatley's gripping new production of R.C. Sherriff's
Journey's End at The Haymarket, Basingstoke, this week, my own
feelings were of something lost" Kevin Catchpole, The British Theatre
Guide
> Full Review
"Journey’s End is a timepiece that still strikes at the waste
of war" Donald Hutera, The Times
> Full Review
"Journey’s End was a slick and professional affair, well acted
and sensitively staged" Lucie Richards, Basingstoke Gazette
> Full Review
"The cast performed in perfect harmony both musically and with
the text and the multi-use sets, and simple but effective lighting and
sound kept the audience engrossed in the action to the very bitter
end." Neil McEwan, The Scotsman
> Full Review
"A fascinating production" Mike Allen, The News
> Full Review
"A heartbreaking tale of jealousy, passion, love and remorse
was poignantly performed at the Harrogate Theatre" Alice Williams,
York Press
> Full Review
"This was a beautiful version of Shakespeare’s Othello"
Sonia Kapur, Maidenhead Advertiser
> Full Review
"Combining Shakespeare with a live string quartet ensured that a new
production of Othello was on song for the start of it's national
tour."
By Lucy Crossley, Bracknell News
> Full Review
"Brooding, malevolent, marvellous and magnificent...it is a
work of art" Paul Thomas, Bucks Free Press
> Full Review
"Perfect Pitch...Lin Blakely, as Ursula, has to travel a million
emotional miles during the course of the play and seizes the
opportunity with relish" Francis Batt, Windsor Express
> Full
Review
"A NO- TO-BE MISSED TREAT" Roger Paine, Eastbourne Herald
> Full Review
"Expert comic timing belying the catastrophic effect" Robert
Cohen, The Argus
> Full Review
"Everything melded together to produce a powerful play" Ros Collins, Surrey Advertiser
> Full Review
"It is rare to come across a show with such artistry, intelligence
and talent and for that reason this is a must-see show. So far this is
the play of the year and if patrons see nothing else this year, this
is the show they need to see." Paul Bowers, Farnham Herald
> Full Review
"This emotional and passionate work was truly a delight, and maybe
urged the audience into further research of this priceless artist."
Julie Watterson, The Stage
> Full Review
"This amazing play shows us the darker destructive side of
love intertwined with love...a fantastic theatrical experience."
Surrey & Hants Post & Gazette
> Full Review
"Mark Edel-Hunt gives an excellent performance as Vincent. His
well-studied Dutch accent and strong characterisation is the lynchpin
to the success of this production, as Edel-Hunt develops Vincent’s
character from a young, excitable foreigner in London into the
beginnings of the Van Gogh that history remembers." Martyn Jex, The
Maidenhead Advertiser
> Full Review
The Importance of Being Oscar
"...very professional and absorbing performance of a piece that
deserved to be revived." Suzanne Hawkes, Remotegoat.co.uk
> Full Review
"Stripped-down bard with an impressive cast" Chris Tracy, Eastern
Daily Press
> Full Review
"This production will make you think, and I for one will remember
it for a long time. The alienation (the school setting, the reading
from a single textbook) distances one slightly from the pathos: I
didn't need the tissue which is usually essential for the closing
scene. But I was very happy to join the mainly teenage South Hill Park
audience (some of whom had been audibly embarrassed by the love
scenes) in whooping and cheering at the end. You wouldn't want this to
be the only Romeo and Juliet you ever see, but you certainly won't
regret spending an evening with it." Andrea West, Remotegoat.co.uk
> Full Review
"What makes this production so mesmerizing is that while you are
watching the Shakespeare classic you are also seeing the relationship
between the four young men unfold. And although most of the dialogue
is done through the words of Shakespeare, double meanings are rife
through much of the language, as well as the action. Some fight scenes
almost become real, for example, and the way the boys react to parts
of the play sheds a fresh light on some of the dialogue." Anthony
Dearie, Jersey Evening Post
> Full Review
"We all know where these star cross’d lovers are heading, but the
four students write their own ending in Juliet’s tomb. This
compelling, captivating production really should be seen. Go
along-your inner 13 year-old will thank you." Fiona Hannon,
Bracknell Times
> Full Review
"If you see just one Shakespearean play this year, make this
one" Nina Romain,
as featured on Whatsonstage.com *****
> Full Review
"Art imitates life and life is enriched by the power of
theatre...as Alastair Whatley's production casts new light on this
most romantic of plays"
Michael Stewart, The Morning Star, 30th July 2008
> Full Review
"An unforgettable experience of great theatre, great music and a
great unique Venue, surely one of the UK’s leading touring theatre
companies" EAST MAGAZINE
"Different at times unwieldy but throughout passionate, exciting
and just plain fantastic. Very impressive! FIVE STARS *****" Whatsonstage.com
" …Wonderfully Staged in The Abbey Gardens..performed superbly"
Bury Free Press
"Laugh out loud funny… brought beautifully to life by the original
theatre company" Reading Chronicle
“This Production is simply Outsanding” Plays International Magazine
> Full Review
“One of the top 5 shows in London” The Independent
“ 5 STARS, SUBLIME!” Edinburgh Three Weeks
“Innovative, Fresh and bang up to date” BBC RADIO
“Sterling Performances, Twelfth Night delighted it’s audiences with
some very welcome Midsummer Madness!” Western Daily Telegraph
“Enjoyable, highly entertaining and strangely moving” The Stage
< Back to top |