Tag Archives: Arrows and Traps Theatre Company

The White Rose – 4 Stars

Rose

The White Rose

Jack Studio Theatre

Reviewed – 19th July 2018

★★★★

“a richly poignant and artistically cinematographic production”

 

In a richly poignant and artistically cinematographic production, Arrows and Traps Theatre Company presents the sad, courageous story of Sophie Scholl and her brother Hans who, with like-minded friends, formed the pacifist, anti-Nazi group, The White Rose. Together they wrote propaganda leaflets against Hitler and his regime and secretly distributed them all over Germany. In the company’s first original play, Ross McGregor, as writer and director, uses diaries, court and interrogation documents and first-hand accounts to bring to light the strength and sacrifice made by these young people. It is comforting that, although their bravery is little known in Britain, the members of the group are national heroes in Germany.

Projections of Hitler’s brutally powerful speeches introduce both halves of the play, setting a tone of oppression. We switch from Sophie’s cross-examination to the group meetings and more personal friendships but with the prominent shadow of the Gestapo cleverly present almost throughout. Lucy Ioannou, as Sophie, steps in and out of these two worlds with ease, from spirited student to shocked detainee, becoming cornered by imposing Gestapo officer Robert Mohr (Christopher Tester). Excellent performances all round create a feeling of the life which both stimulates and contrasts their fight. Fittingly similar in appearance to their subjects they each bring a well-drawn character to the group.

The filmic effect runs through the work. The red of Sophie’s cardigan against an otherwise sombre background echoes the 2005 film ‘Sophie Scholl. The Final Days’; interspersed scenes of the past and passages of abstract movement paint a broader picture of their lives. The set by Odin Corie combines a traditional, central table and period props, with gauze side-screens, effectively used for off-stage action. Ben Jacobs’ lighting is stunningly dramatic. It conjures up the atmosphere of the many scenes and marks the changes, perfectly coordinated with Alistair Lax’s sound. There is a practically non-stop selection of atmospheric music and effects yet the significance of the words could be enhanced with less. And although there are some very imaginative movement sequences, certain gas-masked Gestapo routines undermine the tone of the play.

‘The White Rose’ is an eye-catching production with an important message of remembrance. Careful, thoughtful direction builds the intensity but rather than peaking at one climactic point it holds its breath while we hear their last moments and imagine what their lives could have been, absorbing it through the drama and taking it away with us.

 

Reviewed by Joanna Hetherington 

Photography by Davor Tovarlaza

 


The White Rose

Jack Studio Theatre until 4th August

 

 

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Three Sisters – 4 Stars

Sisters

Three Sisters

Jack Studio Theatre

Reviewed – 22nd March 2018

★★★★

“a decadent and impressive show”

 

The Three Sisters is considered among one of Chekhov’s most brilliant, but perhaps lesser known plays. The story centres on the Pozorov family of sisters Olga, Masha and Irina and their brother Andrei. With the family leaving Moscow some eleven years prior to the start of the play, and both parents recently deceased, the siblings yearn to be back in their home city, but there’s always something holding them back. The girls make fun of the locals who they see as lacking culture and beneath them, and their sources of excitement come from the military men who are stationed in the town whereas Andrei is enchanted by a local girl, Natasha. As the play progresses, so does the Pozorov’s dissatisfaction and longing for something more.

Each character has a different way of dealing with their uncertainty; when we meet the youngest sister Irina on her 20th birthday, she is jubilant to have discovered the meaning of life is to work, although her enthusiasm for her job at the post office and then the county council quickly wanes as she does not find the meaning she was promised. Victoria Llewellyn successfully portrays this naivete hardening to eventual capitulation as the piece progresses. The soldier Vershinin however, played by Toby Wynn Davies, has a more philosophical refrain. Unhappily married with a wife who repeatedly attempts suicide and starts an affair with Masha, he hopes that the things we do in this life make small changes that will accumulate to overhaul the lives of those in the future.

While this may seem rather depressing, as with life, there are plenty of distractions that pivot away from the more dour moments; servants and lower ranking soldiers provide light relief as does Masha’s ill suited husband (played by Stephen MacNeice) who, even at the most trying times, is ready with a prop or a joke to lighten the mood. Conor Moss as Baron Tuzenbach, whose love for Irena is painfully unrequited, hits the perfect balance between goofy and endearing in his pursuits.

With a large cast of fourteen, densely packed sets and musical interludes, this is a decadent and impressive show from Arrows and Traps Theatre Company, richly evoking 19th century Russian sensibilities. However, the disillusionment and quest for meaning are very modern concerns that feel as relevant today as ever.

 

Reviewed by Amber Woodward

Photography by Davor Tovarlaza

 


Three Sisters

Jack Studio Theatre until 14th April

 

 

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