Tag Archives: Peter Duncan

CLOSURE

★★★★

Theatre Royal Windsor

CLOSURE at the Theatre Royal Windsor

★★★★

“a witty, pacey and up-to-the-minute thriller”

Theatre Royal Windsor’s current offering is ‘Closure’ – a brand new thriller by experienced writing duo Catherine O’Reilly and Tim Churchill. They were given enthusiastic support in developing this fast-moving premier by the late Bill Kenwright, the renowned producer whose company owns and operates the theatre.

Family tensions run very high indeed in the first half of the evening as normality unravels like it is going very rapidly out of fashion. Josh and Emma Carlisle (Joseph Thompson and Roxanne McKee) are holding a dinner party at their impressive new country home (set design un-credited) to which they have invited their extended family. Their guests include Susan Penhaligon as Libby Kennedy, a rather splendidly dipsomaniac matriarch with more than a passing infatuation for several bottles of Merlot. Just what is it with all the conspicuous consumption of booze in plays like this? She is partnered by another equally experienced actor (and sometime Blue Peter presenter) Peter Duncan. He plays an ex-cop of what turn out to be rather dubious morals.

 

 

Hollyoaks’ Jemma Donovan and Christopher Jeffers make impressive entrances as the couple’s younger daughter Becca and her new boyfriend Alex – both of them rather splendid Love Island wannabes (costumes Hilary Bloomfield).

Director Charlotte Peters ably turns the theatrical spotlight on each of these flawed characters in turn. What happens when good people do bad things? When the pressure mounts, what cracks will appear? And when bad turns to worse, can we the audience guess just what these increasingly manic characters will do next? As well as all this edge-of-the-seat action, there are some daft comedic twists which mean that the dramatic tension is reliably interspersed with laughter. The cast list is competed by Marcus Adolphy who plays a senior police officer with a talent for turning up just when he is least wanted.

‘Closure’ takes a few heavy-handed pot shots at the Insta generation, with lighting effects designed by Douglas Kuhrt. A darker story about trauma and grief underpins the plot, but this is not the kind of play which holds these weighty themes up to serious examination. ‘Closure’ is not conceived as a traditional murder mystery in the style of Agatha Christie’s ‘Mousetrap’ and other such theatrical workhorses. It is most certainly a witty, pacey and up-to-the-minute thriller which at tonight’s packed performance did not fail to disappoint its enthusiastic audience.


CLOSURE at the Theatre Royal Windsor

Reviewed on 28th February 2024

by David Woodward

Photography by Jack Merriman

 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

THE GREAT GATSBY | ★★★ | February 2024
ALONE TOGETHER | ★★★★ | August 2023
BLOOD BROTHERS | ★★★★★ | January 2022
THE CHERRY ORCHARD | ★★★★ | October 2021

CLOSURE

CLOSURE

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Jack and the Beanstalk

Jack and the Beanstalk

★★★★

Online

Jack and the Beanstalk

Jack and the Beanstalk

Online and in cinemas

Reviewed – 3rd December 2020

★★★★

 

“The witty jokes, jolly songs and dazzling costumes all combine to provide a show for the whole family to enjoy”

 

There’s no denying it’s been a tough year, and the hardships the theatre industry has endured cannot be understated. With so much uncertainty, it was touch and go as to whether we’d be able to enjoy a traditional pantomime this year. A small number of theatres are going to be performing panto to much smaller audiences than they’re used to and some are going online, so we can enjoy a bit of light-hearted entertainment from home this festive season. Filmed over the summer on sets in the writer and director’s own back garden, Jack and the Beanstalk is one such online alternative. Peter Duncan, former Blue Peter presenter, actor and theatre and film maker, presents an hour and a half of the fun, energetic antics we have all come to expect from this uniquely British tradition.

We first see a family at home where a little girl receives a parcel – a Jack and the Beanstalk story book – and we are then transported into the world of the story and the girl’s imagination. This is an engaging introduction and should really captivate the children who are watching from the outset.

The show begins and the Garden Fairy appears in a bold, bright costume. As with live pantos, we are encouraged to interact early on and, in this case, “shout at the screen”. We are introduced to an array of quirky characters including Jack (Sam Ebenezer), Dame Trott (played by Peter Duncan himself), Giant Blunderbore (Yuval Shwartsman), who spends his time terrorising the villagers from above, and his dogsbody Fleshcreepy (Jos Vantyler), amongst other characters. All actors commit well to their roles, are entertaining to watch and supported by an energetic ensemble.

Throughout the story are timely, light-hearted references to the current Coronavirus pandemic including a song about lockdown at the start and plastic screens used for the characters’ romantic embraces at the end of the show.

Costumes (David Morgan) are everything you would expect from a traditional panto, from the over the top dame outfit to the dainty dress worn by the female lead. The design of Giant Blunderbore is particularly effective. We see him towards the end of the show, having only heard his bellowing voice before then.

Jack and the Beanstalk is performed in the traditional panto style audiences will be familiar with. The witty jokes, jolly songs and dazzling costumes all combine to provide a show for the whole family to enjoy. Nothing can beat the feeling of being in a theatre and seeing a live production, but the cast and creative team have done tremendously well in their attempts to replicate this feeling for us – catch it while you can.

 

Reviewed by Emily K Neal

 

 

Jack and the Beanstalk

Online via www.pantoonlne.co.uk and at Everyman Cinemas from 4th December. At Showcase cinemas from 11th December

 

 

 

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