Showing posts sorted by relevance for query Jez Butterworth. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query Jez Butterworth. Sort by date Show all posts

Thursday 8 February 2018

The Ferryman, Gielgud Theatre | Review


The Ferryman 
Gielgud Theatre 
Reviewed on Monday 5th February 2018 by Olivia Mitchell 
★★★★

Two of the hottest names in theatre and film have come together to create a masterful, intricate piece of theatre. Founder of the Donmar Warehouse, Sam Mendes and award winning playwright Jez Butterworth have constructed 3 hours, 15 minutes of dramatic storytelling, filled with equal parts tenderness and tension.

Set in rural Northern Ireland in 1981, The Ferryman follows the Carney family as they prepare for the annual harvest feast. The family is vast with the huge cast featuring a whole range of ages and some real farmyard animals! They all work wonderfully together to create a realistic family vibe as they bounce off one another and face the highs and lows of family life. The comedy and flow of family life is flawless with fantastic performances across the board, especially from the children.

Whilst the surface story is the family portrait, it's politics that seeps through this play. With IRA connections and bloodshed over the generations causing tension and pain for all involved. It's striking and moving to watch. 


Pacing wise, The Ferryman is good, with the third act especially providing punch after punch. However, I found some moments to be over indulgent and it definitely could have been cut down; but there's no denying that Jez Butterworth is certainly a master storyteller and has woven a masterful script which excites and engages throughout.

Owen McDonnell is understated and layered as patriarch Quinn Carney. Rosalie Craig as the struggling Caitlin is extremely interesting to watch as she puts of a brave face whilst the wounds of her husband's disappearance are ripped open. The entire younger cast are dynamic as they bounce off one another, first in a playful way and gradually transitioning to anger and suspicion. The character development of each individual is extremely well written and performed with Francis Mezza as Shane Corcoran providing a wonderfully arched portrayal. 

The Ferryman is a glorious piece of theatre which flows and cadences with ease and vigour. It's lengthy but so worth the watch. This is a play that not only makes you think but makes you want to talk and pick apart every aspect of it. Get yourself along to the Gielgud theatre to experience a theatrical spectacle.  

For tickets and information about the show, visit https://www.londonboxoffice.co.uk

photo credit: Johann Persson

Thursday 26 July 2018

Theatrical, Maggie Harcourt (Book) | Things I Read Whilst Writing


A bit of a different post for you today, as you know I love theatre and books so when I heard about Maggie Harcourt's newest book release, Theatrical which is all about the stage, I was very excited to get my hands on it!

Maggie did a huge amount of research for this book, not only on shows but also a lot about what goes on behind the scenes as our lead character, Hope, is working as an intern backstage. This book is all things adorable and you can read my full review here, but without further ado lets set the stage for Maggie Harcourt's deep-dive into the DNA of Theatrical...

Maggie Harcourt: One of the best things about writing Theatrical was getting the chance to spend time completely immersed in the theatre world: not just writing about it but thinking about it, reading about it – and, of course, visiting it! 

Here’s my deep-dive list of everything that went on behind the scenes. Not everything is obviously part of the world of the finished book, but it’s still part of the story… 

Things I read: 
  • All About Theatre: the National Theatre
  • Unseen London (especially the ‘backstage’ section): Mark Daly and Peter Dazeley 
  • London Theatres: Michael Coveney, Peter Dazeley and Mark Rylance 
  • Stage Management – The Essential Handbook: Gail Pallin 
  • Stage Management and Theatre Administration: Pauline Menear, Amanda Saunders and Terry Hawkins 
  • Untold Stories: Alan Bennett 
  • Simon Stephens – A Working Diary: Simon Stephens 
  • The Oberon Glossary of Theatrical Terms: Colin Winslow 
  • Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (black cover) souvenir brochure, which is full of detail about putting a big show together. 



I also read a lot of plays: not only for research, but because I was also taking a theatre writing class, and because I just enjoy reading them. Here’s a few of my favourites, which I know I was reading at the same time as writing the book. A couple of them make cameo appearances in Theatrical as Luke’s scripts or as things Hope has seen… 
  • Rope: Patrick Hamilton 
  • The History Boys: Alan Bennett 
  • And Then Come the Nightjars: Bea Roberts 
  • The Ferryman: Jez Butterworth 
  • Misterman: Enda Walsh 
  • The Hairy Ape: Eugene O’Neill 
  • The Dazzle: Richard Greenberg 
  • Sea Wall: Simon Stephens 
  • The Habit of Art: Alan Bennett 
  • Ink: James Graham 
  • Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: JK Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne 

Like Hope, I also read The Stage, which is the weekly theatre trade paper– especially the technical columns, and particularly Jess Gow’s stage management columns. And Usborne’s Slot Together Theatre was an invaluable tool for helping me picture the Earl’s Theatre! 

I hope you enjoyed this amazing peek at all the research Maggie did for Theatrical, I know I'll definitely be picking up some of the books to fulfil my thirst for all things stagey. Theatrical is out now, more information can be found here and my full review can be read here.

This review for Theatrical is a part of the official blog tour, be sure to check out the other blog stops for more reviews, personal stories and guest posts from Maggie.

Post by Editor, Olivia Mitchell