This is my first full-length London production, produced on a shoestring budget, and in a rather hidden away venue. But with 3 & 4 Star reviews coming in I'm extremely happy!
The thing that's made me happiest is that critics have all loved the actor's portrayals of their characters, and that praise is well deserved. It was a real pleasure watching Andrew Thorn, Dave Short & Josh Harper in action last week, and I hope they keep having fun until the end of the run on 18th November.
I've already spotted script adjustments I'd like to make, and another production can be bigger and better, but for now I'm satisfied that the director, Kasia & I have done our best, and it's showing in the feedback we're getting from audiences. The critics are always a bit harder to please, but I think we've done pretty well so far :-)
Review by
Terry Eastham ****
‘A magical
evening of wonder, suspense and good old-fashioned theatrical fun’
Well, what a
fascinating story The Mysterious Gentleman is. J N Maskelyne was a real-life
person who did all the things spoken of in the play – including getting the
phrase to ‘spend a penny’ into the English language. He is an amazing character
in his own right and, when the mysterious ‘extra’ bit of his family ‘story’ is
added by writer Jarek Adams, then the stage is set for an amazing tale.
Review by
Claire Roderick ****
‘This is a
magical gem of a show’
Writer Jarek
Adams takes us from the very beginning of his career through to his death in a
magical and entertaining production. The relationship between JN and George is
beautifully written.
Review by
Simon Scott
The play is
written with a gentle wit, be it in the friendly chiding between George and
Maskelyne, John Nevil’s contemplation that his lasting legacy will have more to
do with public conveniences than conjury, or his delight at being described as
a self-publicist. It does not shy away from its undertaking though. Maskelyne
is introduced to us as a sceptic, but what drives his scepticism is a powerful
desire not merely to believe in a hereafter, but to know it exists. Maskelyne’s
decline, however, and his apparent descent into madness, through paranoia about
losing his edge to younger magicians, and his scepticism crumbling as he
approaches death, is delivered with strength and conviction.
Review by
Howard Loxton – who loved the stage magic
‘What these
guys do with cardboard boxes and dexterity is worth watching’
These are
actors not David Copperfield but they give you a play and a magic show: talk
about actors’ timing—they’ve got it down to the microsecond.
Review by
Joanna Hetherington
‘Overall an entertaining
production’ ***
Images courtesy of James Hall