First, some things you should know about the Rose Theatre:
• There are NO LOOS, people. None. It's an archeological dig site so you're going to need to nip to the Globe 200m away for a McPiss.
• It is tiny (possibly something like a maximum of 40 or 50 seats).
• It's got a village hall vibe. About the same size, the "bar" is a nice lady sitting behind a table selling juice from M&S cartons and beer by the can (£2.50). There are 3 plastic chairs in the bar/foyer/exhibition area. I liked it. It felt welcoming and the people working/volunteering cared.
• Given the location, the performance has a backdrop of dripping water. It lasts 65 minutes, no interval, no re-admission. Combine this with the lack of loo and cheap beer and you've got yourself a potential bladder time-bomb.
• The theatre's just been given £1.4M (don't quote me, that's my muddled recollection of the intro speech given by the lady behind the bar) in lottery funding that they have to match in the next 18 months ...
• ...which is just as well because this place is really cool. We were sitting on what, I think, would have been the stage of the original theatre.
Onto the play...
Victoria Groves (pictured) gives it absolutely everything. She is physically powerful, engaging, wily. She demonstrates real skill in switching between characters, emotions and voices. The size of the stage means that she can really get into the faces of the audience and she uses that space with clear glee. Her acrobatics in her scaffolding-and-rope set really contribute to the drama of the performance, and I'll certainly keep an eye out for her name. Frankly, she was awesome.
It's just a pity the script was so juvenile. I'm trying not to be about the business of rubbishing playwrights - if they all gave up tomorrow I'd be a very sad pixie indeed. In fact, elements of the play in which Groves spoke as Sappho were fine, good even. The problem was the interwoven story of a relationship between an actress and a younger aspiring actress which was clumsy and... I just didn't get what it added to the play, other than length... Sorry.
Tickets were about £12 each. Beer £2.50, glass of red wine, £2.50.
Date seen: Sat 01 Jun 2013
http://www.rosetheatre.org.uk/
• The theatre's just been given £1.4M (don't quote me, that's my muddled recollection of the intro speech given by the lady behind the bar) in lottery funding that they have to match in the next 18 months ...
• ...which is just as well because this place is really cool. We were sitting on what, I think, would have been the stage of the original theatre.
Onto the play...
It's just a pity the script was so juvenile. I'm trying not to be about the business of rubbishing playwrights - if they all gave up tomorrow I'd be a very sad pixie indeed. In fact, elements of the play in which Groves spoke as Sappho were fine, good even. The problem was the interwoven story of a relationship between an actress and a younger aspiring actress which was clumsy and... I just didn't get what it added to the play, other than length... Sorry.
Tickets were about £12 each. Beer £2.50, glass of red wine, £2.50.
Date seen: Sat 01 Jun 2013
http://www.rosetheatre.org.uk/
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