Create Performance

CREATE PERFORMANCE THEATRE REVIEWS

Students in Create Performance have been taking advantage of all the great live Theatre performances that have been released on the internet during Covid19. As part of their learning, students have been watching performances and writing performance critiques so you at home can be inspired to watch these plays. Over the next few newsletters, we will be sharing some of the students’ reviews. Here are a selection of reviews from 8B:

Lily McGuinness’ review of The Globe Theatre’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’

A magnificent play produced by William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet was brilliantly recreated by Shakespeare’s Globe. The original plot of two star-crossed lovers who disobey their family’s beliefs and marry in secret. The outfits for this performance were spot on, however, the set could have been more interesting if throughout the scenes, the set was changed even just slightly. I believe the only set changes was a bed and a torch. I could tell the back of the theatre were comfortable as they had a place to sit.

Although I know I was watching Romeo and Juliet, like many others, I’m sure, I am not fluent in Shakespearean, they could have been more open minded about this and added the basics of Shakespearean to the pamphlet so the audience could follow along in important scenes.

I would like to applaud the actress who played Juliet for her outstanding performance. Everyone else was spectacular but Juliet showed so much emotion in her performance, didn’t miss one line, and spoke fluently.

This play was magnificent and I rated it four out of five stars due to the spectacular speech and fabulous display of emotions.

Isaac Roberts’ review of the 1968 version of ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat was nothing like I expected. Originally, this version of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat didn’t strike me as a very good play. But while I watched it, I began to see that some of it was fascinating. This play was originally written by Andrew Lloyd Webber. This adaptation was created and filmed by Decca Records, Starring Donny Osmond and Maria Friedman, In 1968.

The plot was very unusual, with lots of inconsistency throughout it. It was very contrary to what I was expecting. I was expecting a re-enactment of a biblical story, and very serious, like Les Miserables, which is also by Andrew Lloyd Webber. This version was very wacky, due to the fact that it was based on a song for a primary school choir to sing during Easter. It was meant to be very fantastical, which is why it included things such as the Pharoah being Elvis Presley and all of the weird costumes. I also think that there were many unnecessary twists and turns, such as the Pharoah making Joseph his second-in-command without any consideration.

I think the actor who best portrayed their character was Maria Friedman, playing the Narrator. She made sure her character was clearly depicted, and that the play was narrated clearly. The costumes were appropriate for the theme of ancient Egypt/Israel, and were very beneficial to the play. The actors used the stage very well, and were able to re-create many different rooms and spaces. There was sound and lighting, but both were used minimally, and improvement of them would be beneficial to the play. The props used were not very lifelike, and could have been improved significantly. I would give the play an overall 3/5 stars, as it had many interesting parts, and only a few places for improvement.

Nathan Thomson’s review of ‘Shrek the Musical’ on Broadway:

Shrek the Musical was a very interesting play which was set about the Shrek movie. I think some parts of this play made sense, I say this because I watched the movie and majority of the scenes from the musical were from the movie but some of them weren't which lead to making sense. During this play there was multiple parts that stood out to me, the actors definitely did some of those include the Donkey. In this play, the Donkey was being Shrek's assistant and following him around their journey. He interested me because he always played a big part and played those roles especially well, he always made me smile probably because he always had one on his face. My least favourite character was probably the bright costume people outside the castle, I didn't like them because they sounded not the best and got a bit annoying after a while. I also think the costumes that they were wearing didn't fit them meaning they should of worn different colours. I think  the costumes used in this musical were well used and was easy to tell who each of the characters were, my favourite costume would be Shrek. I liked how they made him the best as possible even the small details like his ears and the spots on his head. Another costume that was good was Princess Fiona when she was in the castle, it was cool to see the different stages in her life and how when she walked around it changed. The lighting in this musical was well used it expressed how the characters acted like when Shrek was having a tough time the lights changed a different colour which helped the crowd express their feelings as well. The space used was well interpreted, when the actors were on the stage the made sure that they used the right amount of space, which helped because when there was multiple people on the stage everyone had there spot. The stage was set up well and was good that it had a smooth transition through each scene. I would rate this musical a 4/5 this play was very good and had some incredible scenes.

Lucy McMahon’s review of Shrek the Musical on Broadway:

I found “Shrek The Musical” extremely funny, well put together, fun and entertaining to watch and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Given the performance was made in 2008 the quality of the production exceeded my expectations. It was filmed in a way where we could see the characters facial expressions from all different angles and showed no sign of blurriness or graininess throughout the production. The makeup and costumes replicated the characters strongly and was insane with the way they made a simple human body look a fairy-tale character. A huge standout was how quickly Fiona changed from a princess to an ogre which is still something I can’t seem to understand how it was done. The props and scenery were clever and creative with the moving floors to make the characters spin, rise and fly. Overall Shrek The Musical is such a great production and has inspired me to watch more musicals like it because it’s just so entertaining to watch the creativity unfold as the musical went on. I will rate this a 5/5 for sure.

Archie Le-Ray’s review of The Globe Theatre’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’

Romeo and Juliet performed by Shakespeare’s Globe, is an enticing and delightful play to watch. Directed by Dominic Dromgoole, the play is performed in The Globe Theatre in England in 2009. Set back in Medieval times, the play takes you on a wondrous journey into the lives of two star-crossed lovers whose parents are loathing of each other. Romeo, acted by Adetomiwa Edun, shows his courage and loyalty as he tries to rescue Juliet from the clutches of her parents, and take her into a world of freedom and prosperity. Ellie Kendrick plays a brilliant Juliet, shy but gentle and forever loyal to her Romeo.

The eye-catching costumes and props do also not go unnoticed. Both are incredible and take you back in time to the Medieval era in which Romeo and Juliet is set. The songs are also era-appropriate and have lovely harmonies which add to the grandeur of the performance. The play is spoken in its traditional Old English and is fairly easy to understand for the most part.

Some highlights include Mercutio and his witty and the progression of the characters’ development throughout the play.

Overall, Romeo and Juliet is a great play to watch and I recommend it to all ages.