Reviews

Advocating the punkification of a group of high achieving tween academics is not something I would traditionally equate with the work of Andrew Lloyd Webber or the creator of Downtown Abbey, Julian Fellowes. Yet Lloyd Webber’s composition, and Fellowes’ book, embrace the disestablishment with the same fervour with which the lead character, Dewey Finn, worships his gods of rock; and doesn’t local talent, Isaac Ledingham, personify fervour with perfection. 

Maya Drive is a magical realist story on grief and loss, written by Milton and directed by J Shaw. Grief is a personal experience that can steer people into other dimensions. Ben the main character (Cassiel Garward) reaches out to the tales of Gilgamesh (an epic poem from ancient Mesopotamia) to find solace and understanding while caught in a dream; he travels in his own time under the faithful guidance of his Maya (means good mother in Greek) who appears as a guardian angel (Lily Thomson).

This show is quite extraordinary.  I can’t recall seeing anything quite like it.  It is bouffon – and the essence of bouffon is mockery.  The famed acting and clowning teacher Jacques Lecoq, who brought the centuries old term bouffon back into usage said: ‘…the clown is alone, bouffon is part of a gang; while we make fun of the clown, the bouffon makes fun of us.’  And the bouffon does that, like Lear’s Fool, by telling or showing the truth.

Lucia di Lammermoor is one of the staples of most large opera companies. It contains some of Gaetano Donizetti’s most famous music, including of course the famous mad scene, immortalised by Sarah Coburn, Lily Pons, Maria Callas, Nellie Melba and the legendary Joan Sutherland among others!