Reviews

Ophelia Thinks Harder is a feminist re-interpretation of Hamlet which could be described as an ideological treatise on the subjugation of women. Whilst using Hamlet as her model, playwright Jean Betts cleverly incorporates familiar lines from other Shakespearean works as a not-so-gentle reminder that productions of his plays have been perpetuating the denigration of women for over 500 years.

Is there a more memorable tragedy about the fleeting allure of love or a more cautionary tale about the lethal consequences of family politics, power and violence than William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet? Sixty years ago, the prolific and innovative Sir Kenneth MacMillan interpreted the tragic tale for the Royal Ballet at Covent Garden in London, starring Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn.

Victorian adventurer and raconteur extraordinaire, Bennett Cooper Sullivan, has returned from his latest astonishing imbroglio and now feels compelled to recount to us his arduous journeys – Cairo, Edinburgh, London - his near unbelievable hair-breadth escapes, and his many brushes with vice and death – all to keep us on the edge of our seats and breathless with excitement! 

Marvelous at Riverside Theatre is a spectacular showcase that would make even Iron Man (or woman) tip a helmet. This supercharged show sends audiences flying higher than Captain Marvel and is wrapped in a bundle of aerials, live vocals, dance, stunts, and a risqué edge.

Samwise Holmes (creator, director & writer) opens his tale with a cheeky hint of what’s to come. It’s naughty, loud, and packs a punch as it turns the other cheek.