Reviews

When blind date newbie Aaron is set up with serial-dater Casey, a casual drink at a busy New York restaurant turns into a hilarious high-stakes dinner. As the date unfolds in real time, the couple quickly finds that they are not alone on this unpredictable evening. In a delightful and unexpected twist, Casey and Aaron’s inner critics take on a life of their own when other restaurant patrons transform into supportive best friends, manipulative exes and protective parents, who sing and dance them through ice-breakers, appetizers and potential conversational land mines.

While seated in the Ladies' Loo, hugged gently on either side by rows of lavvies, staring at the assemblage of sinks and mirrors before me, anticipating what was about to emerge (theatrically) from within this limited space, I couldn't help but be reminded of the famous TV trope known as The Bottle Episode. A bottle episode is usually set in a single location, with a single premise.

The political intrigue in this play could easily mirror many of the bizarre political landscapes that are plaguing western democracies nowadays. This attests to the genius and universality of the themes, plots and characters that Shakespeare explores. However, this is no ordinary version of the play. It is bold, daring, extremely striking in its visuals and highly innovative in its use of space. The stage is a cold, claustrophobic place where the characters are unable to escape the numerous sinister deeds that culminate in disaster.

For the third time Shake & Stir have raided the library of Roald Dahl and come up with the most clever, imaginative, and eye-popping adaptation of his 1970 children’s book Fantastic Mr Fox. Written for a company of six who comically play multiple roles, the stars of the production are Jon Weber’s cartoon drawings, and Craig Wilkinson’s video projection of them, played out on Josh McIntosh’s triple ramp set.