Reviews

John idolised his Uncle Max – but he disappeared at sea when John was only ten years old, and all he was left was a book of maritime folklore and a hagstone that reveals sirens and witches as their true selves.

When he’s old enough, he’s going to buy a boat, follow the treasure maps scrawled over his uncle’s book and find out the truth.

Tom Robins of Curious Roach Collective tells this story, racing through the excitement of mythical sea creatures and summoning a tempest with ill-advised pursed lips (the storm whistling of the title).

Have you ever been just a little enamoured with a mustard filled beer stein, or bewitched by a green juice extract that is able to disguise themselves just by inverting? Welcome to a 45-to-75-minute serve of a magical re-telling of all of Shakespeare’s 36 plays in eight days. Each play features a collection of household items, and for Taming of the Shrew, starring roles were taken by an orange, Tic Tacs, a flavoured soft drink, an ornamental rose and a delicately chosen and placed collection of shed and domestic essentials.

Sir Walter Raleigh spends a lot of time locked up in the Tower of London. Whether it’s for marrying the Queen’s lady-in-waiting without permission from the monarch, or treason against the King, Raleigh has found a way to live a reasonable life from within a prison cell, seemingly his only trouble being where he last had his clay pipe.

Raleigh cheats death with unusual frequency too: we’re told of death sentences aplenty, but delayed, then quashed, then renewed once more. This is a life of a true adventurer, but is he a visionary or a victim?

American playwright and novelist A.R. Gurney (1930-2017) wrote over 40 plays, many of which are comedies based on shrewd observations about society and relationships. His last play, Love and Money, written in his 80s, is described as “a buoyant comedy about wealth, the nature of trust, and the prospect of aging with dignity.”