Superb theatre. Great outdoors.
Press Reviews 2012
THE TWITS
Last Friday’s (Jul 6) sold-out performance was a riot of burping, slurping, snorting and bellowing as two of literature’s most revoltingly rotten characters were brought to life. From Mr Twit picking scraps of dinner out of his straggly beard to Mrs Twit dropping her glass eye into her husband’s beer, the actors appeared to be having a genuinely wonderful time revelling in the pranks and bad behaviour which would see their young audience sent straight to bed after a stern ticking off. The performance invited plenty of audience participation, with much booing and hissing as the terrible Twits captured loveable monkey family the Muggle-Wumps and forced them to perform in their circus.
Herts and Essex Observer
Illyria have never disappointed me with their catalogue of previous touring shows. Each was done with a humorous take and I knew from the start that this one would be another gem. And packed with hilarity it was, with a special pantomime-style production, perfect for the children. The cast of 6 were not just superb actors, but musicians, and stage hands alike. A very talented bunch indeed.
Derbyshire Times
It’s not just the children who are happy to participate. In order to help trick the Twits into believing the world has been turned upside down we must take off our shoes and put them on our hands. It’s quite a sight, and can only be testament to a great performance, to witness a sea of shoe-waving children and grown-ups, in a mass display of audience interaction. Illyria’s production of The Twits is a perfect blend of horror and humour with enough absolutely disgusting bits to enthral the most demanding child.
Tring Today
The five strong cast did both their director, Oliver Gray and Roald Dahl proud. An entertaining conclusion which saw Mrs Twit hurtling to the moon at one point, encapuslated everything that was successful about this production- it had humour, endless enthusiasm and terrific acting. It was my second time at an Illyria production and I’d definitely go back for more. I’ll pass on the worm spaghetti though!
Berwick Advertiser
After seeing the awful Mr Twit eat the "squirmy and squishy" worms his equally awful wife has served him instead of the real thing, spaghetti is surely about to be a "no-no" as a school dinner in Penwith for quite a while. Somewhere among the mayhem they create is a moral, that such bad behaviour doesn't pay. I must admit I enjoyed every horrible and hideous, shocking and silly second of it. The cast of six, The Ringmaster (Alastair Chisholm) the Twits (Christopher Barlow and Lizzy Dive), the Muggle-Wumps (Matthew Rothwel and Emma Vickery) and the Roly-Poly Bird (Thomas Heard), are athletic and appealing, courageous and convincing. This is a daring and delightful "shoes off" winner of a show.
The Cornishman
HMS PINAFORE
Even on an evening of downpours it was a hit with the audience. This is one of the best of Gilbert and Sullivan. Its music and lyrics sparkle, and the plot, surely a comic parody of Shakespeare, is a frivolous delight. The biting satire of the piece still resonates: it holds up Victorian deference, snobbery, out of control patriotism and political incompetence and subjects them to merciless ridicule. A cast of seven is directed by Oliver Gray, with live, and highly effective keyboard from Musical Director Ben Wiles. The biggest hit, deservedly, is Edward Simpson's pompous Admiral, Sir Joseph Porter, but everyone else is excellent. HMS Pinafore made a refreshing change from Romeo and Juliet and Dream. It would be nice to see Illyria build up a repertoire of G an S for future summers: it might turn out to be a rich vein to exploit.
Nottingham Post
This well-loved light opera by Gilbert and Sullivan is known for its sparkling word play and infectious tunes, both of which were delivered perfectly in this production. In the year of the Queen’s Jubilee and the Olympics, the opera appeals to our sense of what it is to be British but there is also a tongue-in-cheek mockery of the upper classes and the humour still rings true today.
Mansfield and Ashfield Chad
Imagination and inventiveness were the hallmark of Illyria’s top quality performance of of Gilbert and Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore. Director Oliver Gray knows all the tricks of the trade and deft and humorous touches abound as the cast of seven furiously double up to play the whole of the British Navy, not to mention all of Sir Joseph Porter’s sisters, cousins and aunts. It’s all far removed from the traditional slower pace of the D’Oyly Carte style, but there is no compromise on the quality of the singing and the choreography adds a vitality which the audience loved.The ability of the cast to play a variety of instruments adds much to the immediacy of the show and musical director Ben Wiles’ top-class work on keyboards is at the heart of a tuneful performance. A clever set with a prow and a quarter deck made seven seem like seventy.
A large audience on a rare sunny and dry evening and enjoyed a whole new perspective on Gilbert and Sullivan.
Blackpool Gazette
There is no doubt that this is one of Gilbert and Sullivan’s most popular light operas, full of high jinx and frivolity. At the same time, it is also satirical, poking fun at the English ruling classes some of whom seem to have got where they are not by what they know but who they know. I had wondered if the singers’ voices would be lost in these vast grounds but quite the contrary – the abbey provided a wonderful sounding board for their voices to be projected and even the sound of the rain did not diminish their performance. With any Gilbert and Sullivan production one of the key strengths lies in the delivery of those comic lines and the singers’ diction and both were spot on.
Nottingham Arts Blog
HENRY V
Although a history play, the best moments in Illyria’s rain-soaked, open-air production of Henry V were the marvellous comic scenes. With only five players and no scenery, the need for quick changes of clothes and character added to the sense of fun and informality. The reconstruction of Agincourt using a garden rake, a cricket bat and some toy arrows was ingenious. The drama and gravitas of the politics and war, however, were not overshadowed. James Dangerfield as Henry was powerful and imposing. And the weather gave an added realism to the grim “rainy marching in the painful field” of Act Four. The downpours forged a strong bond between soaked players and stoical, sodden audience – a band of brothers against the elements – which made for a quite memorable evening.
Brighton Evening Argos
The great speeches were made to come over perfectly – "Once more unto the breech" was done in the midst of real smoke, and "St Crispin's Day" was beautifully articulated. In fact, first-rate articulation and projection was a feature of every single performance.
Nottingham Post
Illyria has a well-earned reputation for its open air performances; using limited props, no microphones, amplifiers or scenery and encouraging the audience’s imagination. James Dangerfiled in the titular role did a superb job of juxtaposing the young and reckless King Harry’s complex character, shifting between willful, proud and hungry for war, to bouts of fear, anger and self-doubt as the Battle of Agincourt looms. He, and the other actors, were also adept at slipping from emotionally charged scenes to the mood-lightning escapades of the smaller players, such as Pistol, Nymph and Bardolph. The cast also had fun playing with stereotypes of the English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh and French, particularly in the battles scenes where they made the most of the limited production value, giving an extra air of authenticity in echoing how things would have looked from travelling troupes back in the Shakespearian era.
The Hague Online
Illyria’s performance of Henry V has all the qualities which have made Oliver Gray’s productions so popular. James Dangerfield in the title role produces an outstanding portrayal of a man imbued, to the point of obsession, with a belief in the importance of his kingship, his England and his words – and all these in God’s name. However this show is very far from a one man band and its success is based on very strong and typically Illyrian ensemble playing and a host of inventive and often comic touches. Wisely the cast of just five almost parody the battle scenes with mock arrows, swordfights and detached arms and legs, but the seriousness of the history-making Battle of Agincourt is always kept in view.
Blackpool Gazette
You are viewing the text version of this site.
To view the full version please install the Adobe Flash Player and ensure your web browser has JavaScript enabled.
Need help? check the requirements page.
