The Secret Adversary, The Watermill, Newbury. Until March 21.
To be honest, I’m not quite sure what to make of the latest offering from the Watermill.
To be honest, I’m not quite sure what to make of the latest offering from the Watermill.
‘Butter me barnacles’, as Captain Hook says – what a wonderful show! Robin Belfield and Simon Slater have collaborated before at the Watermill - Pinocchio, Wind in the Willows, Treasure Island - so expectations were high. Every single one was exceeded: I smiled from first sight of the huge blue moon through to the storming finale two hours later.
This is the story of one day in the trenches of World War I. Playwright RC Sherriff, who became a Hollywood screenwriter on films such as Goodbye Mr Chips and The Dambusters, fought at Passchendaele, where he said he met all his characters.
When Hardboiled began, I have to say my heart sank. It was very loud and too dark to see what was going on, and I’m too old to sit in the dark for two hours. Then the lights came up and suddenly we were in Philip Marlowe territory, with PI (or Gumshoe, naturally) Sam Shadow (Julian Spooner) in his downtown LA office, with PA Betty (Jess Mabel Jones). And off we went on a rollicking pastiche of every film noir known to man.
The message is very simple: just ring the box office on 01635 46044 and book your tickets now.
Sense and Sensibility is like an old much-loved coat. Its familiarity is a goodly part of its charm, and you know it will wrap you in warmth, making you feel good without much of an effort on your part. This exquisite production shows that sometimes that old coat is made of cashmere.
The Watermill’s brilliance at musical theatre hasn’t yet encompassed opera, though it’s probably only a matter of time.
In this day and age, the idea that someone would spy for Russia seems almost quaint but this is the subject of this double bill.
This charming play brings to mind Last of the Summer Wine, with three old soldiers planning one last adventure, complete with 200lb stone dog.
As I was washed into the theatre in a sea of children, I couldn’t help but marvel yet again at the ingenuity of the Watermill’s set designers.
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