PRIVATE PEACEFUL (Box Less Theatre/Barn Theatre)****

 

By Louise

Link: https://barntheatre.org.uk/privatepeaceful-stream-page-the-barn-theatre

Available until: 2^nd May

Michael Morpurgo is probably most famous for his novel War Horse, which was adapted for the stage and performed at the National Theatre. The production was available to watch on the National Theatre’s website earlier in lockdown.

But he wrote a lot of other books too, including Private Peaceful, which is also set in wartime. There are three Peaceful brothers – Joe, Charlie and Tommo. Joe is a lovely disabled boy who is very kind and loves animals. Charlie and Tommo spend a lot of time together and they make friends with a girl called Molly. Some of the story is about when they are children and part of it is about when Charlie and Tommo go to fight in the war.

AN ELEPHANT IN THE GARDEN (Barn Theatre)****

 

By Alba

Link: https://barntheatre.org.uk/elephant-in-the-garden 

Available until: 18^th April 2021

Age rating: 8+

An Elephant in the Garden is based on a book by Michael Morpurgo. He wrote War Horse too. He writes proper books. I don’t like soppy books and I think Harry Potter is total stinking rubbish but Michael Morpurgo writes about real stuff.

THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY (Lawrence Batley Theatre/Barn Theatre/New Wolsey Theatre/Oxford Playhouse/Theatr Clwyd)****

 

By Aashiq 

Link: https://www.pictureofdoriangray.com 

Available until: Performances every day until Wednesday 31^st March. Access is for 48 hours.

Yes, I know I’ve already written one review today, but I needed cheering up. It didn’t work or anything, but I want to review it and if anyone tries to stop me, they’ll soon wish they hadn’t. I’m just not worth the stress.

Earlier in lockdown, Barn Theatre, the Lawrence Batley Theatre and New Wolsey Theatre did a play/film together called What a Carve Up!. Luckily, the public saw its brilliance, and its success meant that the theatres decided to team up again for a new project, only this time they let the Oxford Playhouse and Theatr Clwyd in on it. Which makes it a proper international production, but it did confuse me, going to the theatre websites and seeing that every theatre in existence had decided to do Dorian Gray all at the same time. It was like A Christmas Carol all over again, only without the turkey. It was only once they all started showing identical images for their productions that I realised the whole world hadn’t gone Wilde.

THE SECRET SOCIETY OF LEADING LADIES (Barn Theatre)***

By Imogen

Link: https://barntheatre.org.uk/secret-society-240221

Available until: Performances every night at 7.30pm until Sunday 7^th March.

The Secret Society of Leading Ladies is like a private concert just for you. The Barn Theatre has gathered together fourteen musical theatre stars, each singing a showstopping song from a hit musical. There are songs from modern classics like Waitress and Mean Girls (nothing from Six though despite having two Queens in the cast) but they’ve also got musicals like The Wizard of Oz and Fame for old people (though I quite like Fame to be fair, I saw Keith Jack in that and he is to die for.)

MARRY ME A LITTLE (Barn Theatre)****

 

 

By Emma

Link: https://barntheatre.org.uk/all-venues £13.50

Available until: Further livestreams on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 7.30pm. The stream is available for 24 hours.

Stephen Sondheim wrote a lot of songs for his musicals but not all of them made the final cut. Marry Me a Little is a collection of cut songs from several of his musicals including Company, A Little Night Music and Follies, plus a couple of songs which I think did make the final cut for their musicals but they were reused here, probably to make the story clearer.

WHAT A CARVE UP (Barn Theatre/Lawrence Batley Theatre/New Wolsey Theatre)****

 

By Cal

Link: https://www.whatacarveup.com £12 or £16 with goody bag (programme plus a selection of recipes)

Available until: The performance you book becomes available at 7.30pm on the day of the performance and can be accessed for 48 hours. The final performance is on 29^th November 2020.

Warning: 16+ - features strong language and graphic descriptions of murder

What a Carve Up! is based on a novel by Jonathan Coe from 1991, though Henry Filloux-Bennett’s adaption includes scenes set in the present and addresses some of the issues we’re facing now. I would say What a Carve Up! is a film rather than a play as it is filmed on location - with social-distancing, from what I remember (I was too focused on the story to take note of this properly) though it seems very much a play about the distance between people, whether that’s physical or emotional or a time distance or separation due to death. The title might suggest a comedy and it has been described as a satire, but it didn’t really seem that way to me – though perhaps it might have done if I was old enough to remember Margaret Thatcher (I don’t even really remember Tony Blair but I’ve been told that’s probably for the best) or if I’d seen the comedy film from which the play takes his name. The political situation of the present seems more a tragedy than anything else and I can’t really imagine seeing the humour in it.