Amsterdam, Orange Tree Theatre - ★★★★ - Until October 12, 2019


A mysterious letter from the past which will unravel a story of love, betrayal and survival. This is a great setup for a tale which is bound to capture an audience's interest. The horrors of World War II echo into the present and make us consider the kind of world that we are living in and creating. Amsterdam has a fascinating narrative which resonates relevance to our current situation and connects the past and the present in a fascinating way. The haunting spectre of history is wonderfully invoked in a manner that makes the city come alive and universalises it into our current time and place. The drawback for us was the framework used to tell this gripping, atmospheric tale. The notion of an improvisational drama, which has clearly been written and rehearsed, distracted from the artful counterpoint of past and present senses of identity and political reality rather than complementing them. The constant breaking of the fourth wall with translations and commentary also seemed unnecessary. This is a story that is strong enough and interesting enough to sustain a linear telling. Still, the cast did an admirable job of holding us enthralled by the complex moral machinations of the WW II story and how they intersected with and affected the life of the major protagonist. There was some excellent character development here and all four cast members were credible as they bounced between roles. The direction was strong and kept our focus and attention. So, despite the awkwardness of the framing device, this is a strong story brought to life by an excellent cast. A terrific night in the theatre!

Reviewed by J.C.

  Our Score:  ☆☆☆☆ 

Want to save on tickets? See our Tips page.

WHEN, WHERE, GETTING THERE:
Until October 12, 2019
Mon - Sat: 7:30 pm, Tue & Sat: 2:30 pm
The Orange Tree Theatre
Map & Location: 1 Clarence St, Richmond TW9 2SA, UK

Most Popular

St. Martin in-the-fields: Lunchtime Concerts ★★★★ FREE

Image
Maybe the best musical value in London. The lunchtime concerts at St. Martin's are always a wonderful way to escape the hustle and bustle that is London and the sensory overload that is Trafalgar Square. This is a beautiful setting with great acoustics, and a church pew hard enough to make sure you don't nod off. Reviewed by J.C.  Our score:    ☆☆☆☆  WHEN, WHERE, GETTING THERE: Mon & Fri: 1 pm - 1:45 pm ( occasionally Tues & Thurs)  St. Martin in-the-fields, Trafalgar Square Nearest tube: Charing Cross https://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/whats-on
Full Details »

Fuseli and the Modern Woman: Fashion, Fantasy, Fetishism ★★★★ The Courtauld | Oct 14, 2022 - Jan 8, 2023

Image
For being intriguing and provocative, Henry Fuseli's life rivals his work. Born in 1741, he was raised to be a protestant clergyman, but he upset his parents' expectations to become an artist. Later as a pillar of the British artistic establishment, he had another side to his character that would have shocked many of his contemporaries. This delightful exhibition that offers a tantalising insight into both the man and his work is divided into three sections: The Medusa of the Hearth, The Other Side of Venus and Dangerous Liaisons. The groupings reveal Fuseli's preoccupation with the female form, his obsession with curious hairstyles and his erotic idiosyncrasies. While these drawings and watercolours may be somewhat transgressive in their subject matter, what is undeniable is the extraordinary quality of Fuseli's draughtsmanship. The stunningly executed pieces demonstrate the self-taught artist's extraordinary skills in all their subtlety and variety. The exhibition...
Full Details »

Mr Jones ★★★★ Finborough Theatre | Oct 28 - Nov 22, 2025

Image
On 21 October 1966, the small Welsh village of Aberfan became the site of a heartbreaking disaster that captured the world’s attention. When 150,000 tonnes of mining waste cascaded down a hillside, engulfing the local school and killing 144 people, including 116 children, the world mourned the senseless loss. The sheer scale of such horrors can make them seem almost abstract, and their incomprehensible nature often leaves us numbed. In this powerful two-hander, playwright Liam Holmes brings the Aberfan tragedy vividly to life by focusing on one young couple caught in its shadow. Stephen Jones is a carefree teenager whose ambitions reach no further than becoming the village rugby star and courting his childhood sweetheart, Angharad. Content with his simple dreams, he believes himself to be winning at the game of life. Holmes, as Stephen, and Mabli Gwynne, as Angharad, both deliver deeply moving performances. Their innocent affection and flirtatious banter feel as authentic as their late...
Full Details »

Wright of Derby: From the Shadows ★★★★★ The National Gallery | Nov 7, 2025 - May 10, 2026

Image
This exhibition is the first comprehensive showcase devoted to Joseph Wright’s celebrated candlelit works, featuring pieces from 1765 to 1773. Wright of Derby emerges as a master of contrast, using the interplay of shadow and illumination to craft scenes that are both dramatic and thought-provoking. Evoking the intensity of earlier masters such as Caravaggio and drawing on the tradition of tenebrism, Wright’s manipulation of light and shadow imbues each scene with tension and theatricality. Figures gather around an array of objects, from classical sculptures and scientific tools to animal specimens and anatomical curiosities. Through these attentive observers, Wright examines the act of seeing itself, inviting viewers to reflect on curiosity, morality, and human perception. Beyond his technical brilliance in rendering light, he uses nocturnal settings to probe deeper, darker themes, including mortality, melancholy, and the sublime. His work resonates with an underlying sense of questio...
Full Details »

The Line of Beauty ★★★★ Almeida Theatre | Oct 21 - Nov 29, 2025

Image
Like Lambert Strether from The Ambassadors and Charles Ryder from Brideshead Revisited before him, Nick Guest also wanders into an upper class world of amoral complexity which both bewilders and challenges him. In Jack Holden's dramatic adaptation of Alan Hollinghurst's novel, The Line of Beauty , the focus is on the enduring British obsession with class, intertwined with a historical examination of the evolution of gay rights during the AIDS pandemic. The relationship of aesthetic absolutism to ethical relativism, with the pursuit of the line of beauty leading to an obsession with a line of cocaine, is referenced, but it remains largely under explored. This is unfortunate since it is that theme which is perhaps the most subtly and interestingly developed in Hollinghurst's novel. Nevertheless the production is a powerful family drama which carries the audience along as Nick deals with being an openly gay man in Thatcher's Britain and being caught between two echelons ...
Full Details »

Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) ★★★★★ Criterion Theatre | Apr 4 - Aug 31, 2024

Image
She's a rather cynical, world weary New Yorker. He's a naïve, overly enthusiastic Brit. They are brought together by his father's wedding to her sister, and they have nothing in common except the capacity for some extremely amusing barbs and banter. We all know how this is going to end, but the fun is in the emotional journey and its satisfyingly comfortable conclusion. Not surprisingly, it turns out that his relentless optimism and her wary skepticism both mask disappointments and losses which they will come to terms with as they carry their shared burden across the Big Apple and come to know each other. This is a delightful two-hander that is intended as a romcom for millennials, but like all representatives of the genre it ultimately depends on the chemistry of its principals. Both Sam Tutty as Dougal and Dujonna Gift as Robin bring their A-game to these performances. They are immediately likeable, and we are instantly rooting for them. Tutty exudes a puppy-like charm an...
Full Details »

Coven ★★ Kiln Theatre | Until January 17, 2026

Image
Coven seeks to transform the seventeenth-century obsession with witches into a musical in the spirit of Six . The historical horror becomes an anachronistic retelling inspired by the Pendle Witch Trials and by the idea that Jenet Device, a child witness in the 1612 trials, later became a victim of the dark arts hysteria in 1633. In the first act, Jenet is imprisoned with several women accused of witchcraft although their 'crimes' really consist of practicing natural healing, assisting in childbirth, or offending powerful men. All are victims of a repressive patriarchy, an authoritarian church, and a deeply corrupt legal system. However, the portrayal of these women and their stories feels heavy-handed, and by the end of Act I the central narrative and main character remain uncertain. Only in the second act, through a flashback that explores Jenet’s psyche, do we learn her history and recognise her as the true protagonist. The scattered plot threads from the first act then begi...
Full Details »

Crocodile Fever ★★★★★ Arcola Theatre | Oct 17 - 22 Nov, 2025

Image
In this gruesome absurdist comedy, two very different sisters confront both the memories and the reality of an oppressive father. Playwright Meghan Tyler has crafted a darkly humorous work that shocks and amuses in equal measure. Just when you think you have seen everything, she takes the absurdity to yet another level. As in many contemporary Irish plays, this domestic conflict serves as an allegory for the island’s political divisions. Here, however, the message is presented as a wonderfully goofy and gory feast. Fianna, the free-spirited sister, rebels openly against their tyrannical parent (read as Britain). She has even served time in prison and is now linked to the IRA. Allanah, by contrast, obeys and conforms, embodying repression and religiosity as she caters to the demands of her vicious, bedridden father. At first, the sisters seem entirely opposed, but gradually they recognise their shared oppression and unite in an attempt to murder their father. That plan, however, proves ...
Full Details »

Porn Play ★★★ Royal Court Theatre | Nov 6 - Dec 13, 2025

Image
Ani is a successful academic who lectures on Milton and has recently won an award for her latest book. She is in a relationship with a sensitive, gentle man, and on the surface, she seems to have it all. Yet beneath her success, Ani harbours a preoccupation with violent pornography which threatens to undermine both her personal and professional life. Sophia Chetin-Leuner’s drama explores two intertwined themes: the transgressive nature of sexual fantasies which gain their erotic power from being taboo and the fact that obsessive behaviour often stems from unresolved trauma. Ani’s addiction to porn and her excessive masturbation initially serve to numb her grief over her mother’s death. However over time, they begin to erode both her relationships and career. These themes are then developed through literary concepts, primarily drawn from Milton. The play opens with a reference to the Narcissus myth, which is later illuminated in Ani’s lecture on Paradise Lost , where she examines Milton...
Full Details »

Power of Sail – A Moral Thriller ★★★★ Menier Chocolate Factory | Mar 20 - May 12, 2024

Image
The bon mot that academic politics are so vicious precisely because the stakes are so small has various attributions, and its history of apparently being "borrowed" is not without some irony. Set in the context of a debate about free speech, Paul Grellong has written a piece that is less a moral thriller and more of a satire. It is really about the pettiness and lack of principle involved in navigating one's way through the choppy seas of academia. The play doesn't really do much to advance the debate about finding the line between hate speech and free speech, but it is a clinical dissection of the mendacity and petty ambition that infects the environment of those who are supposedly charged with exploring and refining that important distinction. Apparently under the rubric of free speech, Harvard professor Charles Nichols (Julian Ovenden) has invited a well-known white supremacist to participate in a panel at the university. The students are outraged and the dean is ...
Full Details »

The City Life Magazine | Reviews & Ratings