amateur – Cultivated

The Tempest

James Goffin — Mon, 21 Oct 2019 14:08:32 +0000

In what is a heavily-contested field, The Tempest is one of Shakespeare’s craziest plays.

Much Ado About Nothing

James Goffin — Mon, 23 Sep 2019 13:27:17 +0000

Despite a mafia-themed opening this production of Shakespeare’s comedy owes more stylistically to a Hitchcock thriller than the Godfather.

Stories Down The Line

James Goffin — Sat, 21 Sep 2019 18:57:17 +0000

The rise and fall of Norfolk’s railways – or rather the people that used them – are at the heart of this charming community theatre piece.

A View From The Bridge

James Goffin — Tue, 23 Jul 2019 18:02:30 +0000

Miller’s classic tragedy of lust and betrayal is given a bold and confident reworking in this stylish Maddermarket production.

Waiting In The Wings

James Goffin — Mon, 15 Jul 2019 17:07:31 +0000

The superficially wispy plot of this Noel Coward play hides a darkly comic and sharp take on ageing and the lives we live.

Toward Zero

James Goffin — Fri, 28 Jun 2019 17:25:54 +0000

Love drives people to strange actions in this accomplished performance, at the Maddermarket Theatre, of a rarely seen Agatha Christie adaptation.

For Services Rendered

James Goffin — Sat, 20 Apr 2019 18:46:42 +0000

There can be a risk that period pieces wrenched from their context lose their power. That isn’t the case with W Somerset Maugham’s For Services Rendered.

Faustus

James Goffin — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 20:34:12 +0000

This is the story of a man who wants everything, and is willing to sell his soul to the devil to get it – and it’s a production that has high ambitions too.

The 39 Steps

James Goffin — Sat, 16 Feb 2019 20:43:02 +0000

This stupendously silly spy thriller is a delight from start to finish.

Diary Of A Nobody

James Goffin — Thu, 22 Nov 2018 20:20:28 +0000

It’s not quite pantomime season, but this pacey and curious production has the warmth, absurdity, and frequent cross-dressing to almost qualify for that dubious label.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

James Goffin — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 20:48:35 +0000

Staging one of Shakespeare’s most well-known plays is always a dilemma: play it straight or attempt to reinvent? This youth theatre production mostly keeps it simple, allowing some great performances to take centre stage.

Accidental Death of an Anarchist

James Goffin — Fri, 24 Nov 2017 21:01:02 +0000

Dario Fo’s famous farce leaves a unavoidable impression in this lively production by the Sewell Barn Company.

Larkrise

James Goffin — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 18:51:38 +0000

It can be difficult to imagine that much of Norfolk was once spotted with the rural communities depicted in Keith Dewhurst’s Lark Rise, but this creative and delicate production brings those past years back to life.

Taking Steps

James Goffin — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 19:16:37 +0000

With so many plays to pick from it remains a mystery to me why groups so regularly turn to Alan Ayckbourn’s playbook. This production of Taking Steps provides no answer.

Kissing Sid James

James Goffin — Fri, 05 May 2017 19:41:11 +0000

What happens when two near strangers spend too much time together? That’s the crux of Robert Farquhar’s two-hander about a lonely man and woman who throw the dice on a weekend in rainy Blackpool.

Antigone

James Goffin — Fri, 07 Apr 2017 19:03:57 +0000

This tense and thoughtful play, rooted in ancient Greek myth, is given a tender handling by the Theatre Royal’s youth company.

Burying Your Brother In The Pavement

James Goffin — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 19:06:42 +0000

This sparky, surprising, and brilliant exposition on grief, love, and family, bounds along thanks to a superbly talented young cast and pinpoint direction.

Candide

James Goffin — Fri, 16 Dec 2016 20:14:39 +0000

Innuendo, cross dressing, and people pretending to be animals – but no, it’s not panto, it’s a rather ribald adaptation of Voltaire’s Candide, brought to life by the Norwich Theatre Royal’s Youth Company.

Cyrano de Bergerac

James Goffin — Fri, 21 Oct 2016 19:22:36 +0000

A play about words is a risky one for a critic; one largely about love is doubly troubling for us unhappiest of all artists.

Return To The Forbidden Planet

James Goffin — Sat, 23 Jul 2016 19:28:24 +0000

Buckle up – you’re about to have you senses assaulted by a crazed mash-up of Shakespeare and 60s rock and roll hits. And mostly in a good way.