Ibsen’s paradoxical reputation as the fearless experimenter and driver of social change of his day, and as a writer of somewhat fusty GCSE drama texts, makes him a risky choice for a small theatre company, particularly one like Sell A Door with a commitment to bringing young people to the theatre. Yet what better play to explore Ibsen’s troubled legacy than Ghosts, directed by Anna Fox at the Greenwich Theatre; a play about old ideals and dead ideas which are nevertheless insidiously prevalent.

On entering the theatre one is met with the sound of the howling wind as one surveys a stage that is traditionally naturalistic with a twist. It is sparsely populated with tastefully, though somehow haphazardly, arranged period furniture. Rather than the usual cramped box, the auditorium is gratifyingly spacious, the stage bordered on three sides by a fabric backdrop hanging from a metal rail. This backdrop is painted almost childishly with what may be a Norwegian fjord or a Scottish loch; it gives the play an ethereal quality, foregrounding notions of interiority and exteriority, reality and artifice. The openness of the space provides a welcome counterpoint to the usual stifling claustrophobia of Ibsen.

The small cast is strong: the characters are precisely and quaintly drawn, but are occasionally at risk of descending into cartoonish archetypes. Tamaryn Payne, (of Hollyoaks fame) delivers a competent Regina, a maid with delusions of grandeur which are, in Payne’s case, perhaps a little too convincing; she stands prim and proper in a spotless white blouse and navy skirt, proclaiming in an exaggerated and affected RP, occasionally giving a bell or a table top a cursory wipe with a lace handkerchief. Her mistress Mrs Alving, played by Deborah Blake, makes a grand entrance to the stage, flamboyantly dressed, with a calm and comfortably refined surface concealing tempestuous depths. The male characters are appropriately impotent and ridiculous, though perhaps lacking some of the complexity of the female characters. Liam Smith’s Engstrand is an almost lovable alcoholic rogue who brings a touch of humour to the piece, while Robert Gill’s Pastor Manders is almost effeminate at times in his shrill and sanctimonious social outrage, but remains a powerful and accurate portrayal of the voice of male-dominated religious conservatism. Jason Langley creates a charismatically tortured Oswald, who is, like much of the piece, too restrained to fully connect.

The blurb states that although Ghosts was “penned in 1881, it is not hard for us to see the parallels in our own society”. If this were indeed the intention, not enough is done to highlight this. Ghosts has all the classic Ibsenian tropes of a runaway wife, a fallen woman, suppression, repression, and financial ruin precipitated by greed and carelessness; yet the play remains too faithful to the text and form of the play for any of its scandalous original impact to be felt. What remains, however, is a subtle yet powerful play deftly staged and performed, raising questions relevant to us all. Can we escape our past or our past selves? What solace can life and one’s family provide in the face of irreparable trauma? How does one find the “joy of life” in this “vale of tears”? As you may guess from these questions the play is not exactly laugh-a-minute, but neither is it, as a woman in the bar damningly sighed, “heavy”. It is a thoughtful, accomplished production, which may even leave you wanting more.

Ghosts is playing at Greenwich Theatre until Sunday 5 May. For more information and tickets, see the Greenwich Theatre website.

If you are thinking of heading down to Greenwich Theatre to see My Big Gay Italian Wedding then be sure to book using our AYT offer code to get tickets for just £12. Promising to be a music and dance-filled extravaganza, this production looks like it will be a fun night out to the theatre! Scroll down to see how to claim the offer.

My Big Gay Italian Wedding
Greenwich Theatre, Wed 3 – Sun 7 April 2013 | 8pm

Calling all you Single Ladies (and men!). Following its critically acclaimed UK tour and sell-out Greenwich season, this comic tour-de-force is mincing back to Greenwich Theatre for one final heart stopping ceremony. Come and join the congregation as this off-Broadway cult hit continues its European Premiere.

Andrew and Anthony are getting married – and everyone wants to “help”! My Big Gay Italian Wedding spins into a hysterical fiasco as everyone tries to have their own way.

Warning – this production is not for the faint hearted. It’s not LEAR it’s QUEER!

Wear your best hat not any old tat!

Claim the offer
To get £12 tickets, simply quote ‘BIGGAY’ when booking online before Sunday 31 March.

“War is just business”, even in the twenty-first century. As Blackeyed Theatre brings Brecht’s anti-war play forward some 400 years, it’s obvious that his challenges are just as relevant today as ever. The Second World War may no longer loom over us, but we have our own evils to tackle; the various Middle Eastern conflicts of the past decade or so are saturated with human rights abuses, the deaths of uncountable innocents, and the profits gathered by arms dealers, re-construction companies, security firms and the financial institutions (and even universities) which invest in such businesses.

There’s no sign of the iconic canvas-covered wagon, replaced instead by a metal truck with serving hatches, while reflective discomfort is achieved with projections of scene summaries and iPod-style playlists, guitars which are pointed as guns, and brash, upbeat songs which never allow us to forget that this is merely acting. The small cast slip between roles with ease, using simple clothing changes as in Georgina Hall’s sublime transformation from harsh-accented solider to simple Kattrin or sassy prostitute Yvette with the striking red leopard-print heels.

Janet Greaves takes on the title role as the undoubted queen of the production. Her Mother Courage is a very credible rough Londoner of a matriarch, the kind of woman that is probably to be found on most council estates in the country: a single mother fiercely guarding her brood from the dangers of the world. JJ Henry gives an excellent performance as the hapless Chaplain, while Jacob Addley’s instant role change between male and female Irish peasant is hilarious.

Blackeyed Theatre’s production is charmingly comical, an impression which unsettles and contrasts with the tragedy of the devastation we witness. The company succeed in forcing the audience to reflect abstractly on this mish mash of a play, casting our eyes on our own reality, our own struggles and conflicts, in a manner Brecht himself would have approved of.

Mother Courage and Her Children was at the Greenwich Theatre until Saturday 13 of October and will tour various theatres in the UK including the Lakeside Arts Centre in Nottingham, the Civic Theatre in Chelmsford and the Guidhall Theatre in Derby. For more information, visit the Blackeyed Theatre website.

Walking in from the historic streets of the Royal Borough of Greenwich on a beautifully sunny afternoon, the stark, smoky and dimly lit set of Greenwich Theatre’s production of RENT made quite a striking contrast. In the blink of an eye we are transported across the Atlantic to New York’s Lower East Side and the creative hubbub of the bohemian Alphabet City, populated by impoverished artists and musicians.

The camaraderie between these struggling performers was portrayed wonderfully by the company from the get go; all of the ensemble numbers were lively but the two obvious highlight – not just of this but any production of RENT – are ‘La Vie Boheme’ and ‘Seasons of Love’. The group vocals were strong and the chorus were charismatic. Those in smaller roles gave as much to their performance as the leads, particularly those acting in the ‘Voice Mail’ pieces. ‘Voice Mail #5′, with its well timed repetition, portrayed very well the worrying parents of our heroes.

Stephanie Fearon was suitably sweet and vulnerable in the role of Mimi Marquez and she smashed it with her first solo number, ‘Out Tonight’ – the vocals were spot on and the dancing was superbly sexy.

Edward Handoll’s portrayal of Roger was more shy than I had previously seen in other productions. I always think of Roger as one of the leaders of the group and as such a little more boldness wouldn’t have gone amiss in this performance. Although Roger can shrink back due to the tormenting memory of the death of his girlfriend April and the awareness that he is HIV positive, he should be more moody and less wallflower in my opinion.

Although the character of Maureen is undoubtedly supposed to be a huge drama queen I couldn’t help feeling it was way overdone. Zoe Birkett’s can only be defined as a ‘marmite performance’, and although she received plenty of appreciative cheers from the crowd, as she threw herself around the stage and flashed her bare buttocks – such gregariousness left me cold. We didn’t need her rolling around the floor while Mimi was potentially in the grip of death; it turned what was supposed to be an emotional moment into a complete farce. I don’t consider myself a prude and love over the top theatrics as much as the next reviewer, but I found myself continually cringing.

Jamie Birkett on the other hand, who played Maureen’s lesbian lover Joanne, stole the show. She lent some wonderful quirky moments to a role that is usually very straight-laced, making Joanne a likeable character and capturing my attention even when she was not the main focus. I also loved her costumes the most – the masculine shirt, trousers and braces combined with the more feminine heels was fabulously fierce.

She also played well off Benjamin Stratton’s Mark in ‘Tango: Maureen’ and the choreography was amusing and well timed. Stratton’s accent was also easily the best in the show and I loved listening to him.

Gary Wood’s performance as the très chic Angel Dumott Schunard was fearless, silly and he had me giggling the most. His relationship with Mikel Sylvanus’ Tom Collins was very believable and Sylavanus’ reprise of ‘I’ll Cover You’ was full of emotion.

To conclude, if you’re after a night of camp fun and catchy songs, look no further than RENT.

RENT is playing at the Greenwich Theatre until Sunday 16 September. For more information and tickets please see the Greenwich Theatre website. Photography by Claire Bilyard.