Northanger Abbey Theatre by the Lake, Keswick Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Jo Hardy
A joint production with Octagon Theatre Bolton, Orange Tree Theatre and Stephen Joseph Theatre. Written by Zoe Cooper and based on the Jane Austen novel, I have never read this novel, but I have heard it called a Gothic parody, as I took my seat, I really had no idea what to expect, but looking at the fabulous stage set of bright pink with a huge pink chandelier in the middle. I wouldn’t have been surprised if Barbie had come out onto the stage.
There was no Barbie, the first character we met was Cath, she connected with the audience by walking around the seating and chatting on her way to the stage, the story is based around Cath played by Rebecca Banatvala who trying to escape a boring life is taken to Bath with some family friends to look for some excitement and romance. In her words she is “longing for balls “ which raised a giggle from the audience, this type of playful innuendo was peppered throughout the show.
Cath is the narrator in the show swapping from 1st to 3rd person, which at times I found a bit difficult to keep up with.
There is only a cast of three, each of them playing many parts and they were all remarkable, in this fast paced and very wordy production, they were word perfect with impeccable comic timing, for me I think each one of them played too many parts, at one point we had to make do with a jacket lying on the floor rather than an actor, I found all the character swapping took a lot of concentration, and I could never fully relax into the show, just one more cast member would of made all the difference.
There were some very funny scenes, my favourite being the country dancing and riding in the carriage, Sam Newton was so funny with great expressions.
They did an amazing job with very few props, mainly some trunks, a table, and a few chairs. The chandeliers played a big part in setting the tone of the scenes being raised and lowered to fit the mood and it did work. The lighting was also very good, very cleverly turning a bright pink set into a dark Gothic castle.
At the end of the show I was left feeling a bit confused was the real romance between Kath and Iz? I’m not sure, I also felt worn out, this show really makes the audience work hard, I did enjoy it, it was a work out for my mind.
Northanger Abbey will be showing at theatre by the lake from Saturday, the 27th of April until Friday, the 17th of May. The show runs for two hours 30 minutes starting at 7:30 with a 2 pm matinee on selected days and is suitable for ages 12 and above ticket. Prices start at £12. and can be booked on the theatre website theatrebythelake.com
https://www.theatrebythelake.com/event/northanger-abbey/
Rating: 4/5