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Searching undeterred: The Gift @ParkTheatre

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I recently had a few parcels go missing from where I live. The first parcel disappeared without a trace. The second parcel's contents were removed, and the box was left alone in the lobby. It's one of the things that you have to put up with living in central London. Apart from complaining to the delivery company and filing a police report, it crossed my mind to think about what would happen if I sent myself something rather unpleasant for a future parcel thief to open up. Well, Dave Florez's new work, The Gift, is in this line of thinking, except that the lead receives an anonymous gift of a turd in the mail rather than sending it to himself. It is lovingly gift-wrapped in a cake box from a posh north London bakery. It's a fascinating and hilarious three-hander currently playing at Park Theatre .  Colin (Nicholas Burns) is a little obsessive at the best of times. He doesn't let things drop quickly and is obsessed with the details behind anything and everythi...

Drinking and jazzin': The Great Gatsby @Blackeyedtheatr


It’s the jazz age and there is plenty of period music, and lively performances in this spirited and youthful adaptation of The Great Gatsby by Blackeyed Theatre.

In this adaptation by Stephen Sharkey, which was commissioned to mark the 90th anniversary of the novel’s publication, live music is combined with F. Scott Fitzgerald’s writing to give a period flavour to the evening.



Gatsby (played by Max Roll) is young, carefree and can play a mean clarinet. He is surrounded by  other young but careless people who are determined to have a good time while playing musical instruments as well.

But the star of the show has to be Adam Jowett, who as Nick Carraway, narrates the piece with alternating between youthful vigor and general indifference about the circle of friends and the opulent lifestyle that surrounds them. By the end of the piece you feel like you have been on a journey with him.

Of course you have to imagine the opulent surroundings. The production, which resourceful is also quite minimalist. Seeing it in the cavernous space of the Greenwich Theatre also meant that you really had to use your imagination to picture the grandeur of it all. But no doubt other more intimate venues the show is touring to will serve it better.

This production is on a tour across the UK including dates in Portsmouth, Worthing, Kirkcaldy, Basildon, Wolverhampton, Newark and Cambridge through to March 2016.

An impressive show from Blackened Theatre, which since being founded in 2004 has produced 14 touring productions. It is based in Bracknell, Berkshire. Check their website for touring dates and more details.

⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

Photos: production photos by Mark Holiday

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