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The calibre of the multi-faceted cast was superb and they brought new humour and sparkle to Jane Austen’s legendary tale. “It’s so good I don’t want to it end!” the woman next to me whispered during the second act. And I had to agree with her. A male friend of mine said he’d rather chew off his own leg than endure anything Austen-related, but this play had been flawlessly adapted for the stage and afterwards even he admitted that he had been highly entertained. So book your tickets and support this talented new production company! You can’t go wrong!
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Miss J Fine, London
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Brilliant! Barons Court Theatre's stage has been turned into the cosy living room of Nora and Torvald Helmer. It's so close in that you feel as if you're literally in there with them. Joanna O'Connor as Nora is truly awesome. A bundle of girlish energy until the end when - if this doesn't spoil it - she literally lays Torvald to waste and becomes a powerful, decisive woman. You could've heard a pin drop in the final scene and a woman a couple of seats from me was crying her eyes out. James Kingdon, who took over the role (of Torvald), is tremendous as the patriarchal Victorian gentleman - quite frightening when he loses his temper. Great credit also to Richard Ashley who plays Dr Rank with glorious pathos. …. Duncan Malcolm (Krogstad) …. was well cast and brought quiet depth to the character. Absolutely adored Claire Dixon as Christine. What a beautiful interpretation and so watchable. Go see it while you still can, you won't be disappointed!
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Hannah Chambers, Hutton
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A Doll's House was truly a wonderful performance. My attention was not diverted for a single moment….. Ingatestone Hall was a great setting for the play as indeed it was for A Christmas Carol last year. I hope to see many more of your productions there….Thanks again for a most entertaining and thought provoking evening.
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Bryan Shedel, Essex
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Really Good! I was very impressed.
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Rebecca Wood, Essex
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It never ceases to amaze me how Myriad, with such minimal resources, produce such delightful shows. Mantao, so colourful and beautiful, with a solid ensemble cast performing multiple roles. A happy antidote to the grim atmostphere of the Drift of Ice. Joanna O’Connor’s spirited and at times manic Hella was magnificent, which made the concluding tragedy all the more haunting. I shall continue to warmly recommend Myriad’s shows.
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Gloria Jones, Essex
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Two beautifully contrasted one act plays. “The Drift of Ice” was deeply thought provoking and disturbing. A perceptive observation of human nature. “Mantao the Jester King” was both a visual and verbal treat, touching and funny…. I do hope this production is revived.
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M Aarons, Grays
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Saw 'A Doll's House' last Friday and was very impressed. The combination of the cast's convincing performance in such an ideal venue for this work made for a very enjoyable evening. I'll definitely be going to see more of this company's productions.
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Pete Blanchard, Southend on Sea.
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Wow! Amazing! Mantao was so feel good! You were all great! I just can’t stop talking about it. It really makes me smile. I wish everyone could see this.
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Mark Skingsley, London
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Loved Mantao last night! was awesome!
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A Charles, Wendover
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Totally brilliant performances by Joanna O’Connor as the unfortunate Hella, James Kingdon, especially the sympathetic cameo of Uncle William and later the Man with the Elephant Ears, and the rest of the cast, not least Emma Kedge for her acutely observed performance as Aunt Malvina. I thought that Costa Chard as Mantao was well cast, believably sincere, gentle and then surprisingly athletic; his scenes with the ill-fated dancer were particularly touching…. A thoroughly transporting evening, to say the least!
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Anthony Edwards, Marlow
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Congratulations on yesterday's show - we all had a great time. I didn't know it was possible to be so expressive with mere noises and a few facial expressions until we saw the monkey... gives me hope for dealing with the baby in a few months. But seriously – a great show. A lot of hard work’s clearly gone into it, so I hope tonight and over the weekend you get the sell-out audiences you deserve.
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Gill & Toby Smith, Reading
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A very clever adaptation of quite a tricky book, and dramatised to a perfect length. "Tess" didn't waste a second: it was all there - even the 'impossible' scenes like crossing the river and being thrown around in a pony and trap! And, as always, I loved the dancing. Joanna O’Connor’s performance was remarkable. Tess can be one of the most unbelievable characters in all of literature but she made her live and breathe before our eyes. James Kingdon was at his amazing best. I lost count of how many parts he played but every single one was completely different (where did he get all those voices?). A personal tour de force, I think. Ediz Fehmi was a softly spoken Angel, but he made up for this by giving one of those beautiful, still performances, which work so well in our tiny space. Very impressive. My compliments to the rest of the cast, particularly for the much-needed comedy they brought to the play. It's not often we hear a Barons Court audience laughing like that. All in all, a perfect production.
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Ron Phillips, London
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We loved A Christmas Carol at Ingatestone Hall. Very atmospheric..Never seen quite such a `dramatic' interpretation of Scrooge...really pretty scary. His quite violent abhorrence of the world was leagues away from the usual grumpy misanthropic version we get. Won't forget it in a hurry.
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Heather McCallum, London
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What a fantastic evening! ......your amazing adaptation covered it all ... Congratulations to Joanna O'Connor on her tremendous performance as well with no emotion spared.
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Mr & Mrs A Austin, Ruislip
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James Baker has directed a first class show with obvious immense respect for Hardy’s intentions. This is no drippy Tess, but someone who fights and fights for the people she loves but is ultimately overwhelmed by fate and the evil that individual people do to her. I felt weirdly responsible and involved in her tragedy. ….. Congratulations to cast and crew on an immense achievement!
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David Glover, London
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A very enjoyable and beautiful show. Full of pathos and romance, really heartbreaking to watch. Joanna O’Connor was perfect as Tess and was well backed up by James Kingdon, Emma Kedge and Amelia Clay in multiple roles. Tess and Ediz Fehmi as Angel had such a sweet, intense chemistry. I really hated Angel and then felt so sorry for him as he’d lost everything by the end and could never get it back. Essential theatre.
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Rose Edwards, Bucks UK
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Very moving Tess. Good supporting cast too. We shall certainly recommend your productions to lots of other people: we are full of admiration!
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Mr & Mrs D Kilsby, Milton Keynes
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I didn't know any of Kyber's work so it was fascinating stuff - was struck by how Ibsenesque Drift of Ice was - especially the final images - just like Nora's fears in Doll's. The issues of late 18th C female self-discovery is very interesting. Although Nora manages to escape with a new life, Hella re-connected with nature and dies as part of hers - a nice precis for your December project. Mantao was charming and brought back many happy memories of travels in India a few years ago!
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Matt Beresford, London
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Congrats on your latest production; we were there Saturday. The in-laws came this time and really enjoyed themselves. Very well done.
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D Wishart, Basildon UK
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The whole family really enjoyed last night at Ingatestone Hall. Well done to you and the rest of the cast of A Christmas Carol - another superb adaptation.
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Mark Englund, Essex
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Thank you for the wonderful show that we really enjoyed. It was really interesting staging of the book and I liked a lot that you decided not to modernise the story too much but rather stay with Dostoevsky’s story. I was surprised how close it was to my reading as well, as most of the philosophical questions highlighted in the play are the ones that I remember very clearly from the book. It was so interesting to listen to it all in English with various English accents and coming from non-Russian people who looked so Russian on the stage….. I was really impressed by the acting, the ability to show such different characters within a few seconds span. All the characters were so psychologically deep and real and believable and still very lovely to look at and listen to and some even really amusing.
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Alsu Sworder, St Petersburg
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What an amazing achievement! This academic work (which it truly is) must have taken hours and hours of study. An incredible undertaking ~ well done. We were so glad we came and we loved the venue. The many changes of character were done well and caused no confusion.
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Judith & Tony Starkey, Chesham, Bucks
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Crime and Punishment was certainly a tour de force…..an emotional experience of the first magnitude. Judging by the faces of other members of the audience when we were there, they, like us, felt deeply involved in all that was taking place on the stage - while thanking their lucky stars they didn't live in 19th century Russia. The cast was superb. Magnifique, nothing less.
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Anthony Edwards, Marlow, Bucks
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Congratulations and thanks for a wonderful evening at Baron's Court. A 'tour de force' and no mistake!
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Maurice Steddon, Brentwood, Essex
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Magnificent performances – thoroughly enjoyed the show on Tuesday. A monumental task to get the story across without creating an epic of multitudinous story lines. The themes were clear and well presented.
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Jennifer Godwin, Ingatestone
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The audience loved it and sat with smiles on their faces throughout the whole production. It was a most professional, energetic and very clever production. With most of the cast playing at least three parts it was a challenge that would daunt many groups, but not these young people. With simple costume and wig changes they rose to the challenge and changed their character as quickly as they changed their clothes. Very convincing. A truly delightful evening.
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Ann Crook, Letchworth Garden City, Herts
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It was well worth a trip (and expense!) to London. I thought the play was wonderful and the actors so very talented. It was such a clever performance, too, making such brilliant use of the minimum props. The acting itself was excellent and it was hard to believe, sometimes, that there were only 5 of them, so versatile were they. I had a good chortle, too, and was so very sorry when the evening ended. Wishing you all the very best with the production - I hope to see your next one somewhere, some time.
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Annette Seymour, Chedworth, Gloucestershire
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I thoroughly enjoyed this production of Pride and Prejudice. Superb, prodigiously versatile acting together with clear costumes and props enabled the audience to identify the characters instantly. Joanna O'Connor's adaptation for five players of Jane Austen's novel is a masterpiece. The script seamlessly conveyed all necessary information without compromising natural conversation and humour one iota. Ingatestone Hall was a perfect setting for this thoroughly professional production but I hope Myriad will spread their impressive talents into Buckinghamshire. I look forward to many more of their performances.
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Kathleen Adkins, Amersham, Bucks
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Very enjoyable production. My wife and I were a little worried as it became apparent that just 5 actors would cover all roles, but in the end they carried it off with ease - aided by numerous wig & costume changes! The essential humour of Austen's work came through well & the cast appeared to enjoy what they were doing, which helped create a good humoured atmosphere in the theatre. Recommended as a good night out & certainly one that is guaranteed to bring in brownie points if you take the wife / girlfriend / mistress along.
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David, London, England
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Really, really enjoyed it. Two and a half hours never went so fast and what a perfect venue Ingatestone Hall is. I went full of prejudice as to who would be playing Lizzy and Darcy but both were absolutely perfect. And as for Mr Collins! So funny – we couldn’t help but cheer when he and Lizzy danced. I’m going again in London!
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Mrs J Chandler, Brentwood, Essex
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My wife and I had the great pleasure of seeing five most talented and versatile actors perform a fantastic portrayal of Jane Austen's classic novel at Ingatestone Hall last evening. It was indeed a joy to behold!
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Maggie and Ron Eve, Essex
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Loved it! An absolute Austen tour de force and so clever with all the costume and character changes. All the actors were superb and worked so well together. I didn’t want it to end either!
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Kelly, Romford, UK
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We so enjoyed yesterday evening and thought the small cast pulled off a real tour de force. Very entertaining indeed!
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Mrs P Bainbridge, Brentwood, Essex
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Great evening at the Curtain's up as I saw my favourite story bought to life on stage for the first time. Cleverly done with 5 actors, punchy script writing well adapted for the stage so kept the audience enthralled.
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Lucy, London
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Our delegates absolutely loved the performance which was well balanced and beautifully acted. You were the icing on the cake.
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The Society of Women Writers & Journalists
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An evening of true professionalism – faultless performances, impeccably prepared and always complemented by the well-chosen music.
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Michael Green, The Delius Society, London
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Thank you so much for your unique fund raising effort and the generous gift to our charity. The production at Ingatestone Hall was fabulous and made me feel very proud that you had done it for us.
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Sue Schwar, South Essex Wildlife Hospital
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I was absolutely flabbergasted at the ability of the young actors in this show. Full acting honours must, of course, go to Joanna O’Connor who surely played the female equivalent of a part such as Hamlet. Such lovely, lovely work. Nora was flighty, naïve, grounded, demure, vivacious, loveable, charismatic – everything she should have been and more without so much as a chink in the performance. She was brilliantly supported by James Kingdon as the regressive and pompous Torvald and Amy Steel and Darren Hill brought more to the parts of Christine Linde and Nils Krogstad than I've ever seen in previous productions. Ibsen must have been smiling down.
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Stephen Francis, Freelance Writer
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James Kingdon was absolutely mesmerising as Jimmy Porter and Joanna O’Connor simply heartbreaking as Alison. I saw the show when it first appeared in the West End all those years ago and thought this was of the same exceptional standard.
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Mrs G Jones, Teacher
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