Charlotte Essex
The Sirens Production Company
26 Jul 10 to 01 Aug 10
New Century House
Robin's unexpected arrival at his brother's farm coincides with Ted's bees mysteriously disappearing. Ted calls in the help of Melissa, an expert in her field. Her arrival causes dormant tensions between the brothers to come crashing to the surface - will things ever be the same again?
Charlotte Essex takes these seemingly disparate ingredients and weaves them into a more encompassing whole... pulls it off with remarkable success... a polished production. Laura Keefe’s tight direction and Essex’s sparkling dialogue keep the show moving at a good pace. And the young cast carry the weight of the emotions expressed surprisingly well...
City Life
(Rating: 5/5)
...strong, committed performances from all three actors, but Jay Taylor’s truthful portrayal of Ted is the glue holding the production together... The arrival of a stranger in a family home where tensions are already raised would be intriguing enough, but the following plot takes an unnecessarily far-fetched turn, disengaging the audience from what could be a simple tale of sibling rivalry... Keefe’s direction is simple but unimaginative... certain moments were too awkward and unbelievable to watch. That said it is clear that Charlotte has a promising playwrighting future...
What's On Stage
(Rating: 3/5)
Although it is another play where past deeds are suddenly revealed, it is beautifully written so that everything evolves naturally and believably.. pace flags just a little towards the end... the direction of Laura Keefe together with the performances of Jack Monaghan... Jay Taylor... and Antonia Kinlay... are perfectly in tune with a skilfully-written script to produce a compelling piece of theatre.
British Theatre Guide
...all very predictable and the story is ever so familiar having been written plenty of times before... [Jay] Taylor and [Jack] Monaghan work well as the two brothers, with Taylor in particular giving Ted depth and warmth. Melissa’s introduction is somewhat convoluted... despite some excellent acting on the part of Antonia Kinlay, the character is confusing and adds little to the overall plot line... nicely written and well acted with a simple, but resonant plot line... it is let down by its lack of originality and infuriating use of stock characters.
The Public Reviews
(Rating: 3/5)