or to IdeasTap

Reviews of my work

Chaos: indecipherable columns of cascading numbers; innumerable rushing people, who communicate across the space with equally inexplicable gestures and jargon. It is 2007. The banks and the bankers are gambling, and the world economy is about to come crashing down. In amongst it all is Faustus whose greed outstrips them all, and so he devises a diabolic plan to claim for himself all the riches of the world. This is the premise of Dan Hutton’s bold and ambitious new take on the classic Christopher Marlowe play. It is both a thoroughly modern take on a classic piece of theatre...
Review of 'Faustus', by George Want

Chaos: indecipherable columns of cascading numbers; innumerable rushing people, who communicate across the space with equally inexplicable gestures and jargon. It is 2007. The banks and the bankers are gambling, and the world economy is about to come crashing down. In amongst it all is Faustus whose greed outstrips them all, and so he devises a diabolic plan to claim for himself all the riches of the world. This is the premise of Dan Hutton’s bold and ambitious new take on the classic Christopher Marlowe play. It is both a thoroughly modern take on a classic piece of theatre and a broadside at the behaviour that caused the collapse of the markets in the first place. With the effect of such behaviour still wreaking havoc, it is also perfectly timed; but although the parallel between Faustus and the modern investment banker is apt, the production struggled to convincingly meld the concept and the original meaning of the play. Despite this, it is as intelligent and challenging a piece of student theatre as one is likely to see, combining striking design with slick movement sequences to fantastic effect. Indeed, the design is the most innovative part of the show. Lizzie...
Review of 'Faustus', by George Want
There is always a great danger in setting a Renaissance play in what may be deemed ‘modern’ times; the lamentable filming of ‘Macbeth on the Estate’ springs to mind. WUDS, however, in their adaptation of Marlowe’s ‘Doctor Faustus’, aptly shortened to ‘Faustus’ to accommodate his 2007 incarnation as a banker, have pulled off a very rare thing indeed: transposing the 400 year old text into the current political and economic climate, and not sacrificing the integrity of the verse in doing so. ‘Marlowe’s mighty line’, so called by Jonson, resonates through what is a carefully constructed, poignant concept that...
Review of 'Faustus' by Alex Millen

There is always a great danger in setting a Renaissance play in what may be deemed ‘modern’ times; the lamentable filming of ‘Macbeth on the Estate’ springs to mind. WUDS, however, in their adaptation of Marlowe’s ‘Doctor Faustus’, aptly shortened to ‘Faustus’ to accommodate his 2007 incarnation as a banker, have pulled off a very rare thing indeed: transposing the 400 year old text into the current political and economic climate, and not sacrificing the integrity of the verse in doing so. ‘Marlowe’s mighty line’, so called by Jonson, resonates through what is a carefully constructed, poignant concept that makes a statement about the current environment in which we find ourselves. The traverse staging gives the director, Dan Hutton, the freedom to externalise the inner struggle of Faustus; the good and evil angels’ appearances from either side are highly effective. The action is unrelenting and Faustus, admirably performed by Alastair Hill, has not a single moment of respite. Hill’s performance is excellent in its communication of Faustus’ torment, the futility of his repentance and shows the darker side to human greed – of which we are all capable – that can lead to irrevocable consequences. The blocking is slick...
Review of 'Faustus' by Alex Millen

Why do you want to report this media?

Giving us a reason helps us to review people's behaviour and enables us to get rid of troublemakers. This message will only be sent to the IdeasTap Team

Please add your email address if you would like us to get back to you.

If you would like to report this to the police, please follow the link on our safety page (Opens in a new window)

All reports will be treated in the strictest of confidence within the IdeasTap Team.

More projects

Press & Awards Nothing - Edinburgh 2014 "A snapshot of a generation who feels that the future has very little to offer them, and who are appalled and fascinated by the violence they encounter in everyday life". ???? Lyn Gardner , The Guardian . Read the review here . "Not since 2010 – Anya Reiss’s Spur of the Moment at the Royal Court, London – has a first-time play felt so certain in both voice and intent". ???? Matt Trueman, Financial Times. Read the review here . "A fiercely confrontational and intelligent piece, with a disarming truthfulness about the...
Nothing - Press and Awards

Press & Awards Nothing - Edinburgh 2014 "A snapshot of a generation who feels that the future has very little to offer them, and who are appalled and fascinated by the violence they encounter in everyday life". ???? Lyn Gardner , The Guardian . Read the review here . "Not since 2010 – Anya Reiss’s Spur of the Moment at the Royal Court, London – has a first-time play felt so certain in both voice and intent". ???? Matt Trueman, Financial Times. Read the review here . "A fiercely confrontational and intelligent piece, with a disarming truthfulness about the way we live today". ???? Time Out . Read the review here . "This is a dizzyingly confident and assured debut, both in terms of content and form, by a company worth watching out for." ???? Natasha Tripney , The Stage . Read the review here . “ Nothing contains some of the best and most sincere young writing and acting going”. ???? James Fennemore, A Younger Theatre . Read the review here . "This is a vital, commendably audacious production. Far from the nihilism its title might imply, Nothing provides a refreshing, heartening hour for even the most jaded...
Barrel Organ
Chaos: indecipherable columns of cascading numbers; innumerable rushing people, who communicate across the space with equally inexplicable gestures and jargon. It is 2007. The banks and the bankers are gambling, and the world economy is about to come crashing down. In amongst it all is Faustus whose greed outstrips them all, and so he devises a diabolic plan to claim for himself all the riches of the world. This is the premise of Dan Hutton’s bold and ambitious new take on the classic Christopher Marlowe play. It is both a thoroughly modern take on a classic piece of theatre...
Review of 'Faustus', by George Want

Chaos: indecipherable columns of cascading numbers; innumerable rushing people, who communicate across the space with equally inexplicable gestures and jargon. It is 2007. The banks and the bankers are gambling, and the world economy is about to come crashing down. In amongst it all is Faustus whose greed outstrips them all, and so he devises a diabolic plan to claim for himself all the riches of the world. This is the premise of Dan Hutton’s bold and ambitious new take on the classic Christopher Marlowe play. It is both a thoroughly modern take on a classic piece of theatre and a broadside at the behaviour that caused the collapse of the markets in the first place. With the effect of such behaviour still wreaking havoc, it is also perfectly timed; but although the parallel between Faustus and the modern investment banker is apt, the production struggled to convincingly meld the concept and the original meaning of the play. Despite this, it is as intelligent and challenging a piece of student theatre as one is likely to see, combining striking design with slick movement sequences to fantastic effect. Indeed, the design is the most innovative part of the show. Lizzie...
Reviews of my work
Document
Journalism CV

CV
About a third of the way through today’s performance of Children of the Sun , the show had to be stopped due to a patron becoming ill. Now obviously, that in itself isn’t a good thing and I wish him a speedy recovery, but the instance added a certain frisson to the remainder of the performance. Until then, it felt like the actors were going through the motions, and to be honest I wasn’t really paying attention. As soon as the stage manager entered, however, a charge became apparent, and after a break the actors returned with a punch...
"Children of the Sun" by Maxim Gorky

About a third of the way through today’s performance of Children of the Sun , the show had to be stopped due to a patron becoming ill. Now obviously, that in itself isn’t a good thing and I wish him a speedy recovery, but the instance added a certain frisson to the remainder of the performance. Until then, it felt like the actors were going through the motions, and to be honest I wasn’t really paying attention. As soon as the stage manager entered, however, a charge became apparent, and after a break the actors returned with a punch. The interruption felt pertinent to the show, which throughout always has the possibility of sudden upheaval moments away. Set in a cavernous-but-decaying house, Maxim Gorky’s play focuses around a group of intellectuals and their self-interest during a time of social change. At the centre is Protasov (Geoffrey Streatfield), an unhappy scientist devoured by his work at the expense of his relationship with his wife Yelena (Justine Mitchell). She looks towards other men while his sister Liza slowly falls into despair. Strip away the context and it’s not much more than a few interwoven love stories between middle-aged people. Except it’s...
Writing samples
See desktop version