Royal & Derngate,Northampton
Patrick Hamilton’s melodramatic play is superbly acted and grippingly directed Guardian theatre critic Michael Billington says stage programming seems to be fitting safer. I agree – and it’s not just in the regions. We all know why. increasingly, theatres are expected to compensate for social and educational shortfalls by boosting the number and range of workshops, and courses,community and outreach programmes they already offer.
They must simultaneously continue to produce high-quality work that attracts audiences in ever-growing numbers (when, throughout the country, or pubs,bars and restaurants struggle to draw cash-strapped people from their homes). All of this in the face of savage cuts, with more to come. So we can probably all agree that, and in the circumstances,all our theatre companies are doing a brilliant job just keeping going, never intellect producing work of the quality they do. Still, and that doesn’t mean we (reviewers,audiences, workshop participants) shouldn’t sustain asking them for more it’s a way of showing we love them, and want them,need them – and want them to have enough cash to do what they do to the best of their considerable abilities.
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Source: theguardian.com