THEATRICAL NICHE LTD

Most recent REVIEW snippets for "Metamorphosis": 

EVERYTHING THEATRE:

'A well-executed and hilarious show'.

'A brilliantly bizarre performance!'

"We live in a society that tends to alienate people, and box them up in categories without even thinking about each other's feelings. The awareness of mental health issues, however, has increased over recent years and the more we become aware of the challenges they pose, the more we are able to take care of them.. The performance is directed by Alice Sillett, with the help of Will Pinchin on Movement Direction. It's an extremely well-done job, and the whole play flows flawlessly. That would not have been able to happen without the talent of the actors.. through Physical Theatre, Gleave makes you see his transformation as a beetle.. with a little help from on a amazing puppet...

..Eerily relatable, and it's this quality that allows you to ponder the topic on a deeper level."

BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL:

'Dark humour and absurdist qualities'

'Obvious parallels to people with dementia and the lack of tolerance towards them'.

"Berkoff.. who has long been an advocate of the theatrical use of non-naturalism and Kabuki-esque physical movement adapted Metamorphosis.. it is is his version that Theatrical Niche Ltd is currently touring with, having found a synergy with his aims and their own fluid style... Director Alice Sillett and Movement director Will Pinchin have brought to life the dark humour and absurdist qualities of Kafka's tale." 

THE GUILDFORD DRAGON:

"The outsider takes on contemporary resonances: the plight of the homeless, for example, and of migrants and refugees...

Four actors make up this small and dynamic company; one of whom was tasked with the beetle role.. bodily contortions, limbs waving, feet flexing.. suggesting the agony of a man trapped inside the body of a beetle.

A noisy, high-energy production.. particularly affecting."

REVIEW snippets for "Dr. Faustus":

FEMALE ARTS - **** "Immediately as I walked into the lovely Arts Theatre, I got a taste of the circus.. I knew I was in for a treat. What I thought was really clever about this production was the clash of traditional and modern thematic devices. Amongst the long-established viusal element of the circus was glow in the dark paint nd modern day clothing.. this was mirrored in both the music and the text. The juxtaposition of Julius Fucik's music and the casual appearnace of Alt-JJ just before the interval. Marlowe's text intertwined brilliantly with director, Venetia Twigg's Adaptation with modern day language, which served as a brilliant device to merge the two realities. 

Charlotte Watson... is a lovely, daring actress who had me captivated from the start. She brought a wonderful cocktail of strength and vulnerability to the role and commanded the stage with intensity and truth.

Matthew Springett played Mephistophilis with an impressive balance between dark and light... I know this cast engaged in some of Grotowski's techniques and I could see them at work...

The star of the show just so happened to be the embodiment of Hell in the form of a 6ft lizard puppet...

This production brought a new, fresh insight into the play which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Theatrical Niche's recontextualised version was strong, dynamic and a true pleasure to watch. A brave re-working of a classically sinful production.." - Molly Miller

LIVE THEATRE UK - 

"Theatrical Niche in association with Arts Council England are touring a very novel treatment of Christopher Marlowe's classic and we caught up with it just around the corner at The Arts Theatre. The small space above The Arts is perfect for this intimate exploration of good and evil... The choice to talk to the audience directly is a clever one, which draws the viewer in from the beginning. It does not take long for the four actors to illustrate the means by which they will deconstruct Marlowe's play; spontaneous thought, circus tricks, interpretive moves and gymnastics... this feels like a direct conversation with Faustus. This is a playful but deadly game of dealing with the devil, and testing who is in control.

.. The unvarnished nature of the text, sprouting out of the actors mouths and expressing itself in every physical way, propelled the discourse.

.. Venetia Twigg and her team have endeavoured to illuminate Marlowe's play and present it in an energetic, innovative way for contemporary, perhaps younger, audiences. It is never a waste of time to investigate the themes of good and evil in theatrical ways. These talented players should be congratulated for their energy and innovation."

LONDON THEATRE1 -

"..a female Faustus gave another dimension to her relationship with Mephistopheles..Movement Director Sheri Sadd's choreography here highlights the perverse nature of their relationship - it resembled a controlling scene of domestic violence in which one partner is hopelessly ansnared to the other... Mephistopheles with his manic laughter and twisting limbs was highly effective and impressive.

Twigg's reimagining of Dr. Fautus uses puppets to depict the creatures from hell, increasing the nightmarish, surreal quality of the performance. But what was perhaps most effective in unnverving the audience was the use of UV lights to illuminate secretly painted faces of the devils and demons on stage. As the play unfolded, Faustus' face and body became covered with secret ink, showing her descent into darkness.

.. while this adaptation of Dr Faustus does not have the benefit of a celebrity, nor the panache of the RSC, it's a brave version by a company unafraid to try new things".