Reviews

Roxy Lane Theatre’s latest offering, the Pulitzer short-listed Marjorie Prime, is a nicely presented look at aging, memory and artificial intelligence, that leaves its audience thinking.

Set in the near future, 86 year old Marjorie is beginning to show signs of dementia. Her family introduces a lifelike holographic “Prime” to help her retain her memories, in the form of a younger version of her husband - Walter Prime.

The name in the title must be the best known one in the world, so the audience clearly knew of his life and what lay ahead in this sung through rock opera based on the Gospel accounts of the Passion. In many ways Judas is the centre of the play, unhappy and dissatisfied with the course Jesus his disciples are taking. The era of Jesus meant that all but one of the major roles is performed by male leads.  Mind you it was a large cast with many younger performers in the dance ensemble. The ending was as expected, with Jesus on the cross before his body was removed.

British playwright Ella Road wrote Fair Play based on her own experiences as a competitive runner. But it could be about any sport where girls are pushed, or push themselves, beyond safe health limits … gymnastics, athletics, swimming, football, ballet, tennis …

Journalists report stories of harsh coaches, pushy parents, impossible training routines, eating disorders, bursaries, sponsorships, mental issues, drug testing …

Year of the Rooster is a hilarious, very black and sad fable about never-say-die optimism in the face of insuperable odds.  It is also the third part of Spinning Plates Theatre Company’s run of success with their ‘Beast Trilogy’ – The Crocodile, Rhinoceros and now this, The Year of the Rooster.