MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHINGMUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHINGThe main house of the Courtyard is currently home to one of many Much Ado's playing in London at the moment. This production, however, is produced by a young company called Immersion Theatre who have put rather a different slant on this comedy, bringing out the tragic elements of the plot and marrying them with the comedy achieving a successful balance of wit and tragedy.In the roles of Beatrice and Benedick, Rochelle Parry and Graham Newmarch bring real energy and sincerity to their roles whilst still managing to bring out the comedy. I thoroughly enjoyed both their performances, it was excellent casting on both accounts. Ryan Wichert doubles as Dogberry and Don John and this talented actor delivers a stand out performance. The role of Claudio is played convincingly by James Clifford who brings an intensity to the part rarely seen; it's an interesting portrayal of a usually one dimensional role delivered by another talented young man. To credit everyone in the cast would take too much time as all make sense of the language and deliver solid performances, and it is for that reason it pains me to not rate this production the full five stars it could so easily achieve if only the script had been edited down and the performance was that little bit shorter.The almost unbearable heat of the courtyard's main house certainly doesn't help although it goes some way to adding to the atmosphere as this production is appropriately set in Spain.  This is a production well worth seeing with a talented cast delivering engaging performances. It is for that reason I hope that the audiences pick up as there weren't many in the audience on the night I attended. Granted, it was only the second night and seeing as this production runs until the end of the month I should think that many will wait until later into the run to see it, but credit to this talented company for delivering such rounded performances so soon into the

Estranged by Jason Charles.

I went to see Estranged at the Courtyard Theatre in Pitfield Street-only 5 mins walk from Old Street Tube Station. It is a smallish intimate theatre with about 80 or so seats and just ideal for this type of play. As soon as the lights went up I and the other members of the audience knew that it was going to be sheer entertainment and it was from start to finish. The actors were so natural that you felt you were in the dining room set and part of the family and you gelled with them and felt what they were feeling. It is a play full of fun and laughter but does have its touching moments and you feel for the person on the stage but then up comes the comedy and you are laughing along with the little quips and jibes that the family members fling around at each other. Without giving the story away it centres on a Derbyshire family whose son is to be married. He invites unbeknown to his mother his gay cousin and flighty aunt who will have anyone in trousers. The two sisters haven't spoken for years and this leads to some hilarious moments. The gay guy really fancies his cousin and knows that the marriage will never work - now is his cousin gay and does the marriage go ahead? - well why not come along to the theatre and spent a really entertaining evening. Jason Charles who has written this play will no doubt be there for you to say hello to and have a chat. He has certainly written a hit with me and I can only say I have not enjoyed a play so much for quite a long time.
Richard James Percy

East:Elegy for the East and Its Energetic Waste: S Berkoff

The energetic performances of the actors live up to the energy of Steven Berkoff's angry and affecting drama.

Berkoff's dialogue and physicality forces his actors to work hard, and the dedicated troupe at the Courtyard rise to the occasion.

Director Fela Oke makes a virtue of propless minimalism, demanding creative initiative from the actors who deliver talented performances in mime and physical drama and engage the imagination of the audience.

Particular mention should be made of the 'Method Acting' of one of the play's young stars, Joshua Nawras, who got into a fight to help him 'get into character' and was sporting an impressive and authentic black eye on the first night.

Partly autobiographical, 'East' draws on Berkoff's own East End background to demand respect for working class culture.

As an 'Elegy for the East and Its Energetic Waste' it is truly effective as a mournful requiem for wasted lives which, lived with such energy, should have been worth so much more and yielded much more joy.

These honest poor folk, Berkoff seemed to be saying back then in the 1970s, are the truly deserving, whereas privilege is wasted on the cowardly rich who haven't the brains or the balls to properly enjoy their good fortune.