I’m very sorry to say that this review of the Theatre Royal Haymarket’s production of Grace Pervades might be, just like the production, a little boring. After the first few moments of the production, I was excited to see where the storyline went. After the first half of the production, I was hoping the production would get better in the second half, as most other productions tend to. After the first half of the second act, I realized this production would really only be a disappointment.
It really was not a bad play or production. The costumes were amazing, the acting was great, and it kept my attention as much as it could. But, although the play was not bad, I also felt it was not great. It was just alright. It was not exceptional. It was just a play. There were some moments that grabbed my attention more, particularly any time the actors were acting out scenes from Shakespeare. This aspect gave the production a sort of metatheatrical feel, which is something Shakespeare himself used in his own plays several times. I also enjoyed the conversations between the daughter and her two friends, as they were usually quite comedic. In fact, there were several moments throughout the play I remember being funny enough to actually insight a chuckle or two from me. But, other than that, I really don’t have much to say about it.
I think, based on how little I remember of the play, it shows just how average it really was. I feel as if there were really no ups or downs for the play. There were no high points of action that really brought the audience in, nor were there any low points that allowed for the audience time to not be fully engaged. The entire play seemed to be at the same level throughout the entire thing. It was an interesting idea, but I had no reaction once it was over other than happiness to be out of those pretty uncomfortable chairs. I’d like to think that a change in seats would have helped my idea of the play, but I don’t believe even the most comfortable of seats would have changed my view on the entertainment value of this play. The storyline was just simply not all that interesting, and along with the production decisions, it stayed uninteresting. It was okay, just not great. Sorry David.
- Jill Qualls
Theatre in London U of A 