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"The Merchant of Venice" - Show Review
Bay of Plenty Times 2 September, 2010
"Shakespeare Play Encourages Good Laugh"
It is a wonderful thing to behold when players fall in love their material and Detour Theatre have clearly fallen in love with William Shakespeare.
Their production of The Merchant of Venice is a sheer joy, which the audience quickly shared when the season opened last night. If you thought Shakespeare was boring and defined by stuffy incomprehensible language, be prepared to have your prejudices shattered. Primarily, director Devon Williamson and the company have not forgotten that Merchant is listed among the Bard's comedies.
The most is made of every opportunity for a laugh, not least in the antics of the clown Launcelot Gobbo (a madcap Matt Simmons). Equally though, the powerful drama and intense pathos of the play are explored to their full potential. David Guy's Shylock, the money lending Jew who demands his pound of flesh only to be finally humiliated by his gloating enemies, is a tour de force.
Brian MacKenzie is a natural Antonio, Shylock's victim and the "merchant" of the plays title.
As for the heroine, Portia, Jess Stringer turns in the kind of peerless performance we have come to delight in.
The first night audience applauded after every scene.It was not difficult to see why.
- By Paul Chapman.
Bay of Plenty Times.
"My Husband's Nuts" - Show Review
Review - Bay Of Plenty Times (Tauranga)
March, 2010
Not what you think!
Having never attended a Detour Theatre play, I was excited to see ‘My Husband’s Nuts!’ written by Devon Williamson, and directed by wife Kim, the co directors of the company.
Set in a rural South Island farm house, Jack, your stereotypical farmer, suffers a bump to the head, causing him to, as the name suggests, to go a tad nutty. The havoc this creates leads to many an unexpected event , and awkward moment.
Jack, played by Liam Hagen stood out, having few lines throughout, yet keeping the audience engaged as his paranoia built from scene to scene. Terry, the lovable yet simple local security specialist, played by Matt Simmons was hilarious and a pleasure to watch. Kim Williamson, Anna Robinson and Susi Jansen held their parts well and really gave the impression that they were enjoying it, as were the audience, evident as they giggled and clapped.
‘My Husband’s Nuts!’ delivered some well received slapstick moments, and a clever storyline carried outstandingly by the cast. If you’re looking for a bit of comic relief and quality acting, go see ‘My Husband’s Nuts’, running till March 27th.
- Elise Rohde
"Twelfth Night" Show Review!
Bay of Plenty TimesWednesday, 16 September
True love triumphs in merry night out.
The sky is dark, thunder crackles and lightning dazzles the senses as a ship sinks, with almost everyone aboard drowned. Not a bad start to a comedy, is it?
Twelfth Night tells the unlikely tale of a sister, Viola (Jess Stringer), and brother, Sebastian (Luke Wilson), who are parted in the maelstrom, each believing the other is dead.
It's a merry tale of mistaken identities, the mutual contempt of drunken revelry and puritanical pomposity, and the eventual triumph of true love.
Director Devon Williamson and the Detour company have produced an immensely enjoyable rendering of one of Shakespeare's most delightful plays.
I knew I was in for a good evening when Jess Stringer delivered her opening lines. What a fine actress the company has found in that girl.
The stage soon fell under the spell of that splendidly drunken tosspot Sir Toby Belch, wonderfully played by Stuart Gunn, and his foppish companion Sir Andrew Aguecheeck (Matthew Simmons).
David Guy was consummate in the role of the highfaluting manservant Malvolio, who is gulled into dressing up in cross-gartered yellow stockings.
And my initial doubts about the director's decision to cast the clown Feste as a woman were at once dispelled by Mandy Hall.
She can hold a very fine tune and this production has made the most of the beguiling songs the Bard sprinkled into his play.
Twelfth Night, which runs until September 25, is the opener of an annual Shakespeare production by Detour.
If they are all going to be of this quality, bring it on, Devon
- Paul Chapman
"Lost for Words" Show Review
Reviewer Louise Dean,Classic Hits 95 BOP FM
Written & Directed by Devon Williamson
19 May – 5 June, Detour Theatre at the Historic Village
Bob Marley and Robert Schumann, you couldn’t get two musicians more different. But the two collide head-on on the playlist of Classical Music FM, the radio station at the centre of Detour Theatre’s hilarious and warm-hearted comedy Lost for Words, written and directed by Devon Williamson.
Radio Announcer Edwin Miles (Liam Hagan) is conservative, intellectual and dull, so dull in fact that his daily 6-hour long classical music radio show has absolutely no listeners, and, as his Station Manager points out, if any were to die there’d be negative listeners. It’s definitely not a data entry error, the ratings don’t lie, no one is listening. Determined not to be sent home to head office in Germany, Station Manager Janet (Kim Williamson) takes drastic action and employs a middle-aged white guy masquerading as a Jamaican named Bongo (Stuart Gunn), changing Classical Music FM to Radio Reggae. Understandably the change and the invasion by a man who is his very antithesis comes as a huge shock to the pompous Edwin who does everything he can to keep the status quo. But with change comes self discovery and friendship and Edwin realises Schumann “man” is not all that different to Bob.
Lost for Words is cleverly written and the talented cast make easy work of delivering great comedy. Liam Hagan is brilliant as the uptight and self-important Edwin Miles. Hagan’s character may be a stark contrast to the laidback and happy-go-lucky Bongo, played wonderfully by Stuart Gunn, but the chemistry between the two actors is fantastic as they bounce off each other throughout. The ever fabulous Kim Williamson has some of the funniest lines and is frighteningly convincing as the leather wearing, whip carrying German Station Manager, and has the audience eating out of her hand. Hannah Brewer completes this extremely strong cast playing the mute “robot receptionist” Kate. Without uttering a sound Hannah shines as the timid misunderstood Kate.
This locally written comedy will have you aching from laughter. Not to be missed.