These reviews are by our Critics’ Cricle - made up of pupils from local Secondary Schools.

Review By Emma Winter

Written by one of the UK’s foremost young playwrights Roy Williams, and starring a high profile cast Angel House promises a lot.

I’m pleased to say it lives up to the high expectations. Angel house deals with complex issues such as death, drugs and dads in a naturalistic and humorous way. The main message of the play: ‘How can two brothers with the same upbringing take such different paths?’ Is addressed through the characters of Frank (Mark Monero), the ‘big man’ of the estate who is facing a prison sentence after a tip-off led the police to his drug stash; and his brother Stephen (Richard Blackwood), a successful lawyer with his eyes set on a seat in parliament.

The performance works for all ages, addressing a wide range of issues that all unravel themselves over the course of one Bank Holiday Monday. In fact, sometimes it is hard to believe that everything could have happened in just one day. 

The fragmented production can often be difficult to follow; however, the unexpected bonus is the challenge to fit the puzzle pieces together. This process enables the audience to be truly embraced by the production.

Overall, Angel House does exactly what it says on the tin and more. It is a wide reaching and moving play, becoming personal to anyone one who watches it.

Angel House

A worn suitcase loaded with hopes and dreams,
But nothing is ever quite as it seems.
A battered tower block in a twilight zone,
Only years too far away from home.

A new life and a new beginning,
Although, no one said anything about winning.
The life of Jean was in her hands,
If only she had made any real plans.

One son too many was all she could take,
But she could not leave them, for their sake.
Regrets were too plenty and hopes were left none,
That suitcase that seemed so light now weighs at least a tonne.

Her children Frank and Stephen,
Could not be more odd than even.
One lives his life in fear,
And beats his brother to shed a tear.

The other strives for the best,
But forgets of his loved ones and the rest.
Up the career ladder he will climb.
Is keeping a brother’s secret really a crime?

Frank has one lad,
Who does not often see his Dad.
He has issues of his own,
With his mother gone he has no place to groan.

An angel in hell,
Of this no one could tell.
This tale left him alone with worry,
Whilst his father was swept from his side in a hurry.

Standing on his own with no-where to turn,
His thoughts left frozen and stern.

"What d’ya mean?
What d’ya say?
You promised me all of my troubles would go away!
Where does this leave us now?
I think I’ll be good but I don’t know how".

A piece of gold striking his hand,
His mind in shock but his heart sunken in sand.

Written by: Lorna Flint.

Laura Jade

REVIEW
‘Angel House’ by Roy Williams
 ‘Angel House’ is written by an award-winning writer and is made up of a very high profile cast.  The audience is, therefore, promised a great amount before they even begin to watch the play.  These high profile people seemed to slightly over shadow the less well known actors who were perhaps more talented dramatists.  Nevertheless the actors were generally of a high standard and didn’t fail to impress.
 A huge amount of intricate issues are dealt with throughout the play: homosexuality, drugs, sex, domestic violence, divorce and many more.  It was very interesting to see how the characters reacted to these different situations.  Although there were perhaps too many issues packed into one play.  In particular the way in which the two brothers, Frank and Stephen, are so very different yet were brought up in the same circumstances.  It definitely brings up the question: is it nature or nurture that determines your future?
 The naturalistic acting style alongside the surreal, Brechtian staging creates a crazy, unrealistic atmosphere, which greatly added to the feeling of the play.  As an audience we know that these issues do happen in real day life but the surreal staging helps us to detach ourselves from what is going on and realise that it is not real life but just a story.  The play evolves around one bank holiday Monday and with the huge amount if issues packed into this day it becomes very difficult to believe that all this would happen.
 Because of the vast array of things happening throughout the play ‘Angel House’ can be quite difficult to follow at times and you may find yourself wondering what is happening.  However it all comes together at the end as we come to the last part of our emotional roller-coaster.