Blakeson - Writer

Cardiff-based film, theatre and gig reviews, cultural ramblings, whingeing, short films, etc.

Sunday, March 18, 2018

"Cannonballista" / "Richard III Redux"


My most recent reviewing assignments have been two contrasting one-woman shows. The first, “Cannonballista” at the Sherman, from Bristol-based performer Liz Clarke sees her creating a flamboyant, burlesque-style alter-ego to aid in creativity and facing the world – obviously, an age-old idea, but executed with great charm.

Cannonballista (Photo: Paul Blakemore)

And then came “richard III redux OR ‘Sara Beer (is/not) richard III’” at Chapter, an inventive deconstruction of depictions of Shakespeare’s fictionalised villain, put together by Beer and Kaite O’Reilly, from the starting point that the actress is affected by the same curvature of the spine as the historic Richard Plantagenet – funny, informative and a powerful statement about inclusivity (although Antony Sher gets a bit of a kicking).
Sara Beer (Photo: Panoptic Photography)


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