It's Showtime!!! - Theatre Review - I Capture The Castle.

Hi!!!

Welcome back! Today I have a theatre review for you - it feels like centuries since I last wrote one and I know you guys like them so I'm happy to be writing one now. Today I'm reviewing a new musical called 'I Capture the Castle', which is currently on at the Palace Theatre in Watford. I went to see it with some members of my family and I just wanted to thank them for a lovely time before I begin the review.

'I Capture the Castle' is set in bohemian 1930s England, where Cassandra, played by the amazing Lowri Izzard, lives with her family. They are in financial difficulty because her father (Ben Watson) cannot write a novel to follow up his last. The arrival of their new landlord, a wealthy American named, Simon (played by Theo Boyce, another stand out actor in this production) along with his brother, shakes up their dynamics. They seem like the answer to the family's wishes, but is it all too good to be true?

I enjoyed 'I Capture the Castle'. It's a promising new musical. The cast are fantastic, and they work well together. Their harmonies are wonderful and clearly well rehearsed, and the voices of Izzard, Shona White (as Leda), and Julia St John (as Mrs Cotton), are particularly strong. The harmonies between Izzard, Boyce,  Luke Dale (as Neil), and Kate Batter (as Rose) are testement to the work and vocal talent that has been put into this production. The songs are good musically and lyrically - although I think one or two have some (very brief and minor) echoes of other musicals - and the songs create a cohesive collection.

I found the plot entertaining and engaging. The musical is based on a novel of the same name by Dodie Smith, which alas I haven't read, however I should imagine the show is faithful to it as the plot is full of various elements. In some ways I think refining which elements make it onto the stage could benefit the show - at times the plot feels a bit busy. However, I did enjoy it all the same and it explores a full range of emotions with relative ease.  The key theme of the play is love in it's many forms, with married love, unrequited love, first love and new love explored throughout the show's course.

It's a show filled with interesting characters and Cassandra is a loveable one who guides the narrative with asides to the audience. Each character is an individual, from Cassandra's eccentric stepmother Topaz, played brilliantly by Suzanne Ahmet, to her admirer Steven (Isaac Stanmore). I'd say this musical is character-led, and I loved that.

The costumes are true to the period setting and add to the characterisation. The set is really unique, mainly constructed from tables and chairs, and is the constant feature of the show. The staging allows for creative use of the set and the levels created by it, and I found that it added greatly to the Romantic and rustic charm of the play. The best elements of the direction and movememt are, I think, shown in a scene involving travelling into London - without changing the set, the characters are clearly on the tube, on the street and so on. 

I'd recommend going to see 'I Capture the Castle' if you get the chance - it's on at the Palace Theatre in Watford until the 22nd of April. It's an entertaining show and one that I think has a lot of potential.

I'm going to give it four stars, because I do think it would benefit from some adjustments even though it is a very enjoyable show featuring a truly talented cast.

Find out more and buy tickets here.

I hope you enjoyed this review and that you get chance to see this at the theatre.

Have you seen 'I Capture the Castle'? Do you have any comments or suggestions for future posts? Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading. Speak soon.

Have a brilliant day!

GingerSnaps xxx