Creation Theatre Company |
Box office
01865 766266 or at
www.creationtheatre.co.uk.
3rd Floor, Cherwell House, 1-5 London Place, Oxford, OX4 1BD.
Next productions
Jekyll & Hyde, 8th June to 6th July, 19:30
Tuesday to Saturday; also 21:00 Thursday to Saturday
A fast paced, sixty minute one man show of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale of terror. Immersing our audience in the 6 miles of bookshelves of Blackwell’s iconic Norrington Room we’ll be using the space in new and surprising ways to create Creation’s most intimate show to date.
Henry V, 17th August to 14th September, 19:30 but 16:00 on Sunday 25th August
This summer Creation presents their first ever History play, Shakespeare’s
Henry V, against the stunning backdrop of Oxford Castle.
Where
Jekyll & Hyde: Blackwell’s Bookshop (48-51 Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3BQ).
Henry V: Oxford Castle (44-46 New Road, Oxford OX1
1AY).
Previous productions
Aladdin and the Magical Lamp, 6th December 2012 to 5th January 2013
The Merchant of Venice, 7th July to 1st September 2012
Richard II, 7th May 2012
The Odyssey, 29th March to 28th April 2012
Hamlet, 5th to 24th March 2012
A Christmas Carol, 8th December 2011 to 7th January 2012
Antony and Cleopatra, 8th July to 3rd September
King James Bible, 14th May to 11th June 2011 at St Barnabas Church
Dr Faustus, 4th February to 2nd April 2011 at Blackwell's Bookshop
Rapunzel, 26th November 2010 to 15th January 2011
Romeo and Juliet, 19th July to 31st August 2010, at Said Business School Amphitheatre, Oxford
Beauty and the Beast, 27th November 2009 to 16th January 2010
A Midsummer Night's Dream, 4th July to 13th September 2008
Animal Farm, 21st July to 30th August 2008
The Taming of the Shrew, 16th July to 25th August 2007
Hamlet, 1st June to 28th July 2007
Macbeth, 2nd June to 9th September 2006 at Headington Hill Park
For more details
see Creation's web site at www.creationtheatre.co.uk.
Reviews of Aladdin and the Magical Lamp
6th December 2012 to 5th January 2013.
Review from the Newbury Weekly News.
A light shining in OxfordshireBut there may be dark days ahead for Creation theatre company after the summer delugeAladdin and the Magical Lamp, at the North Wall Arts Centre, Oxford, from December 6 to January 5 We all know that the New Year's social function is to act as a ray of light during the gloomy months of winter. The analogy is true for Creation Theatre Company, founded in 1996. An artistic beacon in Oxford, with wonderful, committed management over the years, its 2000 Midsummer Night's Dream set high standards, with its location on the banks of the Cherwell - a truly magical experience with candle-lit rowing boats transporting characters to the grassy set. Last summer's excellent Merchant of Venice matched the RSC in its quality, while the annual winter shows in the Mirror Tent at the BMW factory warmed audiences with their panache. This winter's Aladdin and the Magical Lamp, in the artistically safer setting of the North Wall, however, could be the company's farewell show, a dramatic result of last summer's terrible deluges. If there are any philanthropists reading this review, with some money left in a trust fund, Creation is a worthy recipient of any charitable donations: £30,000 needs to be secured immediately so that the trustees can recommend another year's activities. The festive drama is written by longstanding Creation actress Lizzie Hopley, and directed by Creation favourite Charlotte Conquest. Played on Neil Irish's inventive set, which makes full use of the theatre's width, it's a traditional fairytale story of poor boy meeting rich girl. Tailor's son and street urchin Aladdin (James Yeoburn) catches the eye of the want-away princess (Isla Carter) while her father, the Sultan of China (Nicholas Osmond) is intent on eradicating every single germ in the land. Chris Porter steals the show as the sultan's jobsworth functionary who even sprays audience members to cleanse them of bacteria. It's hilarious when he harangues a poor guy in the front row for wearing the wrong sort of trousers when in the presence of the sultan. The beaky evil sorcerer (Timothy AUsop) gains laughs with his Bond villain-like ambitions on China. As with the Playhouse's panto, a feature is made of an aerialist, here the Ring Jinnee (gamine Anna O'Loughlin) whose gyrations on a flowing length of silk draws generous applause. JON LEWIS |
There are reviews in The Public Reviews ("good, solid family fun... very slow pacing... a good, solid festive family show although it never quite reaches the dizzying highs that make it a must see" - 3 stars), The Stage ("at times its whimsicality flounders a little, but it is always entertaining... enough laughs to keep all ages happy")
Reviews in the Archive
A Christmas Carol (December 2011). There are reviews in the
Oxford Times
("backing up all this ensemble acting is some very strong staging... fine show")
and Daily Info ("a flawless performance... one of the most enjoyable shows of this year; don’t miss out on a night full of merriment and Christmas cheer! ").
Antony and Cleopatra (July 2011)
Rapunzel (November 2010)
Beauty and the Beast (November 2009)
Twelfth Night (July 2009)
Othello (April 2009)
Hans Christian Andersen's Magical Tales (December 2008)
Saints and Sinners (June 2008)
Much Ado About Nothing (June 2008)
Measure for Measure (March 2008)
Tales from the Brothers Grimm (November 2007)
The Oxford Passion (August 2007)
Arabian Nights (November 2006)
Robin Hood (July 2006)
The Merchant of Venice (June 2006)
King Lear (February 2006)
The Snow Queen (November 2005)
A Midsummer Night's Dream (July 2005)
The Comedy of Errors (January 2005)
A Christmas Carol (November 2004)
Romeo and Juliet (July 2004)
Much Ado About Nothing (June 2004)
The Winter's Tale (February 2004)
The Tempest (July 2003)
Twelfth Night (June 2003)
A Midsummer Night's Dream (June 2002)
Romeo and Juliet, and As You Like It (July 2001)