Iris Theatre's spectacular Romeo & Juliet has been winning rave reviews:
"Shakespeare would have loved this!" - ***** - Remotegoat , "A striking, riotous promenade production." – Time Out

June 13th , July 2nd

TIME OUT (Rating: )   - The Wind in the Willows

As you enter St Paul’s church gardens – magically transformed into a bucolic riverbank – you are confronted by a veritable National Trust fantasy of woodland creatures, scampering, playing badminton, pinching food from picnics. They’re all versatile examples of their species (most play three or four characters and a musical instrument), and their welcome sets the scene for a charming promenade performance of Alan Bennett’s adaptation of ‘The Wind in the Willows’.

The younger members of the audience are clearly enthralled, but the play doesn’t only appeal to children. Bennett’s acerbic wit tilts the script firmly towards adult sympathies, and there are some touching scenes between Laura Wickham’s sweetly shy Moley and Robert Lonergan’s kind-hearted, perpetually disappointed Ratty. The evilly feral Wild Wooders (in particular David Baynes and Richard Foster-King as the cackling, spivvy weasels) add a dark undercurrent. But Laurence Saywood appropriately steals the show as Toad – ludicrously self-important, yet mischievously endearing, he commands sympathy even when blaming all his friends for his predicament. This is a lovely way to spend a summer evening.

- Lucy Lord - Time Out - BOOK HERE

The Public Reviews (Rating: ) - The Wind in the Willows
Just as the sour Mary Lennox finds her heart softened by the magic of her secret garden in the children’s book of the same name, so any hardened Londoner will be won over by the beautiful and hidden away Actor’s Church garden in the centre of a bustling metropolitan piazza. Based at St Paul’s Iris Theatre Company wowed last year with a vibrant and impressively polished promenade performance of Romeo & Juliet that showed that director Daniel Winder knew exactly what a special setting he was in. This year’s partner show, The Wind in the Willows, only goes on to further prove his understanding of this best of all gentile spaces.

Alan Bennett’s adaptation of Kenneth Grahame’s famous tale skates skilfully between physical comedy and witty social satire, and so pleases children and adults alike. The story of a group of loveable friends, Bennett never lets it sink into the asinine sweetness that such a show could so easily become. Indeed the constant presence of the villainous Wild Wooders, in the form of some genuinely frightening gnawing Weasels (whose dastardly plan is to depress the market value of Toad Hall in order to make it ripe for re-development – a depressingly believable reality) keep this gentle tale from being too sickly. Mole, Rat, Badger and of course the infamous Toad, may have a jolly old time of it, but danger and hardship is never too far away, although of course a happy ending prevails.

Poor old Toad does go through it though before getting his happily ever after, After being locked up for 20 years for crashing a stolen motor vehicle and being very rude to a high court judge he has to dress up as a smelly washerwoman to escape. Upon his raucous return he finds that his pride and joy has been ambushed by our snarling baddies with the horrifying intent to turn Toad Hall into a Park & Leisure Centre, but all is not lost as our gang rallies round and natural order is restored.

Winder’s cast are bright eyed and bushy tailed and movement director Elissavet Aravidou’s wonderfully detailed animal work shines through the constantly shifting, twitching, and foraging performers. You will like Mole (a sparky Laura Wickham), feel vaguely irritated but ultimately fond of Robert Lonergan’s stuffy Rat, respect Matthew Mellalieu’s confident, inspiring Badger and not be able to help but adore the extravagant Toad. For although it is told as Mole’s story it is our eccentric Toad who is Bennett’s real hero; Laurence Saywood gobbling up all of his best bits with relish. Saywood’s lordly fool is a camp version of Jonny (Rotten) Lydon doing butter adverts – it shouldn’t work but gloriously, it does.
Iris Theatre Company’s The Wind In The Willows is perfect summer fair. The whole production has a lightness of touch and infectious enthusiasm that will leave you feeling positively sunny and raring to go. Anyone for a ride in Toad’s car? Just you try and stop me.

Honour Bayes - The Public Reviews - BOOK HERE

Spoonfed Media - The Wind in the Willows
03 June, 2010
Weasels, otters, and field mice join Rat, Mole and Badger in this promenade adaptation of the classic children's tale.

In the sunny gardens behind St Paul's Church, a squirrel and a rabbit are playing badminton, cheered on and distracted by a gaggle of hedgehogs, more rabbits and more squirrels. This surreal sporting dalliance plunges the audience straight into the riverbank world of Ratty and Mr Mole who soon show up with a boat and a picnic before being rudely interrupted by an otter. General woodland antics ensue amidst this theatrical retreat in the middle of central London, cleverly created by Iris Theatre just in time for summer.

Opening up the quaint dwellings of Kenneth Grahame's woodland creatures, director Daniel Winder has created a family friendly promenade production of Alan Bennet's adaptation of The Wind in the Willows. You're likely to find yourself sitting next to a hedgehog or set upon by a man-sized squirrel if your picnic looks appealing, but feed him a snack and he'll soon scamper off towards Ratty's immaculate house, Badger's cosy kitchen or Moley's hole. Such are the efforts that have gone to transforming the church gardens into a busy riverbank of mischief. 

But wait till you see Toad Hall. St Paul's Church lends itself brilliantly to Toad's opulence as it's reclaimed from the dastardly weasels by our well-loved, unlikely heroes. Here's where Winder's production really triumphs, in the acting. Wandering around among the audience, preparing for the second half, the actors remain in character during the interval and treat some curious kids to improv.

The cast have the audience falling for Mr Mole (Laura Wickham), Rat (Robert Lonergan,), Toad (Laurence Saywood) and Badger (Matthew Mellalieu). Mellalieu in particular morphs flawlessly from the horribly coarse otter to wise old Badger, and Laurence Saywood's Toad is all that we love about the extravagant, cheeky amphibian. The team of support actors – from the mean weasels to the poor put upon horse – elevate the entire production. A great outdoor theatre experience for children and their families this summer. 

Naima Khan - Spoonfed Media - BOOK HERE

The Stage - The Wind in The Willows

A lot of love has gone into creating this outdoor production which sees St Paul’s Church and its grounds transformed into a world filled with picnics, punting and the ‘poop poop’ sound of a maverick toad’s motor vehicle. As people called Marjory and Charles - who may be audience members or may be characters minus their fluffy ears - take a seat on movable park benches, the hustle and bustle of Covent Garden fades away and is replaced by the serenity of Ratty’s riverside home. At the heart of Alan Bennett’s wry adaptation of Kenneth Grahame’s classic tale is nostalgia for a bygone era of simple friendships and homely comforts - a highly appealing place that director Daniel Winder and the production team brilliantly evoke. The camaraderie between the reliable Rat and his young protege Mole is touchingly conveyed by Robert Lonergan and Wickham, while Matthew Mellalieu is reassuringly brusque as the authoritarian Badger. It’s difficult to avoid caricature in portraying the unstoppable Toad, but Laurence Saywood peels back our anti-hero’s bravado to reveal a softer side. The animated Weasel Norman (Richard Foster-King) is another highlight along with a never-ending sea of woodland creatures who defy the notion that talking animals are just for kids.

While this is a great show for the young, it’s the young at heart that will fully appreciate the rare loveliness of its wholesome world and, arguably, enjoy it most.

Sally Stott - The Stage - BOOK HERE

British Theatre Guide - The Wind in the Willows

This promenade performance, directed by Daniel Winder, turns the gardens of St Paul's into the river bank and wild wood of the story with only the final scene actually in the church which, as you might expect, becomes Toad Hall. You arrive to find a game of badminton is going on. It is being played, as you soon realise, not by people but by a rabbit and a squirrel and various assorted animals taking turns to have a go.There are some little fellas who turn out to be hedgehogs who've even got a real rabbit with them and perhaps those pigeons settling by you are not there by chance either.

Mole, that innocent young chap, is delightfully played by Laura Wickham and with a girl playing a boy you can be pretty sure that all the kids of both sexes will soon have identified with him/her. Sex does not rear its head among these animals. Even the rabbits are free of any urge to rapid self-replication, though later a human character does seem to take a romantic shine to Mr Toad.

Everyone is cleverly costumed (by Joanna Beart-Albrecht) to suggest both animal and character, some sporting ears or tails and displaying individual creature characteristics like the deliciously twitchy nose of Scott Jones's Ronald Rabbit.

A band of undulating blue cloth appearing above the garden's central path turns it into a river and along it comes a boat rowed by Robert Lonergan's Rat, ducks bobbing in the water around him. Matthew Mellalieu's Italian-accent Otter and his boy flop out of the water to join Rat and Mole's picnic and in the distance we can see wild wood creatures popping out of the undergrowth. Later we met Mellalieu again as kindly Badger in his house in the wildwood and, of course, at Toad Hall there is Mr Toad whom Laurence Saywood makes petulantly infantile.

Toad's scrapes are the storyline as one wild enthusiasm replaces another after each ends in disaster: a boat, a caravan, a scooter until eventually he gets sent to jail, escapes by train and canal barge, returns to Rat's house and joins his friends to reclaim Toad Hall which has been taken over by the wildwood weasels and stoats.

Winder has devised a very lively show, his hard-working cast are particularly good at communicating with the littlest members of the audience on a one-to-one basis and transport all of us from location to location with music and encouragement. There are always benches to sit on if you don't want to keep on your feet as you discover the little houses of the leading characters that Sarah Booth has cleverly designed so that they open up to show you their interiors.

Diana de Cabarrus is there with her guitar for every scene and most of the animals are ready to pick up an instrument whenever needed for the many happy songs that go along with the action.

This playful production creates a real holiday atmosphere for kids and grown ups alike, the cast - and especially the hand-bandaged, soot-smirched stoats and weasels, Liv Spencer's rebellious Black Country horse and John Harwood's drag bargewoman - soon win them over. You might even enjoy it as much as Charles Grant does playing a properly posh magistrate.

Howard Loxton - The British Theatre Guide - BOOK HERE

The Public Reviews (Rating: ) - Romeo & Juliet 2010

There’s a wonderful use of the nooks and crannies of St Pauls, a surprisingly calm environment enclosed on all sides by tall buildings and the hustle and bustle of Covent Garden. The audience is seated on benches for the longer scenes, but occasionally we wander to different areas to witness a rave in a garden complete with Bonnie Tyler dance routine, or snoop on the lovers in their hammock in a shaded corner, or in a brilliant moment, watch Juliet as she emerges in the window of one of the adjoining houses for the balcony scene. Then as we approach the final scene, we are invited into the church itself and it is a breathtaking moment: lit by hundreds of candles and a striking large blue neon cross, the air laden with incense, the bodies of Juliet and Paris laid on the altar, it is incredibly effective and atmospheric and demonstrates a superbly sensitive understanding of the opportunities provided by this venue.

There’s also a nice level of audience interaction, some people get their name called out as part of the guestlist for the Capulet masque and some people are prevailed upon to dance at the party; at the balcony scene, Romeo stands amongst us looking up and converses with us. It all adds to the intimacy of the performance, the haunting strains of Irish lament She Moved Through The Fair sung by different characters at different points just adds to the atmosphere.

As the star-cross’d lovers, Sam Donnelly and Laura Wickham are just superb, both turning in accomplished performances: Donnelly has a great gift for engaging with the audience, oozing charm and a natural affability that is impossible to resist and Wickham has just the right level of playful girlishness balanced with the growing awareness of the gravity of her situation. Their first meeting is played beautifully with the partygoers around them stuck in slow-motion as the lovers succumb to their first kiss: they are both gorgeous which helps, but the way they play the transformation of their teenage lust into something much more real and moving is a sight to behold, I reckon they are two names to watch out for. Domenico Listorti is also outstanding as a Russell Brand-inspired powerfully crazy Mercutio who is laugh-out-loud funny from the word go and painfully poignant in the refusal to accept complicity in his own death.

Even with a cast of 14, there’s some doubling up here in order to cover all the roles but it is done in quite an inventive way. Matthew Mellalieu opens the show as the variable Capulet, kindly at first but unafraid to use violence against anyone and quite the menacing figure, but then midway through he emerges as the kindly Friar Lawrence and turns in a sensitive, barefooted performance and continues to switch constantly between the two. Likewise, Robert Pearce starts off as the Prince, raging against the brawling nobles of his city but then quickly dragging up as the Nurse and pulling off an audacious, outrageous interpretation which has no right to be as powerfully moving as it is. Looking a little bit League of Gentlemen in a short wig and sensible long skirt and jacket combo which is probably from BHS, this Nurse is bawdy, highly flirtatious (she gets a real eyeful of Romeo in his boxers!), breathlessly flapping about and screeching for Simon Kent's hapless Peter and it is often genuinely hilarious. So when the discovery of Juliet’s body comes, the pendulum of grand emotion swings heavily the other way and it is a heart-rending moment.

But there really isn’t a weak link in this ensemble and they do particularly well at demonstrating the unbreakable sense of camaraderie within these groups of men, one gets an inkling of why they believe “an eye for an eye” when brotherly love is this strong and it makes it all the more tragic. Plus you get to see someone give Romeo a wet willie which is possibly the only time I’ve ever seen this happen on stage!

Special credit should go to the staff who shepherded us around quickly but kindly. Little touches like that help no end to improve the experience and when the spectacle on display is as good as it is here, then you will surely not be disappointed: book now for a unique central London treat.

Ian Foster - The Public Reviews - BOOK HERE

REMOTEGOAT (Rating: )  - Romeo & Juliet 2010

This is an enjoyable and at times delightful version of Romeo and Juliet.     

Laura Wickham is a marvelously girlish Juliet, pitch perfect on the postures and the petulance of a 14 year old and touchingly convincing in her childish terror as she prepares to take the Friar's potion. Emma Garrett is scarily convincing as a dominatrix-ish Lady Capulet, while Matthew Mellalieu turns in an impressive double performance as a brutish Capulet and an empathetic Friar Laurence.       

Particular mention must go to the set design, which takes in five different locations in and around the church as well as making excellent use of one of the neighbouring buildings. An oversize hammock strung between two trees in a corner of the churchyard provided a magical setting for the tender scene in Capulet's orchard and, strung with ballet shoes and fairy lights, subtly reminded us that we are looking at a couple who are little more than children. The play's climax takes place in the dimly lit and incense-heavy interior of the church - a more ideal setting is hard to imagine.   

The emphasis on the first half is very much on the comic potential of the script, with Daniel Winder's direction injecting plenty of wry and, at times, bawdy humour. This works to good effect in the masked ball scene in particular, with the cast clearly having great fun in a well-choreographed (and decidedly sexy) sequence.      

Chris Sims - Remotegoat - BOOK HERE

The Stage - Romeo & Juliet

This outdoor production of Shakespeare’s tragedy has a magic that shines through the many teardrops of a downpour. Taking place around the Actors’ Church in Covent Garden - built less than 50 years after the play is believed to have been written - there can be few settings that feel so appropriate in terms of their historical and theatrical connections.

Through the ancient courtyard and into the church’s secluded gardens, we follow warring Montagues and Capulets who have more in common with Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 film than swashbucklers from days of yore. As fairy lights shine down from the trees, an eighties-style disco forms the setting for a bawdy masked ball, where Laura Wickham’s child-like yet sassy Juliet falls for Sam Donnelly’s more demure Romeo.

Robert Pearce portrays the Nurse as a kind of pantomime dame, while Mercutio (Domenico Listorti) and his gang ham up the raucous innuendo. The comedy is a pleasant change from other more po-faced retellings of the tale.

In the end, tragedy triumphs through a stunning final death scene, which takes place inside the church itself. Ultimately the show’s immersive world is its real star, beautifully conceived by director Daniel Winder and the production team. It’s a place where young love flourishes and dies as quickly as the flowers outside, but is nonetheless a disappointing one to leave.

Sally Stott - The Stage - BOOK HERE