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After Darcy by Joanna Nadin #Review

  Any lover of Pride and Prejudice will not be able to resist Joanna Nadin's latest novel. After Darcy was published by Bedford Square Publishers on 26th March. It is a truism, frequently invoked by the members of the Meryton Women's Guild, that one is only ever as happy as one's unhappiest child. So, with five daughters and four grandchildren, it was a miracle Mrs Hester Bennet ever raised a smile. At best, she was only ever tentatively pleased, and even then understood that her contentment rested on the edge of a gaping precipice into which she would inevitably tumble the second Kitty or Lydia (it was almost always those two) messaged in the clutches of yet another existential crisis… Lydia, home from Paris on New Year's Day in a welter of hangover and humiliation, finds herself swearing off drink, drugs and sex for the next 12 months. Through her unfamiliar sobriety, she'll see a landmark year for all the Bennet sisters, including a disruptive 40th...
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Play: The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare

 

c, Books, Life and Everything


Performed at the Lydia and Manfred Gorvy Garden Theatre by the Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford Upon Avon and directed by Phillip Breen. 

It was wonderful to be able to go to the new, temporary Garden Theatre which has been built near the Swan Theatre, Stratford upon Avon and to experience a Royal Shakespeare Company production once more. We were lucky. The weather was kind to us and the whole evening was a delight! The Comedy of Errors was first performed in 1594. I have never seen it performed before but was struck by how lively and natural the dialogue seemed.

 

 

 

c. Books, Life and Everything
Despite the ever-present COVID restrictions with mask wearing and one way systems, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the theatres again- The Royal Shakespeare Theatre and the Swan Theatre. The following day, we walked past the Other Place and it all looked to be safe and sound, waiting to re-open. Watching a play outside is an experience in itself. We started in bright sunshine, by a miracle, and gradually saw the evening dusk come on and the lights go up. The stage looked totally different under the lights in the dark but each had their own atmosphere and the final reunion at sunset was doubly apt. You were always aware of the audience and it emphasised the connection between the actors and the people sitting so close.
c. Books, Life and Everything

    Of course, you have to suspend belief and take at face value all the good luck, chance meetings and mistaken identity situations which fill the play, with its pair of separated twins.Separation and reunion was at its heart, with the emphasis not just on separated siblings, but also on searching within yourself for all elements of your true self. When the Antipholus pair find each other, you are struck by how unsure they seem about this, unlike the Dromios who embrace and reunite in joy. It was a true ensemble piece with everyone playing their part. The live music enhanced the action and at times, punctuated the story for you. It lived up to its title, with standout comic timing from the Dromios. 

All I can add is that we will be back!

c. Books, Life and Everything

 



 
 

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