Jonah and Otto

Last updated

Jonah and Otto is a play by Robert Holman that was first performed in 2008 and published in the same year.

Contents

Jonah and Otto
Written byRobert Holman
CharactersJonah, Otto
Date premiered2008
GenreDrama
SettingWalled garden, South Coast of England

[1]

Plot

Jonah and Otto tells the story of a fleeting moment of connection between an ageing and lonely vicar, Otto, and a young and itinerant magician and father, Jonah. Over the course of twenty-four hours, they experience profound effects as they discuss religion, friendship, God, redemption and magic in the world. [2]

Productions

Jonah and Otto first premiered in 2008 at Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre, starring Ian McDiarmid and Andrew Sheridan, and directed by Clare Lizzimore. [3]

It had its second production and London premier in 2014 at the Park200 Theatre, directed by Tim Stark and featuring Peter Egan and Alex Waldmann. The creatives also included Simon Bejer (designer), Geraint Pughe (lighting designer), Mark Dunne (sound design), Jack Sain (assistant director), Fiona McCulloch (company manager) and Robert Workman (photography). [4]

Casts

Royal Exchange Theatre:

Park Theatre:

Critical reception

Lyn Gardner of The Guardian gave the Royal Exchange Theatre production four stars out of five, describing it as: "quietness (that) demands superlative performances, and... gets them: there is something brittle about McDiarmid's bright-eyed Otto, as if he might splinter into a thousand pieces like a cracked vase, and Sheridan is utterly beguiling as Jonah. 'Love,' suggests Otto, 'is paying attention.'" [5] Richard Hall of Artshub described it like: "a good meal... that should be savoured and ideally seen more than once." [6]

Of the Park Theatre production, Paul Taylor of The Independent rewarded four out of five stars, describing it as:

“Robert Holman’s luminously beautiful and uplifting two-hander... in Tim Stark’s cumulatively mesmeric production.” [4]

Lyn Gardner also gave the Park Theater production four stars out of five, writing:' “The performances are memorable: Peter Egan’s Otto is like an onion, gradually unpeeling himself – a performance of braided intricacies, unshowy and generous. It feels genuinely lived, as we gradually see this man, literally, stripped bare." [7]

Kate Basset of The Times [8] wrote: “In director Tim Stark’s strongly cast and curiously compelling production... moreover, both performers are transfixing, with Egan being mellifluously mesmeric, and Waldmann edgily dangerous.” Natasha Triney of Time Out wrote: “The writing is crystalline but tender, meaty as well as stark... it is oddly hypnotic and never less than compelling.” [9]

Related Research Articles

<i>Funny Girl</i> (musical) Broadway musical by Isobel Lennart, Jule Styne and Bob Merrill

Funny Girl is a musical with score by Jule Styne, lyrics by Bob Merrill, and book by Isobel Lennart, that first opened on Broadway in 1964. The semi-biographical plot is based on the life and career of Broadway star, film actress, and comedian Fanny Brice, featuring her stormy relationship with entrepreneur and gambler Nick Arnstein.

<i>The Deep Blue Sea</i> (play) 1952 play written by Terence Rattigan

The Deep Blue Sea is a British stage play by Terence Rattigan from 1952. Rattigan based his story and characters in part on his secret relationship with Kenny Morgan, and the aftermath of the end of their relationship. The play was first performed in London on 6 March 1952, directed by Frith Banbury, and won praise for actress Peggy Ashcroft, who co-starred with Kenneth More. In the US, the Plymouth Theater staged the play in October 1952, with Margaret Sullavan. The play with Sullavan subsequently transferred to Broadway, with its Broadway premiere on 5 November 1953, and running for 132 performances.

Royal Exchange, Manchester Building in Manchester, England

The Royal Exchange is a grade II listed building in Manchester, England. It is located in the city centre on the land bounded by St Ann's Square, Exchange Street, Market Street, Cross Street and Old Bank Street. The complex includes the Royal Exchange Theatre and the Royal Exchange Shopping Centre.

Geraldine McEwan English actress (1932–2015)

Geraldine McEwan was an English actress, who had a long career in film, theatre and television. Michael Coveney described her, in a tribute article, as "a great comic stylist, with a syrupy, seductive voice and a forthright, sparkling manner".

Sheridan Smith English actress and singer

Sheridan Smith OBE is an English actress, singer and television personality. Smith came to prominence after playing a variety of characters on sitcoms such as The Royle Family (1999–2000), Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps (2001–2009), Gavin & Stacey (2008–2010), and Benidorm (2009). She played the role of Joey Ross on the drama series Jonathan Creek (2009–2013) and went on to receive acclaim for starring in a succession of television dramas, such as Mrs Biggs (2012), Cilla (2014), The C Word (2015), Black Work (2015), and The Moorside (2017). Her feature film credits include Tower Block (2012), Quartet (2012), and The Huntsman: Winter's War (2016).

Rebecca Lenkiewicz is a British playwright and screenwriter. She is best known as the author of Her Naked Skin (2008), which was the first original play written by a living female playwright to be performed on the Olivier stage of the Royal National Theatre.

Michael Grandage British theatre director (born 1962)

Michael Grandage CBE is a British theatre director and producer. He is currently Artistic Director of the Michael Grandage Company. From 2002 to 2012 he was Artistic Director of the Donmar Warehouse in London and from 2000 to 2005 he was Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres.

Emma Cunniffe is an English film, stage and television actress.

Maxwell Robert Guthrie Stewart "Max" Stafford-Clark is a British theatre director.

Thomas William Basden is an English actor, comedy writer, and a member of the British four-man sketch group Cowards. He has written and performed extensively for comedy shows on the BBC and Channel 4 and often collaborates in two-man shows with fellow Cowards member Tim Key.

The Apathists were a collective of British playwrights who staged plays and happenings in London between March 2006 and March 2007. The events generated a cult following on the London theatre scene. The collective had a festival of their work at the Union Theatre produced by David Luff and were involved in the 2006 Latitude Festival, but their work mainly centred on monthly nights at Theatre503, formerly the Latchmere Theatre.

Ian McDiarmid Scottish actor and stage director

Ian McDiarmid is a Scottish actor and director of stage and screen, best known for portraying the villain Darth Sidious in the Star Wars film series. Making his stage debut in Hamlet in 1972, McDiarmid joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1974, and has since starred in a number of Shakespeare's plays. He has received an Olivier Award for Best Actor and a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his stage performances.

<i>Faces in the Crowd</i> (play) Play written by Leo Butler

Faces in the Crowd by Leo Butler was first performed at the Royal Court theatre in London in 2008. The original cast had Amanda Drew and Con O'Neill directed by Clare Lizzimore. It has been called a 'credit-crunch generation Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.

Robert Holman was a British dramatist whose work has been produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and the Royal Court Theatre, as well as in the West End and elsewhere, since the 1970s. He was a resident dramatist at both the RSC and the National Theatre.

Alex Waldmann is an English actor from London. He is married to director Amelia Sears.

Touched is a play by English playwright Stephen Lowe.

Caryl Lesley Churchill is a British playwright known for dramatising the abuses of power, for her use of non-naturalistic techniques, and for her exploration of sexual politics and feminist themes. Celebrated for works such as Cloud 9 (1979), Top Girls (1982), Serious Money (1987), Blue Heart (1997), Far Away (2000), and A Number (2002), she has been described as "one of Britain's greatest poets and innovators for the contemporary stage". In a 2011 dramatists' poll by The Village Voice, five out of the 20 polled writers listed Churchill as the greatest living playwright.

Rafts and Dreams is a play by English playwright Robert Holman that was first performed in 1990, and published in 1991.

Clare Lizzimore is a British theatre director and writer. Her production of 'Bull' by Mike Bartlett, won 'Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre' at the 2015 Olivier Awards. Lizzimore has been resident director at the Citizens Theatre, Glasgow, and staff director at the Royal National Theatre.

Sheila Atim Ugandan-British actress and singer

Sheila Atim is a Ugandan-British actress, singer, composer, and playwright. She made her professional acting debut in 2013 at Shakespeare's Globe in The Lightning Child, a musical she co-wrote with her acting teacher Ché Walker.

References

  1. ↑ Holman, Robert (2008). Jonah and Otto. Nick Hern. ISBN   978-1-85459-554-6.
  2. ↑ "Jonah and Otto, By Robert Holman". Nick Hern Books. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  3. ↑ "CLARE LIZZIMORE". Royal Court. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  4. 1 2 "Park Theatre".
  5. ↑ "Theatre review: Jonah and Otto / Royal Exchange Studio, Manchester". the Guardian. 2008-03-15. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  6. ↑ "REVIEW: Jonah and Otto, The Royal Exchange Theatre". ArtsHub UK. 2008-03-19. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  7. ↑ "Jonah and Otto review – quiet and beautiful with an explosive centre". the Guardian. 2014-10-30. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  8. ↑ Bassett, Kate. "Jonah and Otto at Park Theatre, N4". The Times . ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  9. ↑ "Jonah and Otto". Time Out London. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.