Press Quotes
Murder Trial Tonight
“The gripping courtroom drama directed by Graham Watts does everything Crown Court did and more. A compelling variation on Verbatim Theatre. Highly recommended!”
LondonTheatre1.com 5 stars
Garry
“Stellar Pub Theatre….an intriguing discovery.” Michael Billington
The Guardian 4/5 stars
“Thank you, Graham Watts, for reminding us how powerful a strong story and actors who won’t give up can be. This is how you do it: assemble disciplined, committed and charismatic players at the start of their (promising!) careers and give them every reason to tell a story like their lives depended on it. And guess what happens? Our lives actually do depend on it!”
LondonTheatre1.com
“It soon becomes apparent that everything about this play has been carefully and beautifully choreographed, from the gorgeous design to Graham Watts’s excellent direction. The cast of four young actors are superb – and they have to be – carrying off the challenge with aplomb.
It is really very good theatre; something that often feels rare to find. This production could transfer to a bigger theatre. The advice from this reviewer is - why wait?”
Upper Circle
“The director, Graham Watts, gets terrific performances from an energetic cast….It’s a scandal that subsidised theatres are staging bad new work by female writers while neglecting a seriously talented sister. Time for a Treadwell season.”
The Spectator
“Actors of fine quality and a strong director create an intense production. Graham Watts stages a very precisely detailed version of the play keeping an eye on the performances. Hats off to Watts for the relevant discovery of an important writer.”
London Theatre Reviews
“Graham Watts’ quality production of this neglected play by Sophie Treadwell.”
Once a Week Theatre
“…..a compelling piece of theatre.”
The Reviews Hub
The Unnatural Tragedy
“Superbly directed by Graham Watts…an exceptional production... It’s a must-see play, beautifully orchestrated by director Graham Watts.”
London Pub Theatre 11/7/18 – 5 Stars
“A compelling production... Director, Graham Watts, skilfully interlocks the three scenarios, with slick pacing and dramatic balance, engaging the audience in each story... sensitive, intelligent direction bring it alive with nuance and fluidity.”
The Spy in the Stalls 6/7/18 – 5 Stars
“As the recovery of lost classics go, director Graham Watts' new production is a coup. With plenty of peculiar roles, Watts shows his formidable skills. Handling the eccentricities of the text is truly expert... it needs to be seen to be believed.”
Onceaweektheatre.com – 9/7/18 – 5 Stars
“A savvy production, it feels like this work is quintessentially contemporary and frighteningly relevant. The director, Graham Watts, clearly revels in the paradox of his new old material... it skips and flows through biting comedy to melodramatic tragedy with such ease and familiarity that the audience doesn’t have to warm up to the archaic language.”
The Upcoming – 7/7/18 – 4 Stars
“A delight to watch... Watts has done the public some good by shedding light on this noteworthy woman. ”
London Student – 8/7/18 – 4 Stars
“Entertaining, shocking and something of a revelation. Cavendish is hardly a household name and however the script for this play fell into Watts' lap we must be thankful that it did. The lines are witty, the direction pacey, the modern dress amusingly exploited. Mr Watts has put on stage a remarkably amusing entertainment by a woman writer laying about her with all her might at the follies of men – and women – and hitting home with some devastating insights.”
Reviewsgate – 8/7/18 – 4 Stars
“Director Graham Watts is a master of reviving lost classics and while we are incredulous at the age of the play, we completely believe in its characters and plot that explores all that can go wrong in relations between men and women, from unrequited love to rape and incest. In his programme note, Watts tells us there are hundreds more plays by women from centuries past that cry out for performance. May this expert reviver of lost classics bring them on!”
Londongrip.co.uk – 20/7/18
Othello - English Theatre of Hamburg
“World class theatre in a small room. Bravo!”
Hamburger Morgenpost
“There is magic in the web of this production.”
Angliinfo.com
“This "Othello" is special.”
NDR.de
“Wow - what a play!... The play enchanted the audience from the first to last minute”
Die Auswartige Presse e.V.
“Captivates the audience and is rewarded with roaring applause.”
Hamburger Abendblatt
“The English Theatre takes a risk. And wins!”
Hamburger Wochenblatt
The Sea Voyage
“.... an intelligent, funny and provocative reading .... the production found many wonderful complexities and connections.... The company judged tone expertly throughout, treading the balance between humour and horror and ensuring the stakes remained clear.... I was delighted to see so complete a production of this undeservedly overlooked play, and the quality of performances and depth of individuation of characters did a huge amount to pull out the three main conflicting forces of the text.”
Peter Kirwan - “The Bardathon”
Henry 4th Part One
“Fascinating theatre... As always, Watts displays intelligence and creativity in his handling of this popular history.”
The Comedy of Errors
“Die Welt” understood Graham's directing style exactly, calling the production “Complex and simple at the same time,” while “Hamburger Wochenblatt” thought it was a “magnificant production... Director Graham Watts has dusted off and directed in a lively, modern way.” Other reviews commented that it was “pure joy,” “engages the audience wonderfully,” “the actors sparkle with the joy of playing,” “hilarious chaos,” “full of playful imagination,” and “a truly remarkable staging.”
Bouncers
“... the play leaves you buzzing, with a warm feeling in the pit of your stomach. It is one of the funniest plays I have ever seen... A fabulous script can fall to pieces if it isn't well directed, choreographed and acted. Bouncers delivers on each of these scores... The quality and humour of the work combined with such energetic and absorbing interpretations from four excellent actors made this show very memorable... I went to see Bouncers twice and I would go and see it again.”
Measure for Measure
“Brilliant theatre... I'm sure there might be better ways to spend a summer evening than watching this production, but for the life of me, I don't know what they would be”
Othello
“A fast paced production with non-stop intensity....Spell binding....The audience were completely silent; stunned.”
In Flame
“The hurdles that having a double setting can present were expertly conquered by director Graham Watts’ clever direction…… superb direction, clear, un-muddled design, and the huge talent of this cast make “In Flame” an unmissable piece of theatre, igniting the Pleasance stage”.
Antony & Cleopatra
“This production underscores Watts’ gifts as a director: the ability to provoke thought while mounting an emotionally complex and nimbly conceived production... This richly conceived production didn’t disappoint. It is a spectacle for the eye and a goad for thought”
Henry V
“An unblinking examination of war...Watts is a wonderfully skilled director...a joy to watch...moving...an evocative score...It is simply great theatre”
Much Ado About Nothing
“(Graham Watts)...deftly gathers up this plays plots and subplots and braids together a delightful production...this marvellous production....well worth seeing. And seeing all over again”
The Winter’s Tale
“a first rate performance, courtesy of a superb cast and outstanding direction from Graham Watts”.
Julius Caesar
"....theatrical ingenuity, a breathtaking modernized spin on the Shakespearean classic...near perfect...a thought provoking masterpiece”.
Love’s Labor’s Lost
“....a rollicking good time.....Watts has put in more delicious surprises than a trip through a carnival funhouse..”
“This is how Shakespeare should be performed .....Watts has a unique sense of humour which Shakespeare would have loved”.
Romeo & Juliet
“It is the first time I have appreciated Shakespeare with such clarity.... The purity of emotion brought me to tears....It will remain with me for a long time”
“Over the years I have seen a lot of boring Shakespeare and only two which have changed my entire perception of a play. This production is another”
“A wonderfully fresh, lively, clear production that was, in turn, funny and moving and always highly entertaining...The concept was inspired....ranks with the very best”
Measure For Measure
“A fast paced and highly successful evening...nothing short of stunning from start to finish”
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
“An unexpectedly clear and lively realization of a complex text”
“Director Graham Watts has worked wonders with “A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream” making it a huge success with modern audiences”
“What a treat is in store for audiences when it tours over the next 6 months”
The Country Wife
“I can’t remember when I’ve laughed so much...a production many regional theatres would envy”
A Woman is a Weathercock
“Graham Watts plucks this 17th century gem from undeserved obscurity and gives it bouncing new life”
Dracula
“Genuinely relates all the unseemly horrors of the world of the undead in sensually graphic, white-knuckled detail...Truly outstanding”
“The direction must come in for some fulsome praise...superb in it’s simplicity..I wouldn’t have missed it for the world”
“From the very first scene you could tell it was going to be something special”
“A visual delight....real imagination has gone into staging the play and director Graham Watts did wonders by making the most of the space and the light”
Moll Flanders
“A cracking show....A rare theatrical treat”
“A gloriously satisfying production...outstandingly entertaining”
Dangerous Obsession
“This superb thriller, as directed by Graham Watts, had the audience on the edge of their seats...A real winner”
“At times the whole first night audience was holding it’s breath...Graham Watts’ production has the sophisticated style that is the result of care and imagination”
An Inspector Calls
“One of the finest productions seen at the Palace”
Bouncers
“Funny? Take the word of one who hardly ever manages more than a thin-lipped smile, it is side-splitting”
“Wildly funny...It made you think, it made you laugh. ....undoubtedly one of the theatrical highlights of the year”
Up ‘N Under
“Totally hysterical...not to be missed”
“A winner all the way!...(it) will uplift you and have you rolling in the aisles”
“Graham Watts production is a good deal sparkier, brisker, and sharper, than others I can remember...a hugely enjoyable evening”
Shirley Valentine
“Graham Watts has brilliantly directed with warmth and humour”
“Nothing short of brilliant...Graham Watts’ superb direction”
Raspberry
“Crisply paced and skillfully directed”
On The Piste
“There have been several presentations of this play. None, I suspect, were better than this one”
The Soprano’s Last Supper
“There's no better way to enjoy an office party or a night out with friends...Don't miss it”.
Lettice & Lovage
“The whole thing is outstanding to the nth degree”
“I wasn’t only smiling, tears of laughter were rolling down my cheeks by the end of it”