Best show ever! Honestly, it’s better than great. It is amazing story-telling. Everything tells a story, from the lights, to the sound and the effects. You don’t even have time to be bored, your mind doesn’t wander, you just hooked from the first moment the actors get on stage. Masterful story-telling, the details, the tone, everything was deliberate and meant to contribute or convey something to the story, it’s content on another level, an example of world-class theatre. It’s Sylvaine Strike, she’s the common denominator, she’s the one with the magic wand, the conductor, I got the same feeling after watching “The Promise”, the feeling of this is the greatest day of my life. Wow! That was a great show! I enjoyed every moment. Ah, It’s beautiful to be young even in Germany, I didn’t think you could do that on the stage, clears throat – Coitus, it was certainly saucy, that moment certainly got my full attention. Thoroughly satisfied, happy there was an interval for a little breather, happy with the overall length of the show, happy with everything, I am in love with theatre. The show is captivating, your eyes are locked to the stage, everything disappears, you get immersed in the story, it’s an experience. She’s the best director in the world. The actors on the stage were amazing, so talented, so in love with their craft. The singing was amazing and the cheography perfect. Everything was perfect. Again, the lighting and sound effects! Everything was on cue. The hours and practice it must have took to create that! They worked hard. It’s amazing, they created magic on the stage with a minimal set. The actors made use of the stage to perfection. It’s Sylvaine Strike, she’s the common denominator, she makes great art, a master storyteller, a theatre world champion, the greatest of all time. A deserved standing ovation and congratulations on the whole team for creating a masterpiece. Thank you Sam for yet another great pass ♥️. SamSays on the credits.
Well, I didn’t expect that, so many twists and turns. I really thought Mr. Vole was innocent, I thought he was set up for sure. He pleaded his case with defiance. There’s no ways he could have murdered Mrs. French in cold blood, she was his friend. So what he inherited all her money and was looking at boats the week before her death. These things happen, besides death comes for all of us. Yes, Mr. Vole is a young handsome man with his whole life ahead, is unemployed and had everything to gain from Mrs. French’s death but it’s lazy to label him a murderer. He could have been framed. I was suspicious of everyone earlier in the play. Myself and the gentleman sitting next to me were not convinced of the charge brought against Mr. Vole and when his devoted wife Romaine, was called up as a witness for the prosecution, the alarm bells rang louder. The beautiful foreign girl lied to the jury and was a poor alibi. Instead of helping her husband, she made things worse! She fabricated details whilst his husband was protesting. I felt sorry for Mr. Vole, he vehemently protested his innocence, he was sweating, he was lively, active, on his feet, letting the jury know that he did not kill Mrs. French. That’s when I knew that he was innocent and that it was his wife Romaine who had murdered Mrs. French, the gentleman next to me concurred. Romaine played by the super talented Sharon Spiegel-Wagner is clearly a femme fatale, she oozes sexuality, is dressed in red and when we are first introduced to her, smoke is released from the stage and she makes her grand entrance, music in the background and she takes her sweet time walking. She’s a siren, a real work of art, it’s easy to see why “Leonard kisses the ground she walks on”. She strikes me as the murderer because of the fact that she’s a foreigner and her dubious character. It’s also revealed that she is not even married to Mr. Vole, she’s actually a Helm, still married to her husband living in Belgium. I disliked Romaine more and more as the play went on, a big cognitive dissonance. Sir. Wilfrid played by Graham Hopkins and his junior counsel John Mayhew played by Craig Jackson work exceedingly hard to prove Mr. Voles innocence. They succeed as the jury deliver their verdict – NOT GUILTY! But there’s a twist, it turns out he was guilty and his wife knew, she protected him and fabricated evidence to get him out of the hook earning charges of perjury in the process. That’s not all, it turns out Mr. Vole has a blonde mistress she was planning to elope with, leaving Romaine behind. In a heated exchanged, Romaine stabs and kills his husband. All this happens while still in court with Sir. Wilfrid and his assistant watching in the distance. So in addition to her perjury charge, Romaine will also be trialed for the murder of her husband Leonard Vole.
Unbelievable show! I didn’t know where to look, what to expect. Shocking! Thriller! Drama! Suspense! Agatha Christie is a master, great show. Respect to Graham Hopkins, a true legend, his acting was a masterclass, how he delivers his words, the accent, his posture, mannerisms and stature, it was his show, everything revolved around him, he killed it! Shout-out Peter Terry who plays Mr. Justice Wainwright and Mike Huff as Mr. Myers.
I thought the show had Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment” influence. It’s centers around the same topics, murder and human nature. It’s clear I don’t have a clear understanding of both, I thought Mr. Vole was innocent despite the overwhelming evidence against him. Dostoevsky’s character Raskolnikov, doesn’t murder to inherit a fortune, he murders in cold blood because he is vile, ugly and because he can. He murders because he is in a position of power over the elderly woman, because he doesn’t see the use of the elderly woman living, because God won’t stop him. Dostoevsky documents Raskolnikov’s psyche, he is in a mess, he is haunted, he can’t sleep, he loses weight, he is sick, he is overwhelmed with guilt – the magistrate in charge of murders and equipped with a shrewd understanding of criminal psychology sees all of this, he torments him with his appearance, questions, he sees right through him. Ultimately Raskolnikov confesses and hands himself over. Leonard Vole didn’t exhibit all of this behavior, could he be a sociopath? Stories like this teach you a lot about human nature, it’s interesting to contrast them. “Witness For The Prosecution” is a thought-provoking show that depicts how absurd the human condition is, Albert Camus would be so proud.
I am not going to act like Sharon Spiegel-Wagner isn’t my Achilles heel, she’s the best and she delivered yet again. If I had my way, I’d see her every day. She’s an incredible, amazing, beautiful, talented woman and the show is exhibit A. She performs at a high level and everyone shines. Graham Hopkins and Craig Jackson are the pulse, they hold the show together, some of the shows best dialogue comes from them, they have amazing chemistry and synergy. Greta, played by Dianne Simpson was one of my favorite characters, she was amazing and funny. Brett Kruger as Leonard Vole is excellent. The show was well-written, the performers were amazing and the direction and lighting perfect. The lighting and smoke was pretty awesome! It’s an experience, I felt like I was in that courtroom. I loved that the set was not fixed, it kept on changing, that was appealing to my eyes and it helped with the mood that the director tried to evoke and convey. Some actors committed to double shifts, playing more than one character, wow, the mastery you have to achieve to do that, unbelievable craftsmanship. Congratulations to Alan Swerdlow and the whole team for a great, great show and a deserved standing ovation!
Sharon has been practicing her art for more than 30 years. She’s an absolute master at her craft, an elite storyteller, a walking skyscraper. She is the craft, she is content, she is theatre. When you see her on the stage, there is no doubt you are witnessing greatness. Her talent is extraordinary. She is amazing. She’s literally the Beyonce of her craft, she’s been doing this ever since she was a child. There’s no ways you are beating Beyonce at being Beyonce. Hell no you beating Sharon! She’s a natural, everything comes easy to her. You can see the happiness in her eyes when she’s on the stage. She lights up, she becomes bigger than life. When you are in her presence, you feel the literal hand of God blessing you because you are amongst one of his mythical creatures. I’ll admit, I love Sharon but who wouldn’t/doesn’t? Yes, Amy Winehouse was a big factor because when I heard Sharon sing for the first time, she was singing “Back to Black” and I was mesmerized. Amy was alive again and she lived in Sharon so I did the most logical thing, I projected onto her. The verdict? Excellent! Sharon is a star and unlike Amy, she doesn’t have destructive tendencies. I love you Amy but Sharon will takeover. There’s also the minor case, have you seen Sharon Spiegel-Wagner upclose and in real life? T.V and the internet are cool but they don’t reflect her nuances and subtleties, this woman is beautiful beyond comprehension, you feel nervous when you are in her presence, she looks better in real life. No one can blame me for being in love with Sharon because everyone is already in love with her. I would do anything for Sharon. Man, she’s so cool, I forgot she’s a celebrity, she’s been treating me so good, with respect, attention and love. I was reminded of her star power on the opening day of her show in Montecasino, a full house, everyone esteemed was in attendance, I am talking about famous actors, directors, producers, artists and the upper echelon of society, they all came in to see her and she didn’t disappoint. She got her customary standing ovation after the show. I am amazed with what Sharon can do on the stage, the roles she can play, the different persona’s she can inhabit, how well she can execute different accents, how comedic and witty she is, the cadence in her words, her acting range and she can sing – she is a master! Her mastery comes out in everything she does, she cares! She works hard, is analytical, comes in early to prepare, is consistent and professional. This I witnessed firsthand, her greatness is deliberate. Man, I swear reading Proust changed everything for me cause now I get to appreciate Sharon Spiegel-Wager on the stage. I was blessed this year, I got to be around greatness, I witnessed greatness. Sharon changed everything for me, I can get to my goal, it’s there, I can’t unsee it, I just have to work harder and stay consistent. Warren Buffet had Kay Graham and I have Sharon Spiegel-Wagner, I am not Buffet but I love my chances. She is the best I’ve seen, she’s my scapegoat, she’s the greatest of all time. “Same Time, Next Year” a classic like everything she has done before.
antakalipa 