A Clockwork Orange (New World Stages)

for a previous production "A 90-minute account rich in movement and fight sequences, which animates the world of ultraviolence in which Alex and his gang live, but may render it too smooth and too easily palatable...It is rather awkward that, without exception, all the 'old in-out' shown is homosexual while all that is spoken of in the script is hetero. That’s contradiction, not complementarity...There’s much here to be admired, although I never felt the visceral thrill that informs the characters’ ultraviolence." Full Review

for a previous production "Retains a freshness and vigour that both excites and repels...A testosterone-heavy, noisy and boyish production...While Burgess has imagined vivid images for this moral debate, he has provided few ideas for us to get our teeth into...The show is visually striking...What’s missing is a real emotional connection to either Alex or to any other character. Also absent is any real feeling of criminality: the droogs are youthful, but not menacing. There’s no sense of danger." Full Review

for a previous production "You’d think that a highly visual, shocking depiction of ‘ultra-violence’ would not generate quite as many huge belly laughs...Most striking is Lee’s tight choreography. Artists such as Placebo are pounded out and the cast move with a contrasting gracefulness...Jones’ production has so many strengths but there’s ambiguity in droves...The show is mostly strong and brings Burgess’ story to a new generation; however, the big smack in your face impact just unfortunately isn’t there." Full Review

for a previous production "It propels you mercilessly into a hideous world of drug-fueled violence...These bad lads cavort with grace and swagger in ultra-violence set pieces that dazzle with their visual imagination...It's disappointing that the women are uniformly caricatured by the all-male cast...This crisply directed and fabulously choreographed production takes a thoroughly nasty bunch and charts their fall and rise with an intensity that makes you very glad they don't live in your part of the world." Full Review

for a previous production "The show has a pleasingly overblown quality which shrewdly diffuses the story’s gruelling, graphic sadism without blunting its message...Spencer-Jones preserves its striking physical aesthetic. Gang brawls are rendered in balletic choreography while the athletic, all-male cast crawl and cavort around the stage as lithe and predatory as feral cats...Stylish, stylised, and drenched in sweat, the show has a breathless, exhilarating energy." Full Review

for a previous production "Spencer-Jones gives full expression to the novel’s philosophical richness while creating a distinct – and distinctive – theatrical experience. Her use of the all-male cast makes the scenes of sexualised violence suitably sickening without being prurient. At their best, the choreographed fights recall the 'rumpus' from 'West Side Story.' The charismatic Jonno Davies heads a virtuosic ensemble in a striking rendition of a modern classic." Full Review

for a previous production "The choreography is a true highlight...It takes place in the round, which adds to the gladiatorial feel; the set-up allows for various entry points, which Spencer-Jones uses to her advantage with slick and focused direction...Davies becomes Alex with apparent ease...Without doubt this is one of the standout lead performances of the year so far...What this production does so brilliantly is take a refreshing angle on the material, whilst retaining its essence. Unquestionably a must-see." Full Review

for a previous production "The choreography basically mixes ballet and Stomp-type moves. The bodies are preening, shirts off and on like some sort of Diet Coke advert gone mad, and they are all bodybuilder ready...It’s 90 minutes without an interval and it’s quite unremitting, what with the loud music...It’s a spectacle, this show, bodybuilder dance theatre, but it feels more interested in testosterone shock and awe than conveying Burgess’s classic novel." Full Review

for a previous production "A fantastically well-written piece of work that has certainly stood the test of time as far as a story goes...Jonno makes the part his own and delivers a tour de force performance...Spencer-Jones really makes the most of every aspect of the story and her cast...The production is intense and gripping from the start...Grabs its audience and makes it sit and watch every moment...A really amazing and awesome production." Full Review

for a previous production "An exhilarating 90 minutes...This is physical theatre with a capital PHYSICAL, rubbing testosterone into the face of the audience, performed to a blistering soundtrack of not just Beethoven...The cast waste not one minute drilled to a high level...They have your attention from the minute they walk slowly into the bare space, demanding your concentration...Inevitably some roles are little more than caricature...Imprinted with an originality that will stay with you after the play ends." Full Review