CURTAIN CALL REVIEW:

Rhinoceros

Titchfield Festival Theatre, St Margaret's Arts Centre, Titchfield

DIRECTOR Daniel Fox marshals a lively, militarily stamping cast – in Pierrot make-up and mostly dressed in 'Vichy France' style boots and boiler suits (Costumes by Christine Lawrence) and then sinister rhino like masks he constructed himself - through this amusing, invigorating, frightening production of Ionesco's absurdist masterpiece.

The discomfort and horror of Berenger (Ollie Bruce) and his friend Jean (Ben Pharoah), as their town is overrun by people transforming into beasts, even such gentle souls as Dudard (Tom Kingman) and Berenger's beloved Daisy (Olivia Dodson), is pretty funny at first, as is the pontificatings of the worthies portrayed by Olivia Dodson, Evelyn Blackwell and Maddie Stoneman. But the drama becomes more serious, as the stamping and animal bellows drive out the remaining humanity, leaving Berenger more and more isolated.

The well used sound and music is very effective, along with the coordinated movement, as we ask ourselves, what now?

Ham Quentin