Her comment that "the play was quite long, nearly three hours with an interval, which is possibly too long to hold the attention span of some" is one with which, however, I would take issue. Is this a reflection of the expectation of the "10 second sound-bite"? If so, it betrays more about the reviewer than the audiences who attended this dramatic and powerful play.
It is also an insult to the students who worked extraordinarily hard to present this play and their friends and families who supported them by attending Alnwick Playhouse over three evenings.
There is a line in the play which suggests that, if one does not wish to be educated, then one should not go to the theatre. If we are not to be challenged, educated, and surprised by drama, then what is the point of visiting a theatre?
The theatrical experience can and should be entertaining, but there must be a place for demanding and powerful productions which require the audience to think and feel. In that situation, time is irrelevant.
Ros Hoskin,
Whittingham