the count of monte cristo at the brewery theatre

Somewhat ridiculously, last night was the first time Moira+I had been to see a performance at the Brewery Theatre in North Street, Bristol (opened by the Tobacco Factory Theatre in 2009). On the face of it, the idea of a small travelling company of three actors rendering Alexandre Dumas’s famous book (all 117 chapters!) into a credible theatrical performance is ambitious, to put it mildly.

We need not have worried.
Andy Burden’s production (he transcribed, edited and adapted the book and directed the play) proved to be a complete delight. The three talented actors (Alex Dunbar, Kali Hughes and Dan Winter) play seventeen parts between them - utilising simple props and costumes - and are excellent. There’s something incredibly exciting about theatre being performed in a small, intimate space – where the audience is taken on a fast-moving journey and where imagination, directness and honesty are conveyed with such appealing, believable conviction.
I loved it!