The Last Women

In last night's premier performance of the Last Women from Triangle Theatre - a truly remarkable production - the action unfolds to create a Victorian prison setting with a cast of woman with so many things in common - they are all women under sentence of death and most of them for killing either their husbands, lovers or children. The be-skirted male prison guards who also provide the children's parts add colossally to the action - their voices too - with an air that manages to combine fun with the repression of the male world.

Yet the production is hugely enjoyable for two main reasons - the humour - which could reasonably be described as gallows - and the music which not only spans the four hundred years represented by the characters but also the whole world with clear influences from Africa, Asia and Europe.

The story of Inanna and her sister provides the mythological context and a historical vanishing point of conflict between women which is occasionally evident - it is not about any mythical automatic solidarity between women. "It was my turn to eat."

The two main stars - Ruth Ellis (with a stunning performance on the musical saw) the last woman hanged in England and Mary Queen of Scots portrayed as a spoilt and demanding woman with an air of superiority that was almost tangible.

It is impossible to single out performances since this is so much a group piece but for me the accolade goes to the austere set which contains not only the cast but also the audience. Quite literally, each member of the audience gets a completely unique experience - and hats off to the lady who risked the poisoner's cake!

Great stuff - thought-provoking and clever.

Jane Howard Lux Communications

This evening has left me in awe, both of the experience and of the women. My head is still commuting it all.

I loved seeing how parts I've seen before were woven in. The music was spectacular. Music holds the emotion that links humanity - old and new interwoven. It worked wonderfully. Loved the line dancing! The symbols, the style. Loved the setting - the using of what was there, the levels. The mix of being a part of the happenings and also a voyeur worked - elements of the Friday afternoons (in the development phase) , but more subtle!. And the cake! And bells. And The Boy I Love is up in the Gallery - I've heard that before! Kathryn was superb. I love the layers upon layers - the obsession with meaning.

Janet Young Development Participant

It was great to see the production yesterday. Many congratulations on a really powerful and moving piece. Lovely also to see Kathryn still there as one of the actors, as she was the one I felt I got to know most when you were doing the workshops.

As I watched yesterday I could feel parts of the afternoon when we were invited to the empty and derelict hall in Coventry and we were taken from room to room by the team. Deep within yesterday's performance I felt bits of that afternoon were there! It must have been a fascinating journey from there to what we saw yesterday, with lots that we were unaware of in the early Old Meeting days making its way into the final performance.

I was tremendously impressed by the skill of the actors and what you have produced from them. I loved the use you made of such small things to such great effect, like the use of the old chair to beat time, and the ribbons through the boxes. Lots of memorable images, disturbing ones too, with a real feeling of alienation and distress for the women.

John Burton Bedworth Parsonage Project

“a cross between Complicité, Tracy Emin, Peter Brook and Miss Julie”

"It reminded me of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest combined with the soundtrack from The Wickerman riddled with the madness of Ken Russell’s The Devils"

"I found it challenging to watch and follow and I loved the different stories woven into each other and the use of the space.

"I haven't seen theatre like this in years. It reminds me of stuff I saw 20 years ago - brilliant"

“a terrific ensemble piece…..always riveting”

"excellent, very atmospheric, immersive, dark, funny and moving....the acapella vocals were spot on"

" It was very powerful, the actors were amazing and the presentation seamless."

"Sitting in the stalls immersed in the action, sound and song was a very powerful experience, and I think you found a wonderful cast. Altogether, it seemed to me a superb production"

The studio theatre is great for this sort of performance

I’d expected a more workshop-based event. This was a highly professional production, with strong ensemble performances & excellent production values.

A powerful & at times moving performance. The acting, singing & choreography were all equally impressive. The staging added an extra dimension & extra impact. Close without being too close!!

A different kind of experience - thought provoking

Performances were great; love the mix between sound, song to display emotion.

A very enlightening piece, would like a 2nd chance to see it

A hugely impressive but disturbing performance which was slightly too avant garde for my taste and about 15 mins. too long. Performance by all cast members were over whelming although a knowledge of the characters is essential. Unforgettable theatre.

Fantastic use of the space, great lighting, vivid performances that drew you in. Fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable.

It was a terrific ensemble piece, perhaps a touch long but always riveting. It was a powerful piece of theatre too although it might be good to try and force the audience to read the stories first. It did help if you knew something about each case. Congratulations to a superb cast, hope it’s going on tour.

Exceeded expectations

They were tremendous performances, terrific subject, incredibly moving music. Simply fantastic – although sad.

It was much better than I thought it would be, funnier and more exciting

The music, especially the singing was great and very moving and the whole piece really touched me

It was well worth seeing, a brilliant piece of theatre. Leaves me thinking a great deal - I like a performance to do that. Much more elaborate & fully conceived than expected – with layers of meaning

An extraordinary experience – performances dynamic & well crafted. Music also outstanding, haunting scenes & imagery

Unexpectedly funny. Exhibition was unexpected.

Brilliant, madness, suffocating, dangerous and hilarious

It has much more of a structured framework & storyline than expected

Brilliant. The ending was very moving

Fantastic, Great actors, wonderful timing. Thank you

I have never seen anything like it! Well done!

FAB! I will remember it for a long time – Thank you!

Very well performed and put together

It was very good, the dynamics of it & the setting was cool. Singing was great.

It was more immediate & intense, much more thrilling than expected

Expected it be more grim as an experience. Relieved it wasn’t.

It was so intense and alive that although the subject matter was grim the experience wasn’t.

Exceeded my expectations – I expected a bleak afternoon – but it was an exhilarating theatrical ride

Less obviously historical. More experimental than I thought, wittier & not as harrowing as expected.

I was really impressed by the quality of the acting, and the addition of music, and the way it started – the overall concept was excellent. It kept me on the edge of my seat. I liked the way it all seamed together,

A very intense and emotional show

The set up differed from what I had expected. I expected it be seated immediately, it was a nice surprise – unconventional

“contemporary and expressionistic”

“cleverly reconfigured”

“stunningly arranged with operatic-style choruses intertwined with haunting dialogue”

“a well crafted show”

“Unsettling”

“…original folk and hymn-inspired songs and snatches of popular music and nursery rhymes…..always fantastic and the production is full of symbols: doors locked with red ribbon; shared cake in a last supper.”

“an evening of some power”