Reviews
Breathless by Laura Horton, directed by Stephanie Kempson
“Stephanie Kempson’s production for Theater Royal Plymouth smartly lets us imagine Sophie’s labyrinth of apparel, her towers of shoes… The play takes vivid hold through MacMahon’s performance, which includes a small gallery of supporting characters.” New York Times’ Critic’s Pick
Polly: The Heartbreak Opera, directed by Stephanie Kempson
“It’s a brave theatrical performance that begins with the show’s narrator declaring gleefully: Theatre is dead. Such bravado could have spelled disaster. But in Sharp Teeth and Marie Hamilton’s production of Polly (The Heartbreak Opera) at Greenwich Theatre, the upshot was a triumphant melding of satire, stagecraft, songs, comedy and more than a hint of the sinister…. It was a chilling – but absolutely apposite – ending for a show that pulled off the dazzling trick of paying tribute to Gay’s original while being wholly original itself. Theatre needs ingenuity like this.” Greenwich Weekender
“Horror amid the hilarity: Marie Hamilton and Stephanie Kempson’s musical John Gay adaptation hits all the right notes.” Exeunt
“Gritty, in-your-face, intelligent exploration of feminism, power and control, completely bang on for political timing and satirical commentary.” Weston Super Mum
“The command of the tone was breath-taking, and I really enjoyed the wit and sparkle of the lyrics. I look forward to seeing where further development of the show takes it – it feels like the creators have a very clear and strong vision that they want to pursue and this is absolutely a show which I want to check back in on and watch again.” Chloe Elwood, Executive Producer at Bristol Old Vic
Parlour Games, dir. Stephanie Kempson
Tour: The Wardrobe Theatre (Bristol), The Pound (Corsham), The Rondo Theatre (Bath), East Harptree Theatre, The Theatre Shop (Clevedon), The Old Joint Stock Theatre (Birmingham).
“Truly hilarious, shocking belly laughs out of the audience.” EXEUNT
“Ridiculous, clever, and very very funny but with real poignancy... there’s sharp resonance with democracy’s continuing against the wealthy and privileged.” Crysse Morrison
“A comic delight... great performances, political analogies and an epic game of royal wits.” The Reviews Hub
The Fox and the Child, written and performed by Stephanie Kempson
“Every song felt crucial and urgent, flooding me with emotions that I don’t know if I could have felt just from spoken word... it was beautifully done. It felt like something very finely crafted, cherished and then set free.” Weston Super Mum
The Spooky Ship, directed and written by Stephanie Kempson
“this is a wonderfully scary theatrical promenade above and below decks, where things go bump in the night... a very enjoyable night of scares.” Bristol 24/7
“Following a standard tour guide onto the ship, we were soon pulled into a story of lost love, evil doings and the king of the underwater realm. As we stopped at each scene, a well-scripted vignette would play out as the ghosts told us more about their experiences on the ship, and what had led them to haunt it.” Scare Tour UK
Score, directed by Stephanie Kempson
Pick of the Festival at From Devon with Love
Toured: Wardrobe Theatre (Bristol), Battersea Arts Centre (London), Royal Festival Hall at The Southbank Centre (London), Camden People’s Theatre (London), Sheffield University, Bournemouth University, Plymouth Theatre Royal)
“..the play’s cunning construction, combined with Stephanie Kempson’s simple, fluid production takes us straight into the girls’ complicated relationship and into lives where love for a child and love of heroin are in constant conflict.”
★★★ Lyn Gardner
“Score is a wonderful show, one that realistically portrays drug users and ex-offenders as exactly like the rest of us – somewhere between stainless angels and evil, downtrodden monsters.” Exeunt
“Director Stephanie Kempson keeps a frenetic pace from the start in a headlong rush to the end. Both actors play different roles, blending scenes and new characters seamlessly. This almost wholly female production is highly charged, witty and humane.” ★★★★ Female Arts
★★★★ Public Reviews
Pulling Out, dir. By Stephanie Kempson
Toast of the Plymouth Fringe Award
“Stephanie Kempson and Lucy Bell (the talent behind last year’s excellent Score) have created a play that uses humour to produce a piece that’s as warm and relevant, as it is poignant and insightful... Pulling Out kept the audience chuckling and thinking for the duration of the performance. While honestly portraying and gently questioning society’s expectations of young parents, the work concisely and effectively gives a voice to young dads – a voice that is barely asked for and rarely heard.” ★★★★ Kentish Towner
“Stephanie Kempson’s direction brings out the vulnerability, tensions and inner-conflict of the actors brilliantly... Pulling Out is a remarkable representation of the realities of young parenthood that is tackled with heart, sensitivity and humour from its cast of two.” Exeunt
The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil, directed and adapted by Stephanie Kempson (and devised by the Company)
“The director, Stephanie Kempson, has worked some magic here.” ★★★★ Stagetalk Magazine
“The company used imaginative techniques to convey some of the more tricky elements of the story quite impressively, like shadow puppetry and discordant singing. An ensemble cast really brought the order of Here to life, with the addition of new dialogue that blended perfectly with the story... it swung from humour to an uneasy eeriness and back smoothly, capturing the essence of Here and There perfectly.” Aoife Glass, blogger
“...an utterly moving and very thought-provoking play.” Sky Light Rain
“...a delightfully funny and incisive production...an absolute gem of a comedy, which only gains strength from its political and allegorical undertones...A comedy fairy tale for our time that you can truly believe in...Bravo to the cast and Stephanie Kempson for her superb direction.” 8/10 The Fix Magazine
