THE HUMAN VOICE & THE SOUND OF SILENCE, both plays by Jean Cocteau, at the Trafalgar Studios, West End.

 

“…two compelling and true-to-life plays at Trafalgar Studios… Celia Williams: Compelling.” Rebecca Tyrrel, THE EVENING STANDARD

 

"Eduardo Barreto directs an intriguing double bill of Cocteau monologues about the turmoil of unequal love. Celia Williams delivers two moving, skilfully paced performances, first as the dumped distraught woman talking over the phone to her younger ex-lover in THE HUMAN VOICE and then as the celebrated singer remonstrating with her mute toyboy." Paul Taylor, THE INDEPENDENT

 

"These days a man could expect a feminist knee in the groin if he were to repeat Byron's claim that love is "woman's whole existence". But the two monologues Jean Cocteau wrote aren't as dated as they seem... Celia Williams catches the agony all right, but also the conflict between that agony and the self-sacrifice she believes is expected of her... Love is a curse, a trap and a terrible need. According to Cocteau anyway. " Benedict Nightingale, THE TIMES

 

“Theatre in intimate spaces often paradoxically resonates on a far bigger scale than what you might experience in a larger auditorium. This week there are examples of how small can be beautiful. The audience become eavesdroppers to the observation of relationships being played out right in front of them… actress Celia Williams projects a neediness and vulnerability that is palpable.” Mark Shenton, SUNDAY EXPRESS  

 

"... powerfully bleak... (the two monologues) together make for an evening of powerful emotions..." Robert Shore, METRO

 

"One is greatful to director Eduardo Barreto for providing the opportunity to see these pieces..." Ian Shuttleworth, FINANCIAL TIMES

 

"These two short plays by Jean Cocteau are both riffs on the quaint idea of the monologue for two people. It works brilliantly. ... (Celia) Williams is engrossing..." Jonathan Gibbs, TIME OUT

 

“…powerful double-bill… Williams expertly relishes the sardonic wit and resignation at her lover’s less than valiant behaviour... “ Lucia Cockcroft, LONDON THEATRE REVIEW

 

"…Eduardo Barreto’s intimate staging at last brings the play to the West End… an intense performance by Celia Williams keeps one on tenterhooks with her switchback of emotions, distracted chain-smoking, use of the space like a caged animal in her boudoir and always an eye-catching physical presence in silken nightwear... Lighting is subtle. Even the closing moment as she stands bathed in light, with the cord suicidally wrapped around her neck, avoids overstatement and melodrama. This would have been feast enough but Barreto provides good measure with a fast moving revival of Cocteau’s The Sound of Silence. Originally written as a 30-minute showcase for Edith Piaf, Williams plays it with vigorous aplomb, a svelte creature in an evening gown and marcelled hair, berating her faithless but maddeningly silent gigolo (Carsten Hayes) who dozes behind his copy of Le Monde, before coolly departing for another rendezvous with his ugly, ageing mistress."

John Thaxter, THE STAGE

 

 

ALL FOR NOTHING by Jorge Guimarães, Menier Chocolate Factory

 

… luminously directed by Eduardo Barreto… a Bergman with giggles… Barreto moves the action around the stage with a naturalistic ease…" THE TIMES

 

"… As plays about love, death, madness and marriage go, Guimarães digs pretty deep… Director Eduardo Barreto brings out the humour of the piece…" TIME OUT

 

"… Middle-class relationships in crisis. Let's face it, this is what we care about. This is where our deepest hopes and fears are located. And one of the peculiarities of new British drama is its reluctance to offer audiences reflections of their own lives… Barreto skilfully orchestrates the deadly minuet of soured romance… … This is the stuff of classic comedy: lovely people having a lousy time… Guimarães is a writer worth keeping an eye on…" THE SPECTATOR

 

"… refreshingly sophisticated… cruel, witty and alienating, but with never a dull moment… intriguing and thoroughly adult…" WHAT'S ON

 

"… This staging successfully blends black comedy with thought-provoking drama and is a must-see for dedicated theatre goers." THE CAMDEN NEW JOURNAL

 

"…draws you in inexorably to what becomes a fascinating mystery. Riveting … always beautifully acted, with slick, stylish direction from Eduardo Barreto… stimulating and surprising until the final moments." UK Theatre

 

 

DANGEROUS LIAISONS by Christopher Hampton, Teatro da Trindade, Lisbon’s West End

…Barreto's direction is correct, pertinent and competent. He knows how to direct the actors on stage with flow and elegance… Barreto proves that talent is more important than money when the latter is in short supply."

José Couto Nogueira O INDEPENDENTE

 

THE CRIME OF FATHER AMARO by Eça de Queiroz, Greenwhich

… Directed by Eduardo Barreto, the show moves at romping pace… the large cast includes some sparkling and hugely entertaining performances…" THE TIMES

 

"… strong adaptation… directed with style and economy… fabulous Portuguese gem… extraordinarily rich and darkly funny writer… In the end, I wouldn't have minded it being longer, so engrossing - and modern - the story. Well worth a visit." WHAT'S ON

 

"This staging works well… with an almost cinematic eye… marvellous performances…" * * * * METRO

 

"… quality shines through the adaptation and direction to the extent that we wonder why the playwright is not an international household name… an abundance of humour…" THE STAGE

 

"… full of dark humour and driven by well painted characters… adaptation is good… direction is good… studied and skilful performances." TIME OUT

 

"…hilarious and deeply engrossing… powerful performances…The staging of the production is confident, polished and draws the audience in without ever becoming intrusive...The play makes absolutely gripping theatre. I couldn't recommended it highly enough." THE GUARDIAN

 

PEEP SHOW by Luís Assis, Greenwhich

"… strong performances by the cast… the grand finale reveals an unexpected twist… the company should be congratulated for bringing an original and gripping piece of theatre to town." THE TIMES

 

"… Luis Assis's clever and pacy script is completed by Eduardo Barreto's well judged direction and draws us in from the start… fine acting… spectacular coup de theatre that explains the play's title in a most unexpected way… In spirit, if not in choice of avenging angel, "Peep Show" closely resembles Priestley's "An Inspector Calls", unmasking the protagonists as unwitting accomplices in the downfall of another. Far-fetched it may be, but effectively executed is definitely is. Well worth a trip to Greenwich to catch." TIME OUT

 

SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER, by Tennessee Wiliams, at Teatro Maria Matos, Lisbon’s West End

"It is wonderful to see a great play written by a great playwright and staged by a young director who doesn't feel the need to reveal to us everything that goes in his soul - though we sense that a lot goes on in it - but who simply decides to tell us the story the playwright wrote without giving us any special adaptations or personal interpretations, simply tells us the story as it was originally written".

"Barreto knows that the playwright that he loves (Tennessee Williams) is infinitely greater than he is and it is perhaps for that reason, for having that wisdom, that he has created a show that is simply beautiful"

"...we should enjoy this production, which makes us both laugh and cry. And that in itself is a great accomplishment, one of the objectives of theatre."

Graça Lobo, O INDEPENDENTE

 

NEVER NOTHING FROM NO ONE by Luísa Costa Gomes, Cockpit Theatre

"… accomplished staging that draws vivid characterizations from the cast… so uncommon is it to find such assured ensemble… " THE TIMES

 

"Barreto puts on a typically thoughtful and accomplished show… we can appreciate the care and precision of Barreto and his cast… an admirable production…" FINANCIAL TIMES

 

"… rare and fascinating… it recalls both Robert Altman's film "Short Cuts" in its narrative style of randomly interlinked lives, and Pedro Almodovar's "Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown" in its humorous take on the plight of women in a relatively new democracy."

"… superlative cast of eight… Director Barreto assures that each little "slice of life" is brought to vibrant life… the productions revels in the rich diversity of urban life in all its permutations… Requiem's marriage of English actors and mainly Portuguese production team is, happily, a very successful one indeed." WHAT'S ON

 

"… the women's introductory monologues are mesmerising in their objective detail… intriguing... visually entertaining… provocative… engaging production." TIME OUT

 

"… this fluid adaptation is to be welcomed… balanced relaxed naturalism with focused stylisation."

"Its mixed cast plays well within a variety of role and tones, from the casually comic to the socially acute… the opening scene, an almost Beckettian choreography seems to remain longest in the memory. This is because it understands the underlying symbolic nature of the challenges it portrays more lightly elsewhere. These are challenges that drama such as this is particularly well suited to addressing. “

THE STAGE

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RUTH / THE DARK LADY OF SONNETS 

(two operas by Philip Hagemann, PEGASUS OPERA COMPANY, Covent Garden)

 

"Director Eduardo Barreto, an opera debutant, rightly maintains stylised, sometimes touching simplicity in Ruth, and he supercharges the final peroration by placing singers around the audience, standing on pews.

Dark Lady, meanwhile, goes more for sly humour than rampant tongue-in-cheek stuff."

THE STAGE

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" ‘Ruth’ opens gently with lilting tunes slightly reminiscent of Vaughan Williams, but turns into a glorious melodic celebration of the female voice. A simple formula that works so well because it is performed with passion and commitment.  /  'The Dark Lady of Sonnets' is unashamedly modern. Although a sparer, sharper piece than ‘Ruth’ the performances bring plenty of sparkle to a fascinating example of a Shaw play set to music." 

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