"The Caine Mutiny" is a riveting exploration of human nature and institutional flaws, wrapped in the guise of a courtroom drama. The play masterfully questions the concept of mental instability—how much of it is real, and how much is a societal construct? As an audience member, I found myself torn between empathizing with the crew's frustrations and understanding the struggles of Captain Queeg, a flawed yet dedicated naval officer. The moral ambiguity of the characters—whether it's the seemingly righteous First Officer Maryk, the manipulative Keefer, or the fiercely principled Greenwald—makes the story deeply compelling.
The casting is phenomenal. Greenwald, reimagined as a female character, is a stroke of genius. Her calm yet conflicted demeanor during the trial, especially in her confrontation with the doctor, is electrifying. Keefer's performance is equally impressive, so much so that I wanted to jump on stage and give him a piece of my mind! And then there's Captain Queeg—a man who is neither perfect nor likable, but whose final seven-minute monologue is nothing short of heartbreaking. Watching his descent from composure to despair is a brutal reminder of the cost of dedicating one's life to duty.
The pacing stumbles slightly with the judge's performance, but this is a minor flaw in an otherwise stellar production. The tension, the moral dilemmas, and the outstanding performances make this an unforgettable experience.
Thank you to the entire cast and crew for a night filled with profound reflections on humanity, justice, and the systems we live by. This is a must-watch for anyone who enjoys theater that challenges the mind and...
Read moreWhile it's an amazing space and a beautiful building, I've had a mixed bag of service from the Tabernacle. Most of the issues it seems would be do to the staff just being better coordinated in how they're going to deal with a large group of customers coming in. All of my visits to The Tabernacle have been as part of an all day talk in the space upstairs where we've always broken out for lunch and many of us decide to just stay in the building to eat. The staff never seems to be able to cope with this influx of people and things all seem to go to chaos. On my most recent visit, I had just got into the queue of about a dozen folks when one of the staff told us just to all take a seat and they'll come take orders at the tables. Amazing I thought, so I looked around for a seat and the only thing open without claiming a table of four to myself was the bar, so I sat there. And sat. And then one of the bar staff came by to ask if I was ready to order and when I tried to order food, he directed me to the end of the bar to order, in contradiction of what the previous staffer just said. Rather than deal with the chaos and potential further delay to my food, I skipped out and walked around the corner to Ottolenghi where I got much food with a lot less...
Read moreI swung by here Sunday afternoon and ordered at the bar the king prawn roti for takeaway (the pumpkin curry was out). The server behind the door, a young guy with short cornrows, had a huge attitude: avoiding eye contact, muttering answers to my questions as if I was annoying him, and just being generally unpleasant. I walked away and waited for my order feeling as if I was the problem- for god forbid paying this establishment for food. I debated getting a juice as they were cheap at £3.20 but refused to give this place any more money. It also took FOREVER for my food to arrive, despite the place not being busy at all. It seemed the cooks and staff (including that horrid server) had better time joking behind the bar than working. I could imagine your food would take centuries if one came at a busy time.
The roti itself was delicious: chock full of juicy prawns, chickpeas, veg and potatoes. The roti was firm enough to hold the goodies but soft to chew and delicious. Mild spice (and this is coming from someone who doesn’t do spicy sadly). It’s a shame the food (and the price at £7.95 for the huge roti) is so great bc the crud attitude means I would never return nor recommend anyone...
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