Asking Rembrandt
By Steve Gooch
The Old Red Lion Islington
Director – Jonathan Kemp
Producer – Damien Tracey
Set and Costume Designer – Alex Marker
Lighting Designer – Philip Jones
Cast: Liam McKenna, John Gorrick, Esme Patey-Ford, Loz Keystone
Based around the few known facts of Rembrandt’s relationship with patron Jan Six, as well as mistress Hendrickje Stoffels, this incisive new play looks at the perils of the commissioning process through the working life of this most formidable artist.
“Some people can’t bear to be caught wearing last year’s idea”
***** (Five stars) Britishtheatre.com
***** (Five stars) Playstosee.com
**** (Four stars) The Stage
**** (Four stars)Downstagecentre.com
**** (Four stars) TheatreTourist.com
'The star of the show, though, is Alex Marker’s beautiful set, surrounded by vast gilt frames. It’s a detailed mock-up of an artist’s studio where everything is smeared with paint, and knick-knacks – cups, feathers, fruit – adorn the shelves, ready to be plucked at random and arranged for a still life.'
Tim Bano – Time Out
http://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/asking-rembrandt
'Scealta Mora's production is atmospherically designed by Alex Marker.'
Paul Vale – The Stage
www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/2015/asking-rembrandt/
'The set looks like it could be the subject of one of Rembrandt’s paintings. The tiny theatre is transformed into a dimly lit studio with beautiful fabrics thrown over chairs and half-finished canvasses spilling from paint-encrusted shelves. The costumes evoke the 1700s with rich colours and attention to detail. The stage itself is edged by broken life-sized golden frames, eliciting comparisons between painting and theatre as art.'
Saskia McCraken – playstosee.com
http://playstosee.com/asking-rembrandt/
'The designer, Alex Marker, has done an impressive job with the setting, which is both carefully detailed and flexible for the players. He works hard to hold the audience’s attention as the space remains unchanged throughout, with exception of a few dressings.'
Eloise Hodder – DownStageCentre.com
http://downstagecentre.com/the-dsc-team/eloise-hodder/asking-rembrandt/
'...the set (designed by Alex Marker) was fantastic – huge, ornate gilt frames draped about the stage in a very artistic manner, sketches scattered around and paintbrushes tossed aside on the workbench – not to mention the art itself, which was pretty incredible. In fact it’s probably the best set I’ve seen at the Old Red Lion.'
Michaela Clement- Hayes
http://www.westendwilma.com/asking-rembrandt-old-red-lion/