Summer of Harold
by Hilary Bell
Directed by Damien Ryan
3 August 2024
⭐⭐⭐⭐
A must see for any Harold Pinter fan
Admiration. Envy. Suffocating love. The best things come in threes!
Two actors, three plays, ninety minutes.
Summer of Harold depicts three short plays, played by two actors and each consisting of 30 minutes.
'Summer of Harold' is a trio of plays centered around objects, the past, and how objects can hold more sentimental value to some people.
Play 1 - Summer of Harold: Starts with the stage full of boxes and an array of bits and bobs. One object is the forefront of the story and as the play progresses a moving man keeps appearing and taking boxes away. The joyful story being told is about the woman's time as the housekeeper of Harold Pinter.
Play 2 - Enfant Terrible: This play starts with an almost empty stage, just a stool and the actor. The start of the play could be mistaken for a rave! Out of the three, this play is the most bizarre and the object it's centered around is very unique.
Play 3 - Lookout: starts on what appears to be a mountain lookout when the man whose birthday it is gets a surprise visit from a women. This play has a very Harold Pinter-esque twist.
All three are stand-alone plays but they all have similar themes throughout. The actors do a great job of switching roles between the plays.
Although the first play is the only one to be about Harold Pinter himself, they all gave a nod to his writing style. A must see for any Harold Pinter fan.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
📍 Summer of Harold plays at Assembly Checkpoint 1 - 26 August. | jump to listings info here
☀️ Summer of Harold is presented by House of Oz and Ensemble Theatre
📸 production photo: Jaimi Joy
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⚠️ Review by guest reviewer Cameron in the Theatre. Find all of Cameron's review's HERE
Summer of Harold Cast & Creatives
Playwright Hilary Bell
Director Damien Ryan
Cast Berynn Schwerdt
Lucia Mastrantone
Lighting Designer Matt Cox
Composer & Sound Designer Mary Rapp
Summer of Harold 2024 Edinburgh dates
Venue: Assembly Checkpoint
Dates: Aug 1-26 (no show Wednesdays)
Times: 13.50 (90 mins)
⌚ Running time: 90 minutes
⚠️ Age Recommendation and Content Warnings
14+ | Contains some strong language
🎟️ Tickets: from £8.00 https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/summer-of-harold
Summer of Harold review, Assembly Checkpoint, Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024, House of Oz, Ensemble Theatre.
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🎟️ Disclosure: I am an Edinburgh Festival Fringe accredited media reviewer and as such I receive complimentary press tickets in exchange for my honest reviews. My reviews and star ratings are always my honest opinions.
Summer of Harold was superb. The acting, the stories, riveted the whole time.
Summer of Harold was superb. The acting, the stories, riveted the whole time.