A few more wonderful reviews for The Rover have appeared online. See The Rover at the RSC until February 2017.
The rumbustious, musical carnival sprit seeps out everywhere and is particularly welcome to three lively sisters in search of love, headed by the wonderfully sparkly-eyed Hellena (Faye Castelow). Her inevitable destiny is to meet the eponymous, penniless Willmore, played with winning swagger and some cherishable audience ad-libs by Joseph Millson. Yet his fickle heart, or perhaps another key organ, has already been wowed by sultry courtesan Angellica Bianca (Alexandra Gilbreath). The central stand-off between Castelow, Millson and Gilbreath is a joy to witness – the three laughed so much the night I saw it that they had to pause for a moment to regroup - but it’s not solely in the depiction of fun and frolics that Ingram’s confident work manifests itself. There are some real, hurtling moments of fear and darkness lurking and the full impact of these is felt as well. In all, a treat. Evening Standard
Strong performances all round. Joseph Millson creates a Willmore changing his truths with lightening pace, creating a most unlikeable character that we are happy, in the safety of the drama space, to like and laugh at. Reviews Gate
The exuberance is non-stop. Perfect casting. Joseph Millson is Willmore, and never has a swash been buckled with such aplomb. If I were casting a film of George MacDonald Fraser’s Flashman series tomorrow, he’d walk into the part. Willmore is Flashman’s spiritual ancestor. He’s a rogue, a liar, a womanizer, a would-be rapist, but we all like him. Millson is brilliant full stop, but particularly so in asides and reactions to the audience … knowing winks, raised eyebrows, gestures. It’s this “private interaction” with the audience that draws us in to his side so successfully. In the second half, he does the best stage drunk of a year filled with them (just last weekend, we saw No Man’s Land and The Entertainer which meant non-stop stage drunks). The effort of trying to support himself on two Swan Theatre posts which are JUST too far apart was memorable. Peter Viney
Joseph Millson’s triumphant performance as swashbuckling cavalier Willmore carries the production, with ad libs galore, filling the stage with a sense of genuine enjoyment and adventure. The energy is at times so much that the production may descend into pantomime territory, with character breaks and untimely looks to the audience, though this is only momentary, and fitting for a character who is so utterly self-indulgent. Theatre & Book Review
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