Double value at The Mercury recently.

Colchester Gazette’s Neil D’Arcy-Jones revealed his playwriting talent with In Search Of England.

This engrossing, often witty drama, launched from a biographical base, was energetically delivered by Director, Will Parrick and actors, Charlotte Luxford, Adam Duarte-Dias and Thomas R Edwards.

Scene-changing busker, Andra Chelcea, proved an excellent device. The tightly-packed plot would have gained from a less is more approach, to avoid the slightly anti-climactic ending.

*Meanwhile, international, infamous theatre company, Cheek By Jowl, presented Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale and lived up to its reputation.

A wooden portakabin box of staging tricks delighted the audience around me.

I preferred the action straight, especially Orlando James’ strong Leontes and Natalie Redmall-Quirke’s beautifully poised Hermione.