Michael Fentiman (born 1 June 1982 at

Harlow Harlow is a large town and local government district located in the west of Essex, England. Founded as a new town, it is situated on the border with Hertfordshire and London, Harlow occupies a large area of land on the south bank of the upp ...

, Essex, England) is a British theatre director. Fentiman attended

Bretton Hall Bretton Hall may refer to: *Bretton Hall, Flintshire, former fortified manor house on the England/Wales border *Bretton Hall, West Yorkshire, country house in West Yorkshire, England *Bretton Hall College Bretton Hall College of Education was a h ...

for three years, where he trained to be an actor, followed by a postgraduate course at Mountview Academy for one year, to be a director."Michael Fentiman"
United Agents. Retrieved 9 December 2018 His directing credits to date (2019) include '' Titus Andronicus'' for the

RSC RSC may refer to: Arts * Royal Shakespeare Company, a British theatre company * Reduced Shakespeare Company, a touring American acting troupe * Richmondshire Subscription Concerts, a music society in Richmond, North Yorkshire, England * Rock Ste ...

, '' The Importance of being Earnest'' at the Vaudeville Theatre, ''Raising Martha'' and

Joe Orton John Kingsley Orton (1 January 1933 – 9 August 1967), known by the pen name of Joe Orton, was an English playwright, author, and diarist. His public career, from 1964 until his death in 1967, was short but highly influential. During this brie ...

's ''

Loot Loot may refer to: Film *''Loot'' (1919 film), a film by William C. Dowlan * ''Loot'' (1970 film), a British film by Silvio Narizzano * ''Loot'' (2008 film), a documentary * ''Loot'' (2011 film), an Indian film * ''Loot'' (2012 film), a Nepali fil ...

'' at the Park Theatre, London, ''The Last Days of Anne Boleyn'' (writer and director) for Historic Royal Palaces at the Tower of London, and '' Amélie the Musical'' (UK national tour from April 2019)

Production reviews

In 2012 Fentiman with Rupert Goold co-directed ''

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' is a fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis, published by Geoffrey Bles in 1950. It is the first published and best known of seven novels in ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' (1950–1956). Among all the ...

'' for a Threesixty 'tented production' in

Kensington Gardens Kensington Gardens, once the private gardens of Kensington Palace, are among the Royal Parks of London. The gardens are shared by the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and sit immediately to the west of Hyde P ...

, London. It received a ''

Guardian Guardian usually refers to: * Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another * ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper (The) Guardian(s) may also refer to: Places * Guardian, West Virginia, Unite ...

'' three star review. Fentiman directed a 2013 production of ''Titus Andronicus'' for the RSC at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon. A review by Michael Billington considered Fentiman's production "strong on momentary effects, utnot exactly a model of intellectual coherence". Charles Spencer in '' The Daily Telegraph'' saw this production as "a notable RSC debut" by Fentiman, "with just the right mixture of dark wit and in-your-face violence". ''Raising Martha'', a

farce Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical humor; the use of deliberate absurdity o ...

by David Spicer, was directed by Fentiman in 2017. Lyn Gardner reviewed the production for '' The Guardian'', stating it was "never quite as riotously funny as it should be in a production by Michael Fentiman" and "ends up down a dramatic cul-de-sac" A review by David Fargnoli in '' The Stage'' thought the play an "amusing, absurdist black comedy that lacks a cutting edge" More positive reviews were written for the '' Evening Standard'' which thought Fentiman's "brisk" production "achieves moments of tension", and by

Ann Treneman Ann Treneman (born 1956) is an American journalist, currently working for ''The Times'' newspaper in the United Kingdom. Treneman was born in Iowa City, Iowa, but she grew up in McMinnville, Oregon. She has lived in the UK since the mid-1980s. ...

for '' The Times'', who believed the production was "wild and wacky, outrageously funny, with jokes from the very silly to the subtle and sophisticated" Fentiman directed Orton's ''Loot'' in 2017. His review in '' The Independent'' mentioned that the production "reinstates some of the lines that had been censored by the Lord Chamberlain", and was a "stylish and entertaining revival". Dominic Cavendish in ''The Daily Telegraph'' believed that "Fentiman has not only found the right venue..., he has got the right cast". Clare Brennan in ''The Guardian'' said that "if ever there was a cast to deliver Orton this is it – under Michael Fentiman's direction".

Neil Norman Neil Norman is a British playwright and critic. A journalist on the '' New Musical Express'' in the early 1970s, Norman became a film critic for '' The Face'' and in the ensuing years a reviewer of film and theatre for various cinema magazines ...

in the ''

Sunday Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...

'' called Michael Fentiman's production "a masterclass in physical comedy and timing". Michael Billington in ''The Guardian'' gave ''Loot'' a five star rating, commenting on the way Fentiman referenced the "shock tactics" in Orton's work. Fentiman's 2018 ''The Importance of being Earnest'' was reviewed less favourably by Billington, who wrote: "Michael Fentiman's coarse production robs Wilde of his decorum, swapping subtleties and satire for screaming and sex" and "never allows the words to do their work". A contrary viewpoint was taken by Alun Hood for WhatsOnStage who believed the production " hrowsfresh ideas at he play and "will likely infuriate as many people as it delights" Henry Hitchins in the '' Evening Standard'' mentions Fentiman's "at times racy interpretation hatsuggests the anarchy seething beneath Wilde's polished witticisms". Paul Taylor in ''The Independent'' said "Does anybody need Wilde's masterpiece to be ‘decoded’ in this heavy-handed, pseudo-radical way?" Holly Williams in ''

Time Out Time-out, Time Out, or timeout may refer to: Time * Time-out (sport), in various sports, a break in play, called by a team * Television timeout, a break in sporting action so that a commercial break may be taken * Timeout (computing), an enginee ...

'' believed "Fentiman's approach rubbles the structure of an exquisitely formed play." Natasha Tripney in '' The Stage'' thought "Fentiman's pantomimic production does it he playa disservice".Tripney, Natasha
"The Importance of Being Earnest review at Vaudeville Theatre, London – 'heavy-handed'"
'' The Stage'', 2 August 2018. Retrieved 9 December 2018

Awards and nominations

References

External links

"Michael Fentiman
University of Cambridge. Retrieved 10 December 2018
Michael Fentiman
at

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. Retrieved 10 December 2018
"'A Day to Masscacre Them All' , Titus Andronicus"
Royal Shakespeare Company video, 11 April 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2018

Michael Fentiman directing ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

'' at the

Playhouse. Retrieved 10 December 2018 {{DEFAULTSORT:Fentiman, Michael 1982 births Living people English theatre directors People from Harlow Alumni of Bretton Hall College Alumni of the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts