'Great psychological thriller'

‘Smart, slick and suspensive, our Critics had a wonderful evening with this must-see thriller on stage.’

‘A sophisticated storyline with much suspense, and an all-round skilled cast, Gillies Macdonald was particularly impressive!’

‘A new play based upon Aeschylus’ Oresteia? That would be an ambitious project for a seasoned professional company, so I’m interested to see what this team from Oxford has come up with. Playwright Leelou Lapteva has cunningly reimagined the old saga as a psychological thriller, set in the aftermath of the 2008 banking crisis. In this version of the story, King Agamemnon becomes Adam Atreides (Gilles McDonald), the CEO of a major bank and the father of Oliver (George Loynes) and Chloe (Victoria Kinne). He’s married to the vitriolic Sandra (Kelsey DeJesus, clearly having a field day with her expletive-littered lines).’

‘I’m impressed by Lapteva’s intriguing concept and there’s some excellent writing here. What’s more, the acting – especially from the sibling duo of Loynes and Kinne – is also pretty impressive, though it’s fair to say that every member of the seven-strong cast gives it their all.’

‘My Blood is an impressive production, a fresh interpretation of a classic piece of theatre that has plenty of appeal for a modern audience.’

‘"My Blood " takes a fair bit of unravelling if you want to work out who equates to whom in the ancient source, but it works on its own terms and no knowledge of the Oresteia is required. One character seems at first to have strayed in from another mythology or belief system but on second thoughts has Greek counterparts. All the cast are good and George Loynes as Oliver (Orestes) gives probably the outstanding single performance in all the 20+ shows I have seen - intensely physical and bursting at the seams with half-suppressed emotions, with a huge variety of nervous tics and twitches, some verging on convulsions, and some frighteningly realistic falls and simulated injuries to himself and others.’

‘A very gripping story delivered flawlessly by a very talented cast and crew. Thoroughly recommended!!!’

‘Thrilling plot. The actors really helped bring this show to life. A must watch!’

‘Great show! I really enjoyed the performance last night. The cast were brilliant, a great piece of student theatre!’