REVIEWS

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WILDERNESS, FINBOROUGH Wilderness was one of four plays in the Lullabies of Broadmoor cycle written by Steve Hennessy and directed by Chris Loveless. They were performed in repertory over the summer of 2011 at Bristol, Brighton, the Edinburgh Fringe and the Finborough. Sam Marlow, The Times: Superbly acted by a role-swapping, four-strong cast Julia Rank, Exeunt: Chris Courtenay gives an outstanding performance as Dr Minor Howard Loxton, British Theatre Guide: Chris Courtenay gives a particularly fine performance as Minor  Chris is seen here with Violet Ryder
FALLEN ANGELS, VIENNA Noel Coward's Fallen Angels ran for two months in spring 2006 at Vienna's Engiish Theatre. The cast included Robin Sebastian, Jean Perkins, Sasha Waddell, Anthony de Baeck and Harriet Benson. The director was Ron Aldridge. Barbara Ottawa, Wiener Zeitung: Robin Sebastian (Willy) and Chris Courtenay (Fred) are wonderful as the hoodwinked husbands
THE NEW MORALITY, FINBOROUGH   By Harold Chapin, this Edwardian comedy was directed by Kate Wasserberg at the Finborough in 2005.  Norman Tozer, Rogues and Vagabonds: I enjoyed Chris Courtenay’s E. Wallace Wister very much. He seemed to have the required technique to play with style and use the text most skilfully to create a man of tics and hesitations … absolutely the right side of caricature, the humour rooted in reality
AND ALSO... A Christmas Carol This production was directed by Ben Horslen and John Riseboro at Middle Temple Hall in 2014. Catherine Usher, The Stage: 'Chris Courtenay is particularly impressive as the tortured Ghost of Jacob Marley...ominous and poiognant'   A Christmas Carol This production was directed by Alistair Green at Wimbledon Studios and Trafalgar Studio 2 in 2005. Benedict Nightingale, The TImes: Chris Courtenay's unsentimentally likeable Bob Cratchit John Thaxter, The Stage: none of the [versatile] cast is more astonishing than Chris Courtenay    The Murder Club/Wilderness This double-bill was written by Steve Hennessy and directed by Caitriona McLaughlin at the Finborough in 2004; I played Richard Prince in the first play and Dr William Chester Minor in the second. Paul Taylor, The Independent: Minor [is] excellently played by Chris Courtenay Derek Smith, The Stage: Both Andrew Michell and Chris Courtenay clearly revel in their characters and blend humour and madness seamlessly Reviews of the pre-London Bristol run of these shows: Bristol Evening Post: Chris Courtenay's Prince and Andrew Michell's True are played off beautifully against Marc Danbury's excitable prison guard    The Public Eye This show was directed in 2004 by Jane Briers for the Etcetera, London.  Fringe Report: Chris Courtenay's fine performance of stuck-in-mud accountant Charles Sidley contrasts to perfection with the other characters, giving a fine balance to the drama. Charles is a dinosaur: Chris Courtenay catches this, without resorting to caricature, keeping a strong credibility, and hinting at the man's essentially gentle soul   A Doll's House This production was directed by Alistair Green of Horla at the Rose and Crown, Hampton Wick, in 2003. Theatre World: Chris Courtenay provides excellent support as the Helmers' family friend, Dr Rank, whose physical decay reflects an inner turmoil of unrequited love The Stage: Praise is due to Chris Courtenay [who plays] Dr Rank with style and conviction   These next reviews are of two plays by Ciaran McConville of Debut Theatre; I played Arthur in The Man Who Dreamed and Darwin in The Legend of 463 Squadron, both premiered at Edinburgh 2002; the latter ran in London (Etcetera and Courtyard) and Bath (Rondo) under the new title Immortal The Man Who Dreamed The Scotsman: I was in the presence of accomplished performers who enchanted me with their fairytale The Irish Post: A superbly performed gem head and shoulders above many big-name, big-budget productions elsewhere Three Weeks: Superbly breezy and guiltlessly uplifting. This is entertaining new theatre...you'll not start your day in a better way Legend of 463 Squadron/Immortal An involving piece of theatre handled effortlessly - The Scotsman A gripping and compelling peice of theatrical magic - The Irish Post A passionate performance from all - Three Weeks Stops you in your tracks and leaves you stunned...The acting in this production is consistently fantastic -Camden New Journal A striking portrayal of heroism...A perfect balance of humour and urgency throughout...convincing and poignant -Time Out An all-too-convincing portrayal of men in crisis - Ham and High