Circus 1903 Review
“MORE APPEALING THAN EVER” This is how the circus should be done. Taking it back to the golden age of the big top where each act was a show in itself and the performances were driven by talent instead of a storyline, Circus 1903 is a spectacle of showmanship, grandeur and awe-inspiring thrills. There are […]
The Cane Review
“A THRILLING ALLEGORICAL MICROCOSM” A vulnerable demographic, an accepted culture of violence, an angry mob, a spokesperson, a new school that seeks to tear down what went before; Mark Ravenhill’s new play The Cane is a perfectly arranged and oh so natural analogy. For what exactly, I’ll spare the spoilers (although this tale could be […]
The Simon & Garfunkel Story Review
“THE SHOW’S SIMPLICITY EMULATES THE MUSIC ITSELF” As one of the most successful folk duos of all time, Simon and Garfunkel wrote and sang some of the most memorable and influential songs of the late sixties and early seventies. With their soft and distinctive vocal harmonies, I had reservations about just how similar a pair […]
Romeo and Juliet Review
“ROMANCE IS ULTIMATELY DEADLY, BUT NOT ALWAYS DEADLY SERIOUS.” When watching an updated version of Romeo and Juliet, one can’t help but be reminded of Baz Luhrmann‘s 1996 film. Although there are one or two similarities, such as the rager of a Capulet party where the young couple meet, RSC Deputy Artistic Director Erica Whyman‘s […]
ear for eye Review
“AN URGENT RHYTHM SUSTAINS THE ENERGY IN TIGHT CONCENTRATION THROUGHOUT” debbie tucker green has constructed the most eloquent of poems charting racism and the black experience in England and the U.S, which is left to resound on a pared back stage. Split into three parts, ear for eye is shot through with the power of […]
A Very Very Very Dark Matter Review
The stark division – but mainly repulsion – that Martin McDonagh’s latest play is causing among critics has become almost as big a draw as the playwright’s credentials. This is the man who, just this year, won three BAFTAs and two Golden Globes for his film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. His most recent plays […]
Macbeth at Barbican Theatre Review
CHILING AND KUBRICKIAN BUT LACKS A COHERENT THEME Opening RSC’s London season of a trilogy of Shakespeare plays, Polly Findlay directs Shakespeare’s bloody psychological thriller, Macbeth. Taking it from the foggy Scottish moors and transplanting it into a modern setting, we see the castles of Glamis and Fife shown as shabby hotel lobbies. Reminiscent of […]
Tap Dogs at Peacock Theatre Review
“INFECTIOUS; THEY EXECUTE THEIR MOVES WITH FLAWLESS HARMONISATION” When I think of tap dancing, an image of graceful dancers gliding and toe-tapping lightly around in elegant costumes springs to mind. The dance phenomenon Tag Dogs, however, is anything but graceful and light, as six men, sometimes shirtless but always scruffy, clump about in heavy boots […]
The Woods at Royal Court
“A SURREAL AND DISORIENTING NIGHTMARE OF A PLAY WITH A HEART-RENDING TURN FROM LESLEY SHARP” In the deepest, darkest part of the woods, a woman has found a strange lump in the snow and now the lump is here in her hideaway. He needs her. But there’s someone else who needs her desperately and jealously, […]
Othello at Shakespeare’s Globe
“TRADITIONAL, YET MANAGES TO BRING A FRESH PERSPECTIVE ON ALL ITS TIME-HONOURED CHARACTERS” In many prominent Othello productions, the titular moor is the only character played by a black actor. In these instances he seems more obviously vulnerable, more ‘other’. In truth, 17th century Venice would have been full of different races and creeds, much […]
