Transgression, Life in the Aftermath of the Eocene. Review by Barbara Lewis. The Eocene lasted from about 55.8 million to 33.9 million years ago, which has left a lot to happen in the aftermath. By the 1990s of “Transgression”, humanity is being perpetuated by fleeting moments of sexual attraction that give way to years of cruelty.
plays
Mr. Jones. Review by Barbara Lewis. Nearly 60 years on, the tragedy of Aberfan haunts us, not least because it could have been avoided. There is no consolation unless you turn to art. Then the dramatic tension between what was and what might have been becomes theatrical gold in the hands of Liam Holmes.
By Barbara Lewis • plays, theatre, year 2024 • Tags: Barbara Lewis, plays, theatre
The Box of Delights, Review by Barbara Lewis. By turns, a happy child, a devastated orphan, a traumatised sailor, a beggar, a factory hand and ultimately the writer he had always wanted to be, John Masefield proved that dreams can come true – and when they do, they are all the more magical for the pain suffered on the way.
By Barbara Lewis • plays, theatre, year 2023 • Tags: Barbara Lewis, plays, theatre
Ikaria. Review by Barbara Lewis. Ikaria is a Greek island famed for the longevity of its inhabitants, helped by a Mediterranean diet and plenty of sex. For the purposes of writer-director Philippa Lawford’s eloquent, debut play, it’s also a university hall of residence.
By Barbara Lewis • plays, theatre, year 2023 • Tags: Barbara Lewis, plays, theatre
Beyond Ourselves. Review by Barbara Lewis. Making dreams come true has never been easy, but the joy of theatre is in the trying.
By Barbara Lewis • performance, plays, theatre, year 2023 • Tags: Barbara Lewis, performance, plays, theatre
The Wind and The Rain. Finborough Theatre. Review by Barbara Lewis. A wistful story of Edinburgh medical students tussling with exams and affairs of the heart was one of the biggest international hits of the 1930s and a staple of British repertory theatre for decades after.
By Barbara Lewis • plays, theatre, year 2023 • Tags: Barbara Lewis, plays, theatre
As You Like It. Review by Barbara Lewis. The line “ripeness is all” from Shakespeare’s tragedy of old age Lear could easily be the motto of the RSC’s latest joyful version of one of his most youthful comedies of love.
By Barbara Lewis • comedy, plays, playwrights, theatre, year 2023 • Tags: Barbara Lewis, comedy, plays, playwrights, theatre
THREE SCORE YEARS AND TEN – Under Milk Wood seventy years on: an appreciation by Kevin Saving
By Michael Bartholomew-Biggs • authors, literature, plays, poetry, theatre, year 2023 0 • Tags: authors, Kevin Saving, literature, plays, poetry, theatre
Pussycat in Memory of Darkness. Review by Barbara Lewis. Kristin Milward’s performance of Pussycat in Memory of Darkness in Kyiv in December was the first visiting foreign production in the capital since the Russian invasion began in February last year.
By Barbara Lewis • plays, playwrights, theatre, year 2023 • Tags: Barbara Lewis, plays, playwrights, theatre
The Human Voice, Charing Cross Theatre. Review by Barbara Lewis. It’s surely a temptation for today’s directors of Poulenc and Cocteau’s La Voix Humaine, or The Human Voice in this English version, to transpose it to the world of mobile phones. It’s one director Alejandro Bonatto wisely resists.
By Barbara Lewis • music, plays, theatre, year 2022 • Tags: Barbara Lewis, music, plays, theatre
The Pilgrim Play. Review by Barbara Lewis. An antidote to the glitz that can disguise the mediocre, it’s a welcome return to the roots of theatre and to a focus on consummate acting skill.
By Barbara Lewis • plays, theatre, year 2024 • Tags: Barbara Lewis, plays, theatre