I Dream of Theresa May. Review by Barbara Lewis. As the nation is riven by Brexit and bitter arguments rage over immigration, the power of theatre to tackle the most divisive subjects in a non-confrontational way has never been more vital.
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Drifting. Review by Barbara Lewis. Social divisions have only deepened in the decade since the Ardent company was founded to try to make the world of theatre, long dominated by the privileged classes, less exclusive.
The Sea Horse. Review by Barbara Lewis. Fifty years after its Broadway premiere, this London revival makes Edward J. Moore’s exploration of why a woman might find it almost impossible to trust a man as relevant as ever.
The Wanderers. Review by Julia Pascal. This is a fascinating mess of a play which engages on every level. Anna Zeigler’s conceit is literary as the narrative plays out two parallel timelines within designated chapters.
Bloody Mary and the Nine Day Queen. Review by Barbara Lewis. Five centuries after King Henry VIII instigated the English Reformation, the press excitement around King Charles III’s decision to pray with the Pope is proof, were any needed, that some popular fascinations never die.
Blue/Orange, Review by Barbara Lewis. In the quarter of a century since the first staging of Joe Penhall’s exploration of how the system fails to serve the most vulnerable and potentially most dangerous in society horribly little progress has been made in delivering reform.
Mistero Buffo. Review by Barbara Lewis. Do we need to believe something to make it real? Conversely, if we believe something, does it become real? The question is central to our post-truth times and to Dario Fo’s daring questioning of blind faith that was for years banned as blasphemous.
LSO, Barbican. Review by Julia Pascal. What an amazing double bill the LSO offered for the start of its Barbican season under the direction Antonio Pappano: Aaron Copland’s Symphony No 3, with it haunting and thrilling Fanfare for the Common Man and Leonard Bernstein Symphony No 3 Kaddish.
The Trials. Review by Barbara Lewis. The Nuremberg Trials were considered fair, one of the jurors says during deliberations that are seeking climate justice – or is it revenge? – in a future not too distant from our already overheated times.
Sense & Sensibility, The Musical. Review by Barbara Lewis. Jane Austen loved music, but words were her supreme medium for conveying the nuanced feelings of her finest characters and the vicious superficiality of the mercenary social climbers that served to highlight the quieter virtues.
Clive. Review by Barbara Lewis. From “The Office” to “W1A,” workplaces have provided a rich vein of television comedy. Now “Clive,” by award-winning stage and screen writer Michael Wynne, proves that working from home is perfect subject-matter for a theatrical one-hander.
Jobsworth. Review by Barbara Lewis. Libby Rodliffe is not only a performer, she is a writer. As a performer, she takes on more than ten roles, one of which is Bea, who has four jobs.
By Barbara Lewis • plays, theatre, year 2025 • Tags: Barbara Lewis, plays, theatre