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.
plays
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.
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.
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.
Death Comes to Pemberley. Review by Barbara Lewis. “Jane Austen wrote six novels, pretty much all about the same sort of thing,” declares the programme note to P.D. James’ artful sequel to possibly the most popular of the six (or seven, if you count the unfinished “Sanditon”).
Much Ado About Nothing. Review by Barbara Lewis. “Much Ado About Nothing” in the “humble opinion” of Associate Director Mark Collier is the perfect comedy.
Summers. Review by Barbara Lewis. Heejin Kim takes us to a near future where there is no longer any doubt that summers are something to fight rather than enjoy.
Cul-de-Sac. Review by Barbara Lewis. “Do you think this is enjoyable for anyone to be around?” It’s a very dangerous question in the mouth of Ruth Townsend, who is the aptly named wife of the overly frank Frank Townsend, the central couple of this tale of frustrated lives at the end of the line in London’s Zone 6.
The Frogs. Review by Barbara Lewis. The time is now. The place is ancient Greece. So begins this extremely freely adapted version of Aristophanes’ “The Frogs”.
Tempest Project. Review by Barbara Lewis. On March 21, Peter Brook would have been a hundred. To celebrate the birthday his beloved Bouffes du Nord Theatre in Paris is staging his and Shakespeare’s final project.
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.
By Julia Pascal • added recently on London Grip, plays, theatre • Tags: Julia Pascal, plays, theatre