John Craxton: A Modern Odyssey. Review by Barbara Lewis. John Craxton managed to emerge from school without passing a single exam, not even in art. Instead, charm, daring, connections, irrepressible talent and luck served him better than any merely formal qualifications.
Barbara Lewis
![Aff-Festival-A1 Aff-Festival-A1](https://londongrip.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Aff-Festival-A1-180x254.jpg)
Festival Universatil. Review by Barbara Lewis. The students in a KAP live together and work together on a cultural or community project, one of which is Le Théâtre Universitaire de Louvain, which every year organises the “Universatil” festival of French-language drama.
By Barbara Lewis • performance, theatre, year 2024 • Tags: Barbara Lewis, performance, theatre
![Transgression 1 Transgression 1](https://londongrip.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Transgression-1-180x124.jpg)
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.
By Barbara Lewis • plays, theatre, year 2024 • Tags: Barbara Lewis, plays, theatre
![MrJones1 MrJones1](https://londongrip.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/MrJones1-1024x576-180x101.jpg)
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
![HansMemling HansMemling](https://londongrip.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/HansMemling-180x138.jpg)
St John’s Hospital in Bruges, dating from the 12th-century, has a history of healing focused on the soul rather than the body. By the time Hans Memling arrived in Bruges in the second half of the 15th-century, that meant the hospital had a clear role for the man who was described at the time of his death in 1494 as “the most accomplished and excellent painter of the whole Christian world”.
By Barbara Lewis • art, books, painting, year 2024 • Tags: art, Barbara Lewis, books, painting
![362260_The Box of Delights production photos_ 2023_2023 362260_The Box of Delights production photos_ 2023_2023](https://londongrip.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/362260_The-Box-of-Delights-production-photos_-2023_2023-180x119.jpg)
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
![Luoran Ding, Joy Tan, Rachel Jayne Picar, Ethan Le Phong Luoran Ding, Joy Tan, Rachel Jayne Picar, Ethan Le Phong](https://londongrip.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Luoran-Ding-Joy-Tan-Rachel-Jayne-Picar-Ethan-Le-Phong-180x270.jpg)
Pacific Overtures. Review by Barbara Lewis. Pacific Overtures is Stephen Sondheim’s ironic take on events that began when in 1853 four American warships arrived in Tokyo Bay and set about forcing a nation that had sealed itself off from the world into a trading relationship.
By Barbara Lewis • music, theatre, year 2023 • Tags: Barbara Lewis, music, musicals, theatre
![Ikaria, credit Jake Bush (13) Ikaria, credit Jake Bush (13)](https://londongrip.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Ikaria-credit-Jake-Bush-13-180x119.jpg)
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
![Avante-Garde Avante-Garde](https://londongrip.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Avante-Garde-180x186.jpg)
The Avant-Garde in Georgia. Review by Barbara Lewis. Every two years, Belgium and neighbouring countries host Europalia, a four-month international arts festival to celebrate one country’s cultural heritage. Until early next year, the latest biennale focuses on Georgia, a resonant choice given the conflict nearby instigated by Russia.
By Barbara Lewis • art, exhibitions, painting, year 2023 • Tags: art, Barbara Lewis, exhibitions, painting
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
ReClaim. Review by Barbara Lewis. A thought-provoking display of jewellery-cum-art that leaves us with a renewed awareness that recycling cannot reverse the harm we cause.
By Barbara Lewis • art, ecology, exhibitions, year 2023 • Tags: art, Barbara Lewis, ecology, exhibitions
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