Bjorg Vik’s play The Journey to Venice at the Finborough Theatre invites you into the world of Edith and Oscar, and it is a world full of literature, poetry, imagination, and pretend travels.
Mates blogger: Rev Stan
Rev Stan is one of over 45 theatre bloggers who are part of the MyTheatreMates collective. This page features RevStan's posts on MyTheatreMates. Take a look at our full list of theatre bloggers and our aggregated feed of all our Mates' posts. We’re always looking for new theatre bloggers. Could that be you? Learn about how to join us.
Revstan really is a reverend (it's amazing what you can buy on the internet) but not a man (the Stan bit is a long story). By day, she is a freelance editor and copywriter; at night, she escapes into the world of theatre and has been blogging about it at theatre.revstan.com since 2007. She says: “I'll watch pretty much anything, from something performed on a stage the size of a tea tray to the West End and beyond. The only exception is musicals. Tried 'em and they just don't do anything positive for me.”
The latest from RevStan on MyTheatreMates
‘There is plenty to ponder’: WOMEN, BEWARE THE DEVIL – Almeida Theatre
Women, Beware The Devil at the Almeida Theatre is a difficult play to pin down. It starts in the modern day with the ‘literal’ devil (Nathan Armarkwei-Laryea) breaking the fourth wall to lament how he isn’t evoked or blamed for anything anymore. He also cheekily spoils the plot of the play.
‘The performances are top-notch’: THE BEACH HOUSE – Park Theatre
They say moving is one of the most stressful things you can do. What happens when you move to your dream beachfront home that is ‘in need of renovation,’ you have a baby on the way, and your relationship is evolving fast? Add a flighty sister, and you’ve got the premise for Jo Harper’s new play The Beach House at the Park Theatre.
‘Both bubbles of laughter & heartbreaking tragedy’: LINCK & MULHAHN – Hampstead Theatre ★★★★★
Helena Wilson and Maggie Bain in Linck & Mülhahn, Hampstead Theatre, Feb 2023. Photo: Helen Murray
Writer Ruby Thomas was in the British Library when she came across a reference Linck and Mulhahn, a same-sex couple in 18th Century Prussia wh…
‘It lingers in your mind’: THE ELEPHANT SONG – Park Theatre ★★★★
Nicolas Billon’s The Elephant Song at the Park Theatre takes us through a game of cat and mouse as Dr Greenberg tries to talk resident Michael into revealing the information he has. Michael, with his toy elephant always in his hand, knows the information he has might give him some leverage. He wants to leave the hospital.
‘Bursts onto the stage’: NO ONE – Omnibus Theatre ★★★★★
No One at the Omnibus Theatre bursts onto the stage with a scene in a club, complete with a live DJ, which quickly descends into a fight. Then we jump to a police station and investigation into a missing girl and the violent attack of a man. It sounds dark, but how it is performed brings a humorous touch.
‘The comedy is lost in translation’: THE ART OF ILLUSION – Hampstead Theatre
The Art of Illusion won several awards when it opened in Paris in 2014. Now it gets its London premiere at the Hampstead Theatre but will this play about magic and illusion conjure up some English awards?
Rev Stan chooses her Top Ten Plays of 2022
This feels like a moment; I haven’t been able to do a best of theatre list since 2019 because of ‘you know what’. It’s been huge fun revisiting the plays I’ve seen – nearly 50. And while that total is down on pre-pandemic levels, it was still tricky to narrow down my choices, but here goes.
‘Vividly atmospheric & kinetic production’: OTHELLO – National Theatre ★★★★
The National Theatre’s Lyttelton stage has been transformed with steps and terraces around the performance space, creating a look that is a cross between an ancient greek theatre and a fighting pit. Before the play starts, images of past productions of Othello and the year they were performed are projected onto the steps and back wall as a reminder of the story’s timelessness.
‘The power is in the modern parallels’: RICHARD THE SECOND – Omnibus Theatre ★★★★
Anna Coombs’ adaptation of Shakespeare’s Richard II sees the story slimmed down for five actors, with three of the cast playing more than one character. It focuses the attention on King Richard (Daniel Rock) and his cousins, the loyal Aumerle (Lebogang Fisher) and Henry Bollingbroke (Raheim Menzies), and the power tussle between them for the crown
‘A profoundly thought-provoking play’: GOOD – Harold Pinter Theatre ★★★★★
A victim of rescheduling because of theatre lockdowns, Good, starring David Tennant, finally gets in front of an audience but is it worth the wait? Tennant is a household name because of his screen work, but he is also a seasoned stage actor, taking on an eclectic mix of roles from Hamlet to Don Juan in Soho, so expectations are high.
‘A fascinating story at its heart’: DMITRY – Marylebone Theatre ★★★
Written by Peter Oswald and Alexander J Gifford ‘after’ an unfinished play by Friedrich Schiller, Dmitry is the story of the much loved, youngest son of the Tzar of Russia who was murdered – or was he?
‘A brilliant ensemble piece’: EUREKA DAY – Old Vic Theatre ★★★★★
There is a scene in Eureka Day at the Old Vic during which the audience is roaring with laughter, but it isn’t anything to do with the actors who are on stage or what they are saying. And it isn’t a mistake, it is intended, and it’s a genius scene for a couple of reasons, how the actors carry on regardless and the relatable source of the comedy.
‘Some of the twists are gasp-inducing’: THE CLINIC – Almeida Theatre ★★★
Tea drinking features heavily in Dipo Baruwa-Etti’s posh kitchen-set play The Clinic at the Almeida Theatre. But this tea may or may not have intoxicating or calming effects; even those who fervently dislike infusions get a taste for it. And that is The Clinic, a mix of contemporary family drama and something more difficult to put a finger on.
‘Subtle but powerful’: WHO KILLED MY FATHER – Young Vic Theatre ★★★★
I can now say I’ve seen Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio on stage. OK, so they were on telly on stage, but that is technically on stage. Kate and Leo were in Titanic mode, the favourite film of the son in Who Killed My Father. His homophobic father initially refuses to get him the video for his birthday.
‘Factual approach strips away some of the emotion’: SILENCE – Donmar Warehouse ★★★
Silence at the Donmar Warehouse is based on a non-fiction book by journalist Kavita Puri who interviewed people who lived through the partition of India in 1947 and subsequently settled in the UK.
‘Brilliantly written & performed’: MONSTER – Park Theatre ★★★★★
There was a point while watching Monster at the Park Theatre when I realised I had my hand over my mouth. What was unfolding on stage was shocking, and I haven’t had a reaction like that to a play for quite a while.
‘A compelling watch’: FREUD’S LAST SESSION – King’s Head Theatre ★★★★★
Mark St Germain’s play Freud’s Last Session at the King’s Head Theatre in Islington is a compact yet powerful play which imagines a clash of intellect and reasoning between two famous minds.
‘Interesting exploration of relationships’: CLOSER – Lyric Hammersmith ★★★
I liked the tone of this production of Closer at the Lyric Hammersmith and the sense of sadness that underpinned it, even if I was glad to leave the characters behind. It is an interesting exploration of relationships with some nice production touches.
‘It feels like several plays mashed together’: THE FELLOWSHIP – Hampstead Theatre
Roy Williams’ play The Fellowship centres on a small family unit, but there are a lot of big things going on. Dawn (Cherrelle Skeet) is grieving the loss of a child while caring for her terminally ill mother with little help from her high-flying lawyer sister Marcia (Suzette Llewellyn). She can tell her teenage son Jermaine (Ethan Hazzard) is lying to her, and if it’s about what she suspects, she will be fuming.