Freeman is a startling and exceptional piece of theatre and its run in Streatham was a coup for the still relatively new Streatham Space Project theatre.
Mates blogger: Tom Bolton
Tom Bolton is one of over 40 bloggers who are part of the MyTheatreMates collective. Take a look at our full list of bloggers. We’re always looking for new bloggers, so learn about how to join us.
Tom Bolton is an author and researcher, based in London. He comes from Stratford-upon-Avon, where Derek Jacobi in The Tempest got him hooked on theatre. He sat on the Olivier Awards judging panel, and started reviewing for Londonist in 2010. He is particularly keen on disinterred classics, new writing and physical theatre, and spends a week at the Edinburgh Festival every year looking for more. Tom blogs independently at tombolton.co.uk and tweets @teabolton.
The latest from Tom on My Theatre Mates
‘Ingenious, chaotic & highly enjoyable’: HUMAN JAM – Camden People’s Theatre
In London theatre, Opinion, Plays by Tom BoltonLeave a Comment
Human Jam is precisely the type of show Camden People’s Theatre should be producing: fully engaged with its community, angry but imaginative, chaotic and messy, and shining a strong, searching light on those in power.
‘A succession of distinctive performances’: THREE SISTERS – Almeida Theatre
In London theatre, Opinion, Plays, Reviews by Tom BoltonLeave a Comment
Rebecca Frecknall’s rich production of Three Sisters takes place in a bubble of unreality, both alluring and doomed to burst.
‘Remarkably funny & unexpectedly painful’: DIE! DIE! DIE! OLD PEOPLE DIE! – Battersea Arts Centre
In London theatre, Opinion, Plays, Reviews by Tom BoltonLeave a Comment
Ridiculusmus is at the top of their game and Die! Die! Die! Old People Die!, complete with fart jokes, is an absolute must-see for anyone who wants to be awed by what two men on a small stage can achieve.
‘A rare & honest examination of mistakes made in the public gaze’: THE LONG WALK BACK – Touring
In London theatre, Opinion, Plays, Regional theatre, Reviews, Touring by Tom BoltonLeave a Comment
Dougie Blaxland’s taut, probing and beautifully structured play The Long Walk Back explores Chris Lewis’ rise and fall, one that is unique in the world of cricket and without many other sporting parallels.
‘A quietly, utterly absorbing play about child abuse’: DOWNSTATE – National Theatre
In London theatre, Opinion, Plays, Reviews by Tom BoltonLeave a Comment
Bruce Norris, previously best known for race drama Clybourne Park takes on social taboo issues without a pause.
‘People won’t be forgetting this in a hurry’: CYPRUS AVENUE – Royal Court Theatre
In London theatre, Opinion, Plays, Reviews by Tom BoltonLeave a Comment
Cyprus Avenue uses shock tactics to show us the horror within, but it is a comedy with depth, perceptiveness and a touch of genius.
‘Beautifully balanced & unusual piece of theatre’: BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO – Donmar Warehouse
In London theatre, Opinion, Plays, Reviews by Tom BoltonLeave a Comment
It is easy to see why a film set mainly in a recording studio is so suited to the stage and Tom Scutt has created a beautifully balanced and unusual piece of theatre in Berberian Sound Studio.
’An evening of meandering chat’: SHIPWRECK – Almeida Theatre
In London theatre, Opinion, Plays, Reviews by Tom BoltonLeave a Comment
Annie Washburn’s new play Shipwreck is intended as a reckoning with Trump. The show pitches itself as a invitation to dinner with the 45th President, but unfortunately would be better described as an evening of meandering chat with a cast of confused New York liberals.
‘Uneven account’: THE LADY FROM THE SEA – Print Room at the Coronet
In London theatre, Opinion, Plays, Reviews by Tom BoltonLeave a Comment
The Lady from the Sea, rarely performed in the UK, is a fascinating and alluring play, but this production from Norwegian Ibsen Company provides an uneven account.