That Is Not Who I Am by Dave Davidson – Royal Court Theatre, London (This review consists almost entirely of spoilers) The nudge-nudge cover story for this play – that it’s the debut by someone who has worked in ‘the security industry’ for 38 years – is fairly transparent, and suspicions are confirmed when the Royal Court’s … Continue reading That Is Not Who I Am
Mates blogger: Tom Bolton
Tom Bolton is one of over 45 theatre bloggers who are part of the MyTheatreMates collective. This page features Tom'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.
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 MyTheatreMates
‘An exceptional piece of theatre’: GIRL ON AN ALTAR – Kiln Theatre
An exceptional piece of theatre, Girl on an Altar at the Kiln Theatre remakes a story that is part of Western cultural heritage, with deceptive ease, as though it could have happened yesterday.
‘An alarmingly current piece of work’: THE FATHER & THE ASSASSIN – National Theatre
Anupama Chandrasekhar’s new play The Father And The Assassin about Nathuram Godse, the man who murdered – assassinated – Mohandas Gandhi in 1948, is an alarmingly current piece of work, but you wouldn’t know that from watching it.
‘Judged just right’: MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING – Globe Theatre
The Globe’s main, outdoor theatre has not staged shows with a full audience since the summer of 2019, so the opening of its summer season with Lucy Bailey’s production of Much Ado About Nothing feels like an occasion.
‘The real reason to see the play is for Walker’: THE CORN IS GREEN – National Theatre
However, Dominic Cooke’s production of Emlyn Williams’ play The Corn Is Green makes a good case for reviving it but the real reason to see the drama is for Nicola Walker.
‘Ralph Fiennes is in his element as a man whose tragic flaw will clearly be his downfall’: STRAIGHT LINE CRAZY – Bridge Theatre
David Hare’s new play is a history lesson. New York city planner Robert Moses shaped the modern city by supplying it with expressways and parkways.
‘Sets a new standard for future productions of Shakespeare’s problematic play’: THE MERCHANT OF VENICE – Sam Wanamaker Playhouse
The Merchant of Venice is seen as a problematic play but, increasingly, it seems that the problems are with us, as much as they are with Shakespeare.
‘Lyndsey Turner’s production is expertly crafted’: AFTER THE END – Theatre Royal Stratford East
Dennis Kelly’s 2005 play After The End is set inside a nuclear fallout shelter, so it is not surprising that it deals with situations beyond the boundaries of what passes for normality.
‘A spirited combination of personal & global histories’: MUGABE, MY DAD & ME – Touring
Tonderai Munyevi is a charming performer. His experiences include different types of marginalisation, growing up as a gay man and a Zimbabwean immigrant in London.
‘An intellectually rigorous re-examination of a tale taken for granted’: A TALE OF TWO CITIES – Touring
There are very few companies who do what Lost Dog does so well – seamlessly combining theatre and contemporary dance, as though this was an obvious way to tell a story.
‘A confused approach manifests itself in a very uneven set of performances’: HAMLET – Sam Wanamaker Playhouse
Sean Holmes’ new production of Hamlet in the Globe’s indoor space opens with a snatch of “Oh mother I can feel the soil falling over my head”, from The Smiths’ song ‘I Know It’s Over’.
‘The kind of work that, in ten years’ time, people will still be wondering at’: THE GLOW – Royal Court Theatre
The concept is like a Doctor Who plot opened up beyond the confines of a genre, to encompass limitless possibilities. It is both enthralling and disturbing.
‘Dynamic, energetic & paced like an 800m race’: FAIR PLAY – Bush Theatre
Ella Road’s new two-hander is set in the world of track athletics, but the two characters, Ann (NicK King) and Sophie (Charlotte Beaumont) are not just any runners.
‘Director Michael Longhurst brings ski slopes to Covent Garden’: FORCE MAJEURE – Donmar Warehouse
Adapted from Ruben Östlund’s film, Force Majeure is an exercise in family breakdown set among a group of well-off Swedes on a skiing holiday.
‘Always compelling to watch’: MEASURE FOR MEASURE – Shakespeare’s Globe
For her last production at Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, Blanche McIntyre expertly conjured the life of a city onto a tiny stage. Her Measure for Measure is another city play, but of a very different kind.
‘A triumphant evening’: THE COMEDY OF ERRORS – Barbican Centre (RSC)
Like all theatre companies, the Royal Shakespeare Company has experienced a tough 18 months.
‘Michael Pennington’s voice is remarkable’: THE TEMPEST – Jermyn Street Theatre
The Jermyn Street Theatre is a tiny place to stage a play that is more usually seen filling all the space on offer at the RSC or the National Theatre, but the scale gives Tom Littler’s production of The Tempest particular meaning.
‘A well-chosen & beautifully cast pair of plays’: FOOTFALLS & ROCKABY – Jermyn Street Theatre
In the tiny, pub theatre-esque Jermyn Street Theatre Samuel Beckett’s two monologues, Footfalls and Rockaby, exert a powerful hold.
‘It’s hard to take your eyes off Cush Jumbo’: HAMLET – Young Vic Theatre
Cush Jumbo’s Hamlet has been a long time in the making. In fact, what with the pandemic and the Young Vic’s long lead times for shows (which allow for some serious forward planning), I booked my tickets around three years ago.
‘A sad & elegaic play that seems to have gained significance’: HOME – Chichester Festival Theatre
Although David Storey is a somewhat forgotten writer, wildly successful from the late 1960s to the late ’70s as both a playwright and novelist, but then just as suddenly out of fashion, Home is the play that is consistently revived.