Churchill’s vision two decades ago in Far Away now seems even more prescient and accurate of planet Earth’s downhill spiral: endless wars and realignments, climate change, imminent environmental catastrophe.
‘A beautifully imagined fantastical catastrophe’: FAR AWAY – Donmar Warehouse
This well-focused revival of Caryl Churchill’s, brief dystopic classic Far Away is vivid but frankly unexceptional.
‘The play is a wonderful thing’: SMALL ISLAND – National Theatre
Small Island is an absolute joy and an overdue, no reservations at all, win for Rufus Norris at the NT. There’s nothing else to say. Well except this: you must see it, immediately.
‘A gripping story told really well’: SMALL ISLAND – National Theatre ★★★★★
Small Island is an epic story straddling Jamaica and England before, during and after World War II and exploring colonialism, racism, love and identity.
‘Relevant & fulsomely entertaining’: SMALL ISLAND – National Theatre
The stage version of Andrea Levy’s classic Windrush story is a fun epic that takes ages and ages to warm up.
‘Terrifically moving’: SMALL ISLAND – National Theatre ★★★★★
Andrea Levy’s award-winning and sprawling epic Small Island retells an uneasy moment in Britain’s recent history through the eyes of the people involved. But what a glorious story it is.
‘Breath-takingly powerful & inventive’: SMALL ISLAND – National Theatre
Andrea Levy’s novel Small Island comes to life most beautifully in this adaptation by Helen Edmundson at the National Theatre.
NEWS: National Theatre announces new season including cast of 40 for stage adaptation of Andrea Levy’s Small Island
Gershwyn Eustache Jnr, Leah Harvey and Aisling Loftus lead the cast of Small Island, adapted by Helen Edmundson from Andrea Levy’s prize-winning novel, directed by Rufus Norris in the Olivier Theatre, as part of the National Theatre’s new season.
‘Sadness & tragedy in some of the narratives’: ARISTOCRATS – Donmar Warehouse
My problem with Aristocrats is that there is often a lot happening and sometimes it too easily diverts attention from the central narrative.
‘Oddly unemotional, disjointed & not entirely satisfying’: ARISTOCRATS – Donmar Warehouse
Director Lyndsey Turner is clearly impatient with the tradition of playing this melancholy drama as a tribute to Chekhov, and her production is thoroughly anti-naturalistic.
‘In a summer of great Irish drama, this feels unsatisfactory by comparison’: ARISTOCRATS – Donmar Warehouse
There’s little for the cast to improve because the faults in Aristocrats lie with Friel. This production draws-out all of the core themes but cannot overcome the play’s reliance on heavy exposition and failure to satisfactorily resolve its own questions about the past of these characters.
NEWS: Paul Higgins & James Laurenson join the cast of Brian Friel’s Aristocrats at the Donmar Warehouse
Paul Higgins and James Laurenson will join the previously announced Elaine Cassidy, David Dawson, David Ganly, Emmet Kirwan, Aisling Loftus, Ciaran McIntyre and Eileen Walsh in the cast for Brian Friel’s play Aristocrats, at the Donmar Warehouse from 2 August to 22 September 2018 (press night is 9 August).
THE TREATMENT – Almeida Theatre
The Treatment has often been ignored, perhaps on account of its large cast, or because of its large scale. Now that the Almeida Theatre has decided to stage this story of how art cannibalises life we have the chance to judge its relevance some 25 years after its premiere.
TOUCHED – Nottingham
Set in 1945 in the 100 day period between VE Day and VJ Day, it focuses on the lives of the women left holding the country together in this time of great upheaval, which shows no signs of slowing down as a new Labour government look set to win the election and nuclear bombs about to fall.
NEWS: Julian Ovenden & Indira Varma join cast of Crimp’s The Treatment
The Almeida Theatre today announced the full cast of The Treatment, Martin Crimp’s new play, which runs from 24 April 2017 to 10 June 2017, with a press night on 24 April.
NEWS: Almeida spring includes political premieres by Martin Crimp, James Graham & Christopher Shinn
The Almeida Theatre announces a new season and a major new digital film project exploring leadership in crisis and the power of words. Premieres of plays by Martin Crimp, Christopher Shinn and James Graham.