A very interesting programme article will tell you the difference between the multiple takes (the National’s programmes remain the most informative and best value for money in the capital) but what audiences really need to know is that this is very much Simon Stone’s Phaedra, and he has once again done what he effected upon Lorca’s Yerma at the Young Vic then subsequently in New York in 2016-7.
‘The actors create a compelling story as soon as the lights go on’: PHAEDRA – National Theatre
Simon Stone turns his attention to another important literary woman, Phaedra as imagined by Euripides, Seneca and Racine and given a modern retelling in a production at the National Theatre written and directed by Stone. Stone’s vision for Phaedra is riveting in a piece that explores mature sexuality, fantasy and generational competition between mother and daughter.
‘An undeniably fine piece of theatre’: MAD HOUSE – Ambassadors Theatre ★★★★
Theresa Rebeck’s Mad House at the Ambassadors Theatre is a tremendously engrossing and satisfying tragicomedy, given a flawless, blazingly well acted production by Moritz von Stuelpnagel.
‘Really gets to grips with the multiple meanings of its title’: MAD HOUSE – Ambassadors Theatre
Ambassadors Theatre, London – until 4 September 2022 For the second time in successive weeks an American family drama opens in the West End and while Jitney may be a less obvious group of characters, the premiere of Theresa Rebeck’s new play Mad House focuses on a more traditional dynamic. US theatre is filled with dysfunctional family dramas and the …
‘This is Shakespeare for the Netflix generation’: MACBETH – Almeida Theatre
Saoirse Ronan makes her UK stage debut in Yael Farber’s testosterone-fest, which is vivid, but much too long.
‘A notoriously difficult play to stage well’: THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH – Almeida Theatre
At more than three hours, The Tragedy of Macbeth stretches the patience at the Almeida Theatre, despite strong work from Saoirse Ronan and James McArdle.
‘Saoirse Ronan is a Lady Macbeth to remember for years’: THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH – Almeida Theatre ★★★★★
THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH. Almeida, N1 THE SCOTTISH PLAY WE NEEDED Say what you like about star-casting and auteur-ish directors messing with Shakespeare, but sometimes a multiple Academy Award nominee has a trumpeted on a British … Continue reading →
‘Much too tidy for the text’: DIRTY CRUSTY – The Yard
There is a disconnect between the direction and the script that permeates this production of Dirty Crusty at The Yard Theatre.
‘Unique, engaging & thought-provoking’: THE DARK – Ovalhouse
The Dark is an exhilarating and personal journey through the dusty backroads of Uganda in 1979. Jumping between then and present day, Michael Balogun tenderly tells author Nick Makoha’s story of how he and his mother escaped the terror of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin’s reign and crossed the border heading for the UK when he was four years old.
‘Vivid & rich writing’: THE DARK – Ovalhouse
Nick Makoha’s play The Dark tells his own story when, as a child, his mother smuggled him out of Idi Amin’s Uganda in search of a better life in the UK.
On Stoppard: Is it time for a female Rosencrantz & Guildenstern in London?
Has anyone ever staged Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in rep with Hamlet? Can we have a non-white, non-male pairing for the next London production?
What if every day were #Shakespeare400 and London Marathon?
Snippets of Hamlet, Henry V, As You Like It and Julius Caesar delivered by some of my favourite actors – including Alex Jennings, Michelle Terry, Ashley Zhangazha, Jamie Parker and Will Keen – is an enrichment to any Sunday. Why must it come down this weekend? Why not make it a permanent Bankside installation?