The Antipodes is certainly not the play for you if you want an easy, purely entertaining night at the theatre. However, if you’re willing to put in the effort and have something to chew over then it very much is for you.
‘This is a writer with lots to say’: THE ANTIPODES – National Theatre
While the descent into a kind of collective insanity may seem strange in lieu of a plot in Annie Baker’s Antipodes at the National Theatre, as with all her work you find your thoughts returning to it again and again once the curtain comes down.
NEWS: National Theatre announces 15 productions of new plays & fresh adaptations by leading writers
The National Theatre has announces 15 productions of new plays and fresh adaptations by leading writers. Olivier Theatre My Brilliant Friend 12 November 2019 to 18 January 2020 (Press day is 26 November). Plays in rep, with further performances to be announced Following a sell-out run at Rose Theatre Kingston, the two-part adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend by April De Angelis is reworked …
NEWS: National Theatre’s new season features Andrea Levy’s Small Island, Caryl Churchill’s Top Girls & Lenny Henry as Richard Pryor
Rufus Norris has unveiled the National Theatre’s plans for 2019 and beyond. Highlights include the world premiere of Small Island adapted by Helen Edmundson from Andrea Levy’s novel, directed by Rufus Norris.
‘Wonderful, sensitive production’: CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION – Manchester ★★★★
Circle Mirror Transformation at HOME, Manchester, is, despite its flaws, a pleasant night at the theatre made all the more enjoyable by this wonderful, sensitive production.
‘A playwright who is changing expectations of theatre’: JOHN – National Theatre
The title of Annie Baker’s new play, John, is the epitome of the ordinary but turns out to be quite the opposite. The piece is essential to understanding the excitement new writing can generate.
‘Masterly characterisation’: JOHN – National Theatre ★★★★
Annie Baker’s absorbing and quirky John, which has just opened on the National Theatre’s Dorfman stage, is a slow burner full of the playwright’s trademark long-drawn-out silences and awkward conversations.
‘Beguiling, haunting & mesmerising’: JOHN – National Theatre
I was completely swept up in the curious little world of John at the National’s Dorfman Theatre. In Annie Baker’s rich, multi-layered, intricate writing.
‘Intriguing examination of the fear of being judged’: JOHN – National Theatre
Following the success of The Flick, which had its UK premiere in the Dorfman in 2016, Annie Baker’s latest play, intriguingly called John, makes its London debut in the same space.
NEWS: Dates & further cast announced for National Theatre 2018 season
Lots of updates coming from the South Bank today after the National Theatre’s press conference earlier this month when artistic director Rufus Norris unveiled programming plans for 2018. Today, further dates and casting for many of those productions are announced.
Did the Critics’ Circle Awards get it right? Ian Foster’s take
Even without trying, I end up being contrary! The Critics’ Circle Awards have announced their winners for 2016 and as I cast my eyes down the list, I was amused to see that their best new play and best musical – The Flick and Groundhog Day – were shows that I did not hugely enjoy.
NEWS: Harry Potter & Glenda Jackson scoop Critics’ Circle Awards
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was the big winner at this year’s Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards, taking home three prizes, while elsewhere Glenda Jackson, Billie Piper and Stephen Dillane all won acting prizes.
Mark Shenton: My top ten ticket picks for 2016
Looking ahead to this year’s highlights, from Broadway imports and Pulitzer prize winners to Kenneth Branagh and Matthew Warchus’s ongoing seasons.
NEWS: Sharon D Clarke plays Ma Rainey in new NT season
The National Theatre has announced new production dates and casting updates for its next booking period, running from January to April 2016. Highlights include: Sharon D Clarke in the title role of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, directed by Dominic Cooke; Katie Mitchell’s revival of Sarah Kane’s 1998 play Cleansed; Lorraine Hansberry’s Les Blancs, directed by Yael Farber; a modern take on Nikolai Erdman’s The Suicide by Suhayla El-Bushra, directed by Nadia Fall; and the New York transfer of Annie Baker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Flick.