Spirited revival of the 1980s feminist classic is a bit too shrill, yet also quietly moving when it matters.
ANOTHER WORLD: Losing Our Children to Islamic State – National Theatre
New verbatim play about the terror state is worthy, but completely unenlightening and sadly undramatic.
RIGHT NOW – Bush Theatre
Quebec drama about a young mother’s disintegrating sense of self is brilliantly strange and inspiring.
Text of the Day: Hamlet
Random and topical thoughts and quotes gathered by My Theatre Mates contributor Aleks Sierz, first published on www.sierz.co.uk.
CORRESPONDENCE – Old Red Lion Theatre
New drama about the Arab Spring in Syria gets diverted into a story about mental health and is too complicated as a result.
CORRESPONDENCE – Old Red Lion Theatre
New drama about the Arab Spring in Syria gets diverted into a story about mental health and is too complicated as a result.
Text of the Day: German Skerries
Random and topical thoughts and quotes gathered by My Theatre Mates contributor Aleks Sierz, first published on www.sierz.co.uk.
GERMAN SKERRIES – Orange Tree Theatre
Lovely, and indeed loving, revival of Robert Holman’s resonant 1977 play about life choices is quietly moving.
4000 DAYS – Park Theatre
New drama about traumatic amnesia is based on a good idea, but is just too bland to stay long in the memory.
Text of the Day: Forget Me Not
Random and topical thoughts and quotes gathered by My Theatre Mates contributor Aleks Sierz, first published on www.sierz.co.uk.
Text of the Day: Forget Me Not
Random and topical thoughts and quotes gathered by My Theatre Mates contributor Aleks Sierz, first published on www.sierz.co.uk.
FORGET ME NOT – Bush Theatre
Past wrongs cast long shadows. Following the passing of the 1901 Immigration Restriction Act, successive Australian governments favoured migrants from English-speaking countries in what was called the White Australia policy. Between 1945 and 1968, for example, more than 3,000 British children were sent to the antipodes and told they were orphans. They expected the sunshine of a new start; what they got was the darkness of abuse. Australian playwright Tom Holloway’s 2013 drama looks at one instance of this policy, and denounces a historical wrong while at the same time holding a family reunion story close to its heart.
WONDER.LAND – National Theatre
Damon Albarn’s Alice in Wonderland musical has fun graphics, but a banal and didactic storyline — and poor tunes
The post wonder.land, National Theatre appeared first on Aleks Sierz.
LINDA – Royal Court
New play about a self-made career woman is well acted, but rather predictable and banal in its writing.
THE SESSION – Soho Theatre
This new play about the relationship between a Brit and a Pole has some good moments, but remains undernourishing.
FOUR MINUTES TWELVE SECONDS – West End
Very well-deserved West end transfer for thrilling new play about ethics in the age of the internet… How well do parents know their kids? Especially their teenage kids. Jack appears to be a nice, well-spoken 17-year-old youngster about to take his exams. You see, he has ambitions to study law at Durham University. His parents, David and Di, think he’s a normal boy and they are really proud of all of his hard work. And of his good grades. But, in James Fritz’s compelling 90-minute play, they are about to be disillusioned. And the trick is that we never get to see Jack: he remains offstage, so all we are left with is the reactions of his parents and friends.
PLAQUES AND TANGLES – Royal Court
Once upon a time, quite recently, you couldn’t move for plays about youth. Now, there’s been an avalanche of dramas about ageing, usually in the context of dementia and family life. Maybe all of our main playwrights have suddenly grown up, or maybe the endless quest for novelty has deposited us on the shores of the current trend-setting idea. Nicola Wilson’s Royal Court debut is yet another play about Alzheimer’s, ageing and memory, but is it any different from Florian Zeller’s The Father, April de Angelis’ After Electra or Emma Adams’s Animals?