This rare revival of The Two Character Play at Hampstead Theatre proves an interesting addition to works that reassess Tennessee Williams’ impact as a dramatist – an intellectual exercise if not an emotive one.
‘Direction & sound are faultless’: RAYA – Hampstead Theatre ★★★★
Some say that the tight, 80-minute three-hander Raya tackles too many things at once – middle aged reawakening of old liaisons, the menopause, grief, haunting, student sexual accusations, therapy, parenthood and the unwisdom of defining yourself round sex. But hey, that is adult life. Hassles do not arrive neatly separated and convenient for the dramatic unities.
REVIEW ROUND-UP: The Death of a Black Man at Hampstead Theatre
Love London Love Culture discovers what critics have had to say about the revival of Alfred Fagon’s play The Death of a Black Man at the Hampstead Theatre.
‘Fagon’s astoundingly contemporary drama feels significant’: DEATH OF A BLACK MAN – Hampstead Theatre
Alfred Fagon’s fascinating two act drama opened at the venue in 1975 and while some of its gender attitudes may have dated, so much of Death of a Black Man feels as fresh and challenging now as it did 46 years ago.
NEWS: Hampstead Theatre returns to live theatre with a production of Alfred Fagon’s The Death of a Black Man
Hampstead Theatre has announced its first live productions for 2021, beginning with Alfred Fagon’s The Death of a Black Man, running from 28 May to 10 July 2021, having originally premiered at the theatre in 1975. Dawn Walton, former artistic director of Eclipse Theatre Company, will make her Hampstead Theatre directorial debut.
NEWS: Theatres Trust supports 40 more UK theatres in final round of reopening fund grants
The Theatres Trust has awarded a further £155,265 of grants to help theatres with costs of Covid-secure reopening, including changes to the building to reduce congestion, improvements to ventilation systems and simple measures like installing hand sanitisers and screens.
‘It feels a lot like an episode of Porridge written by Beckett’: THE DUMB WAITER – Hampstead Theatre ★★★★
After nine months, we are grateful just to sit in an auditorium, but to see a production as slick, unsettling and thrilling as The Dumb Waiter is a wonderful reminder of the power of live theatre.
Love London Love Culture’s Theatre Picks for December
Love London Love Culture offers a guide to some of the shows set to open in London next month.
NEWS: Hampstead Theatre announces casting & extension for its production of The Dumb Waiter
Acclaimed stage and screen actors Alec Newman and Shane Zaza have been cast in Hampstead Theatre’s 60th anniversary production of Harold Pinter’s The Dumb Waiter which due to popular demand has been extended and will now run from 18 November 2020 until 2 January 2021.
NEWS: We round up the response to the latest tranche of Culture Recovery Fund grants awarded by the Government
More than 1,300 arts and cultural organisations have benefited from a share of £257 million as part of a vital financial boost from the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund.
NEWS: Hampstead Theatre reopens with 60th anniversary production of The Dumb Waiter
Hampstead Theatre will be reopening with a 60th anniversary production of Harold Pinter’s iconic early play The Dumb Waiter, directed by Alice Hamilton, running from 18 November to 19 December 2020.
‘The camera captures Benedict Wong’s perfectly nuanced performance’: THE ARREST OF AI WEIWEI – Hampstead Theatre (Online review)
Howard Brenton’s docu-drama about the harassment of the Chinese artist is imbued with fresh urgency and relevance.
‘The numbing brilliance of this play raises awareness of the current health crisis” TIGER COUNTRY, Hampstead Theatre (Online Review)
I couldn’t think of a play more apt to raise awareness of the health crisis we now find ourselves in. Tiger Country is a blunt and beautiful portrayal of the real lives in an NHS hospital.
Lockdown has made me realise, as much as theatre, I’ve been missing live music
It feels slightly odd that my final show before the curtains came down wasn’t a play or musical – instead, it was a dance show.
‘Watching this opened my eyes to an interesting part of British Empire history’: DRAWING THE LINE – Hampstead Theatre ★★★★ (Online review)
Judge Cyril Radcliffe has been ordered by the British government to go and map out the territories dividing up India as the empire begins to close down. A somewhat daunting prospect for somebody who had never been to India.
40+ ways to get your theatre fix online during lockdown
Are you fed up with not being able to go out to the theatre? Don’t be. There’s a wealth of stuff to watch online. Here’s a handy list of current opportunities. OK, so it’s not quite the same as sharing the communal experience with others, but beggars, as they say…
NEWS: Hampstead Theatre will stream series of hit productions for free
Hampstead Theatre, in partnership with The Guardian, is going to stream a series of hit productions from its digital archive for free.
‘Playful, poignant & raw’: I AND YOU – Hampstead Theatre (Online Review)
Filmed in 2018, I And You by American writer Lauren Gunderson makes a welcome, limited, return to Hampstead Theatre’s Instagram.
Screencap from I And You
Maisie Williams makes a stunning stage debut in the role of Caroline, trapped within four wa…
NEWS: Hampstead Theatre will stream its hit production of I and You starring Maisie Williams
Hampstead Theatre is releasing its hit production of I and You by Lauren Gunderson on Instagram for free for a week from 23 March at 10am to 29 March at 10pm.
Text of the Day: The Haystack
Random and topical thoughts and quotes gathered by My Theatre Mates contributor Aleks Sierz, first published on www.sierz.co.uk.