In Plain Sight is a surreal piece which toys with the expectations of both a digital ‘theatre’ piece and the historical characters it depicts.
‘A creepy joy to experience’: MACBETH – Manchester ★★★★
This production of Macbeth receives stunning direction from Christopher Haydon and, crucially, Lucy Ellinson is magnificent as Macbeth.
‘A masterclass in timing, delivered by an exceptional cast’: TOP GIRLS – National Theatre ★★★★
Top Girls is a curious play, a mixture of moments that had me mentally punching the air, feeling angry and a little frustrated.
‘Its intelligence is as pin-sharp as ever’: TOP GIRLS – National Theatre
Caryl Churchill’s superb Top Girls receives a luxurious but clear-sighted production from Lyndsey Turner at the National Theatre.
‘A brightly directed version of a supremely intelligent drama’: TOP GIRLS – National Theatre
Enjoyably high-definition revival of Caryl Churchill’s 1982 feminist classic Top Girls gets the National’s big-stage treatment.
‘A handful of bearable moments’: JUBILEE – Lyric Hammersmith
The best that can be said about Chris Goode’s Jubilee is that it must surely be in the running for the hotly contested accolade of the worst show of the whole decade.
‘A period piece with a difference’: JUBILEE – Lyric Hammersmith
Nostalgic, trying too hard to shock and no longer a force to be reckoned with, Jubliee is, nevertheless, a period piece with a difference which will find fans hoping to relive their youth or see what all the fuss was about.
THE RESISTABLE RISE OF ARTURO UI – Donmar Warehouse
There’s something special in the timelessness of some pieces of theatre, their themes and arguments as relevant to audiences today as they were when they were written years, decades, even centuries ago. Brecht’s The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui falls into the middle category, written in 1941 as an allegorical response to his nation’s fall to Nazism, and was magisterially revived at Chichester a few years back.
GROUNDED – Gate Theatre
A micro-review from There Ought to be Clowns.
Ian Foster’s News Round-Up
Bruce and Trevor Horn are delighted to announce that together they are creating a new work of musical theatre – provisionally entitled The Robot Sings with an original story and score by the duo.
NEWS: Gate Theatre adds extra week to Grounded’s third London run
The Gate Theatre has added an extra week to its critically acclaimed, smash-hit production of George Brant’s Grounded, which has now returned following two previous sell-out runs.
VAULT Festival: Astronauts of Hartlepool & Borderland/Calais
Keeping on top of reviews is a challenge at the best of times, so throwing in a whole bunch of festival shows from the Vaults makes time management even more challenging. So I’m opting to round up shorter reviews of what I’ve seen in the week into a single post.
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM – RSC
With a fascinating take on 1940s meeting a surreal and magical world, Erica Whyman has directed a beautiful, melodic and hilarious piece of theatre. This has been by far my favourite production of Shakespeare’s tale of four lovers who’s lives are meddled with due to the mischief and desires of the fairy world.