Whether rehabilitation is truly possible for such serious crimes committed by sex offenders, Bruce Norris never really decides, leaving only a dramatically engaging but morally troubling outcome in Downstate at the National Theatre.
‘It’s everything you could hope for’: BETRAYAL – West End
Betrayal is everything you could hope for. The Pinter at the Pinter season has set a very high standard for itself, but what a swansong this has turned out to be.
‘Small but hugely powerful’: THE JUMPER FACTORY – Young Vic
For 45 minutes the audience may be gripped, stimulated and entertained in The Jumper Factory but this remains the everyday experience of all the men who contributed to the show, and it slightly changes our mindset to have this made clear at the start.
‘The debates are enthrallingly staged’: JESUS HOPPED THE ‘A’ TRAIN – Young Vic Theatre
This revival of Stephen Adly Guirgis’ Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train is a layered story of two violent criminals, the system they hope can save them and the redemptive power that comes from confession.
‘Fails to offer any notable or really new insight’: SHIPWRECK – Almeida Theatre
Shipwreck has its moments and the cast are uniformly excellent, but without strong character investment it dwindles to little more than a few well-hashed arguments we’ve all heard before.
‘Something quite different’: ALL ABOUT EVE – West End
This All About Eve is something quite different, same story deliberately new frame with staging that pushes at the boundaries of theatre and film.
‘Collections end as confidently & memorably as they began’: PINTER SEVEN – West End
What a difference a few months can make; when the Jamie Lloyd Company first announced its Pinter at the Pinter season finale show back in May (before Betrayal was added to the programme), the news that Danny Dyer would star alongside Martin Freeman raised a few eyebrows.
Adapting Les Misérables: Psychological depth and the period drama
The BBC’s adaptation of Les Misérables has been a huge success, gripping Sunday night viewing for the last five weeks offering the first truly comprehensive dramatisation of Victor Hugo’s mammoth novel.
‘This is exactly the kind of intellectual exercise modern theatres should engage in’: DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL – Shakespeare’s Globe
Someone at the Globe may have sold their soul to the devil after all because it is the companion piece to Doctor Faustus, Dark Night of the Soul, that is exactly the kind of successful initiative they need.
‘There is colour in every moment of the show’: ASPECTS OF LOVE – Southwark Playhouse
Aspects of Love may perhaps benefit from a modern reworking to iron out the more distasteful elements, but it should be fondly remembered.