Typical, a film version of a powerfully poetic and painful 2019 monologue about institutional racism, is brilliant.
‘Theatre is rarely so forceful or so urgent’: THE PROTEST – Bush Theatre
This venue’s urgent response to the killing of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter campaign is powerfully realised.
‘Reminds us that we can handle our obstacles’: SPARK – Edinburgh Fringe
Using the word ‘strong’ to describe women and girls is redundant. Putting up with all the trash that women have to deal with as a result of their gender, on top of everything else life throws at them, makes them strong by default.
‘Seems strangely prophetic in Brexit Britain’: EAST – King’s Head Theatre
This lively revival of Steven Berkoff’s 1975 modern classic is energetically sweaty, if a bit messy as well.
HEATHER – Bush Theatre
Harry Potter satire burns bright — new play about storytelling examines a children’s book craze.
Text of the Day: Touch
Random and topical thoughts and quotes gathered by My Theatre Mates contributor Aleks Sierz, first published on www.sierz.co.uk.
MY COUNTRY; A WORK IN PROGRESS – Touring
Unfortunately, it’s a pretty terrible piece of theatre. The primarily verbatim script is the worst of racist Brexit voters pontificating on political issues interspersed with extracts of speeches by the likes of Michael Gove, Boris, David Cameron and Nigel Farage.
AN OCTOROON – Orange Tree Theatre
This is phenomenal. And pretty wild. Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s An Octoroon is the most intelligent and most theatre-savvy play on today’s London stage: it is a satire on staging race, an account of black identity, a criticism of plantation life, a celebration of genre fun and a tribute to a forgotten work from the Victorian era.
Text of the Day: Winter Solstice
Random and topical thoughts and quotes gathered by My Theatre Mates contributor Aleks Sierz, first published on www.sierz.co.uk.
US/THEM – National Theatre
How do you stage appalling real-life events? I mean, without either being too luridly voyeuristic or too matter-of-factly journalistic? Maybe an oblique approach is the answer.
Howard Barker’s play doesn’t drase minorities, The Print Room Does
As The Print Room’s controversially cast production of Howard Barker’s In the Depths of Love opens this week, here’s a guest contribution from Daniel York.
An industry-wide new year’s resolution: Open letter to the Print Room
An industry making resolutions? Now that’s something I can get behind – people working together for a common goal is what theatre is about, on a microcosmic level anyway, and more unity is surely a good thing in a world becoming increasingly polarised.
Catastrophic casting: Scenes from a Yellowface Execution
It’s doubly ironic that in post-referendum, post-truth Brexit Britain, we’ve spent the last few months being told that you simply cannot call people stupid or racist. We don’t actually have to be stupid to do stupid things and we’re all perfectly capable of perpetuating systemic racism without actually being consciously racist.
Catastrophic casting: Scenes from a Yellowface Execution
It’s doubly ironic that in post-referendum, post-truth Brexit Britain, we’ve spent the last few months being told that you simply cannot call people stupid or racist. We don’t actually have to be stupid to do stupid things and we’re all perfectly capable of perpetuating systemic racism without actually being consciously racist.
Text of the Day: The Royale
Random and topical thoughts and quotes gathered by My Theatre Mates contributor Aleks Sierz, first published on www.sierz.co.uk.
THE ROYALE – The Tabernacle
Welcome return of last year’s American hit boxing drama, which is thrilling if a bit hard to follow.
COUNTING STARS – Theatre Royal Stratford East
New two-hander about love and exploitation offers a powerful image of racism and injustice.
Text of the Day: Love, Bombs and Apples
Random and topical thoughts and quotes gathered by My Theatre Mates contributor Aleks Sierz, first published on www.sierz.co.uk.
BLUE/ORANGE – Young Vic Theatre
Ace! Revival of Joe Penhall’s brilliantly written contemporary classic is superbly staged and brilliantly performed… Each exchange is like a duel, and each duel is humorous as well as deadly serious. By the end of the evening, you feel as if the sparks have flown in all directions. And some have burnt your brain.
CYPRUS AVENUE – Royal Court Theatre
New play about a deranged Ulster loyalist begins in hilarity and ends with some horrific violence.