Wow! James Norton naked! Wow! New play by Ivo van Hove. Wow! It’s four hours long. Wow! Wow! Wow! The much anticipated play of the year, an adaptation of Hanya Yanagihara’s 700-page bestselling novel of 2015 A Little Life, comes to the West End in a huge blaze of publicity.
‘A blistering experience’: A LITTLE LIFE – Harold Pinter Theatre
Anyone who has read the book will know what to expect or if you haven’t then there are enough content warnings to prepare you at least for some of what is to come in Ivo van Hove and Koen Tachelet’s stage adaptation of Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life. In practice it is a blistering experience that realigns the source material to create a more integrated theatrical experience using plenty of techniques that van Hove more usually applies to working with his Dutch company.
‘It’s a piece of bravura & massively entertaining’: TAMMY FAYE – Almeida Theatre ★★★★
Rarely in the history of Islington playgoing have so many first-nighters whooped so enthusiastically at Gospel rock. When cheers for Elton John’s anthems in Tammy Faye at the Almeida Theatre briefly abate it is often for quite different whoops, laughter at James Graham’s dry sharp script or moments of enchanted shock at an unexpected popup.
REVIEW ROUND-UP: The Two Character Play at Hampstead Theatre
Love London Love Culture rounds up what the critics have had to say about Sam Yates’ production of Tennessee Williams’ The Two Character Play at Hampstead Theatre.
‘Like watching a cross between Waiting For Godot and Noises Off’: THE TWO CHARACTER PLAY – Hampstead Theatre
The Two Character Play at London’s Hampstead Theatre was at times interesting and enjoyable and at others frustrating and perplexing.
‘Intriguing if not entirely satisfying’: THE TWO CHARACTER PLAY – Hampstead Theatre
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.
‘Engaging but not without their darker side’: Paper Aeroplane / Clever Cakes / The Twits (Online review)
Three of London’s most prolific children’s theatres make the OnComm Award finalist’s list.
‘Takes the building blocks of the genre in a new & unusual direction’: GHOST QUARTET – Boulevard Theatre
If this inaugural show, Ghost Quartet, means the new Boulevard Theatre is setting out its stall for a programme of unusually staged and challenging productions in the future then there is every reason to come back soon.
‘Works exceptionally in the space’: GHOST QUARTET – Boulevard Theatre ★★★★
The vivacious performances and gripping qualities of characterisation throughout make Ghost Quartet a thrilling way to spend ninety minutes.
‘Love, life, death, betrayal & of course whiskey’: GHOST QUARTET – Boulevard Theatre ★★★★★
The story of Ghost Quartet is told through a beautifully harmonic score and witty but equally compelling dialogue that truly transcends our known reality.
‘Minimalist & thoughtful’: EQUUS – West End ★★★★
Ned Bennett’s minimalist and thoughtful production of Equus is by turns thrilling and dull, sensationally staging the sexual and violent aspects of the story while confining the psychiatrist’s self-doubting soliloquy within drapes of blank white sheeting.
‘Chillingly atmospheric’: EQUUS – West End ★★★★
Ned Bennett’s thrillingly engaging production of Peter Shaffer’s play grabs the audience’s attention and imagination brilliantly.
‘Ned Bennett’s direction is another star of the show’: EQUUS – West End
Ned Bennett’s direction is another star of the show; the relationship between Ira Mandela Siobhan as Nugget, a Chestnut horse who has a close relationship with Strang, is stunning.
Post-show Q&A: How many different ways can one audience interpret Equus?
How many different ways can one play be interpreted? The company of Equus were very keen not to impose their opinions but the audience at last night’s post-show Q&A at Trafalgar Studios had plenty of their own. Which were right? All of them! And what a knowledgeable audience it was. Many had seen this or other previous […]
‘A potent reminder of how easily & arbitrarily mental illness can strike’: EQUUS – West End
Touching on themes of religion, sexuality and more than one form of mental illness, the play asks some difficult questions and frequently makes for unsettling viewing, and yet Ned Bennett’s production remains utterly compelling from start to dramatic finish.
‘Shelley Maxwell delivers genius in her suggestions of the horses’ movement’: EQUUS – West End ★★★
Equus remains a fascinating, if dated, piece of writing from Peter Schaffer, exploring the psycho-sexual complexities of the adolescent Alan Strang, a boy who has just, horrifically, blinded six horses.
‘An entirely compelling evening’: EQUUS – Trafalgar Studios
Ned Bennett has created an entirely compelling evening, which reveals new layers to Peter Shaffer’s play Equus that we can now only see because we have changed as a society since it was first performed – a sure sign of a classic.
REVIEW ROUND-UP: Equus at Trafalgar Studios
Ned Bennett’s production of Equus for the English Touring Theatre and Theatre Royal Stratford East has transferred to the Trafalgar Studios – but what do critics think of it?
‘Expertly draws out the growing anticipation’: EQUUS – Trafalgar Studios ★★★★
Equus is an intriguing play, part psychological thriller, part mirror to the human condition and this is an almost thoroughbred production.
New post-show Q&A: Join Terri for the West End transfer of Peter Shaffer’s Equus
As part of her ongoing post-show Q&A series, on Tuesday 23 July 2019, Mates co-founder Terri Paddock is at the West End’s Trafalgar Studios for the acclaimed new production of Peter Shaffer classic Equus, transferred from the Theatre Royal Stratford East. Got any questions?
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