Glengarry Glen Ross at the Old Vic fails to close Life&Style Glengarry Glen Ross | Old Vic | ★★☆☆☆ David Mamet’s transformation from perhaps the most original and insightful American playwright of the late 20th century to a flag-waving, MAGA-supporting, anti-woke motormouth is… troubling. As a Mamet-head, this must be what it’s like for Trump supporters trying to enjoy 90 per cent of popular culture. It’s [...]
Arcadia at the Old Vic is a brilliant farewell to Tom Stoppard Life&Style Arcadia | Old Vic | ★★★★☆ Arcadia is a dizzying piece of work, as broad as the universe and as self-contained as a jigsaw puzzle. Through it Tom Stoppard addresses some of humanity’s great questions: do we have free will? Is poetry more important than science? Is there anyone Lord Byron didn’t shag? It opens [...]
A Christmas Carol at the Old Vic: Twee as can be and a triumph nonetheless Life&Style A Christmas Carol has almost every sickly sweet ingredient to make it utterly detestable, but our writer couldn't help but fall for it.
The Brightening Air: Unbearably tense and brilliantly acted April 29, 2025 After seeing The Brightening Air at the Old Vic, I left the theatre with the overwhelming urge to seize control of my own destiny. It follows an extended family as they prepare to meet after a long time apart. The occasion: the birthday of the blind ex-clergyman Father Pierre. It is a play in which [...]
Old Vic Theatre: £20m needed to keep historic London venue running ‘a challenge’ June 12, 2024 The Old Vic Theatre said it faces a challenge to raise the more than £20m needed to keep its historic Waterloo home in working order, as it battles to create a financial model robust enough - despite the success of its record breaking musical Groundhog Day.
Machinal at the Old Vic: A stunning performance in a tired play April 19, 2024 There are surprisingly few genre plays on the West End stage – where are all the science fiction and fantasy and horror and gangster stories that dominate other areas of pop culture? And where is all the true crime, a format you can barely escape from on streaming and podcast platforms? The Old Vic brings [...]