The Libertine at Theatre Royal Haymarket starring Dominic Cooper fails to deliver on its salacious promises September 29, 2016 The Libertine begins with a promise. Dominic Cooper, as Restoration rake the Earl of Rochester, delivers a swaggering prologue, directly informing the audience that although they may like some of what he does, they will not like him. This speech is an implicit bargain; that he will behave appallingly, and the audience will be thrilled [...]
Cradle baby alligators and zoom along the Everglades in a weird boat – it’s Florida baby! September 23, 2016 F lorida has a fearsome reputation for hurricanes, alligators and hanging chads, but in this vast sea of crazy, there is an island of tranquility. Its name is Fort Lauderdale. Long established as a place to go for fun in the sun, with a long sandy beach, the wild beauty of the Everglades, and easy [...]
The Alchemist at the Barbican review: this brilliant 17th century morality play still feels searingly relevant September 15, 2016 Ben Jonson’s The Alchemist is an invigorating blend of clever script and silly performances, in which three con artists make an uneasy alliance to fleece the unsuspecting citizens of 17th century London. First performed in 1610, The RSC’s revival at the Barbican reveals a play that’s still funny, and not just in the way you [...]
The Entertainer at the Garrick: Kenneth Branagh is on top form again in this perfect post-Brexit play September 2, 2016 In 1956 the Suez Crisis signalled the end of Britain as a world power, and its demise on the global stage is mirrored in the lives of Archie Rice and his family. Television and rock ‘n’ roll threaten to eclipse the traditional English music hall, and Kenneth Branagh’s Archie, scion of a vaudevillian dynasty, is [...]
The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips is an utterly refreshing family drama August 18, 2016 The extravagantly titled 946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips, is a conventional tale of wartime Britain, made extraordinary by an unusual approach. Stripped-back staging and exaggerated performances create a heightened reality, and pervasive humour means that when tragedy inevitably strikes, it’s blindsiding. Based on real-life events – and a novel by Michael Morpurgo – [...]
Yerma at the Young Vic review: Billie Piper shows her acting chops but the production lacks poetry August 8, 2016 Inspired by Federico García Lorca’s play of the same name, the Young Vic’s new production of Yerma (Barren) is well acted and inventively staged, but undermined by a misguided impulse to modernise. The original was set in rural Spain, following a young woman penned in by society and her beliefs, whose increasingly desperate desire for [...]
Theatre review: Hangmen at the Royal Court September 24, 2015 Hangmen Royal Court Rating: ★★★★★ True feelings are throttled and big questions left hanging in Martin McDonagh’s blacker-than-night comedy. The setting is an Oldham pub owned by Harry Wade, the country’s second-best hangman; the date is 1965, the day after the abolition of hanging. At once proud of his work and jealous of his rival Pierrepoint’s [...]