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Why we don’t need a female Katurian
The blurb on the Duke of York theatre’s website calls this a dark comedy. So maybe I should not be surprised that members of the audience are laughing out loud. But I cannot seem to join in. The play opens up to a scene that immediately brings 1984 to mind – two police officers abusing…
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Why can we not learn?
Before I go on, I have to start by saying this was a brilliant experience. The monologue is superb and Maureen Lipman is, well, mesmerising. If you still can, buy a ticket right now. So now I can go on to say – this play made me so angry. Why? Because it is the most…
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There is no method in ‘t
This is a play giving an insider glimpse into John Gielgud’s struggles to direct what became known as Richard Burton’s Hamlet. Despite the infamously fraught and alcohol-drenched process, the 1964 production was a massive financial success (the artistic success was less undisputed) and ran for 137 performances. You can enjoy a film record of the…
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Retrograde – Poitier’s dilemma
I can’t believe that a year ago I had not even heard about the Kiln and now it is becoming a favourite of mine. The plays it shows may be less known, definitely less advertised and maybe a little less polished, but they are thrilling, engaging and memorable. And to top it off, the scenography…
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The ultimate divorce
Tell me girlfriend, if you recognise yourself in this story. You leave your country and family behind for love, for him. You sacrifice, maybe not quite your brother, chopped up and thrown into the sea, but your career for sure – so that he can focus on his. Then soon after it takes off, he…
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Simon Stone’s Phaedra – comedy gone wrong
When I watched the opening scene of Simon Stone’s Phaedra at the National, for a brief moment I thought that maybe this would be something new, something different, something fresh. I was laughing loudly at the brilliantly written, quick, sharp dialogue filled with jokes and quips. Not five minutes had gone past and I started…
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Mother of all pantos
Why to see Mother Goose for the panto-haters In that far long pre-pandemic era of 2017 I went to see the Peter Pan pantomime. I am not from the UK. When I came across the word ‘pantomime’ it immediately conjured up images of Commedia dell’arte – mimed Harlequinades filled with music and lots of slapstick…
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Is this even a play?
The Lehman Trilogy This is not a play. It’s an audible dramatisation randomly interspersed with stage directions: Call me old fashioned, but isn’t the idea behind acting that the audience sees the characters perform rather being told about what the characters are doing? It is not a drama, it is three characters talking AT you,…
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