I enjoy comic relief in a tragedy. Some say it butchers the essence of the play but I like it. Richard III at the Arcola takes a rebellious spin turning the hunchback king into a leather jacket-wearing sarcastic bad boy played by Greg Hicks. He turns to the audience and speaks in a way that […]
I’m gaslighting myself in going to the big shows. Shows that scream, shows that flash, shows that flail their banality around like spaghetti and people clap. They clap! They clap. Why review? It’s hard to be in a room with 890 people who probably disagree with you. I wasn’t in love with Angels; I don’t […]
It was an Event. Jez Butterworth is The Playwright. An Architect. Racy and gnomic. Not a priori great—David Hare was The Playwright and he’s made no great work since Skylight. But look at any recommendations of the century’s best plays: Jerusalem ranks one. Since 2009 Butterworth’s done minor work, like The River, and disconcertingly/reassuringly added […]
Boy does this play keep you gripped. Partly a detective noir drama, partly a psychological thriller, partly an exploration of the human mind, City of Glass is filled with so many twists and turns that it keeps you guessing long after you’ve left its home at the Lyric. With innovative effects and an array of […]
Okay, time for another round. For some reason I forgot why I chose Best Actor/Best Actress categories—was there a special reason for that? They seem like a 1950’s vestige. Who knows. So here are the winners, acknowledging that two productions win twice, but I can assure those who didn’t see them they really were that […]
There are times when it can be refreshing to step away from the theatrical realm and explore other forms of artistic expression. It’s Not Yet Midnight has no story, little cohesion and sometimes has too much going on at the same time. Be that as it may, it was one of the most outstanding performances I […]
There’s not anything groundbreaking or spectacular in this production of How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying at Wilton’s Music Hall. Neither is there anything particularly problematic or dull. It’s very much an ok production, of an ok show. No more, no less. Describing a show as “ok” seems a little insulting, but that’s […]
The name Don Juan may be a culturally synonymous with a seductive womanizer,* but Don Juan in Soho, while replete with lewd acts and general promiscuity, is more than merely an adoration or condemnation of one man’s sexuality – it is a nuanced look at the concept of morality, the social mores that define human […]