The grand finale to Jamie Lloyd’s remarkable Pinter at the Pinter season is this starry production of one of the writer’s greatest – and certainly most personal – works, inspired by his extramarital affair with Joan Bakewell. The 1978 play is famous for its reverse-chronological structure, however Lloyd’s stylish, expressionistic take emphasises the daring not just of the formal trickery, but of the unsparing scrutiny of humanity.
Read my full theartsdesk review here
News emerged today that Hollywood actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin were among 50 wealthy people charged in a college cheating scam dumbed “Varsity Blues”, in which they allegedly paid bribes of up to $6 million to secure places for their offspring at top universities.
The National Theatre’s Follies (currently enjoying a well-deserved encore run) is something of a musical theatre miracle. Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman’s 1971 show has endured almost as much existential angst as its characters, endlessly chopped and changed, but Dominic Cooke’s production – appropriately enough – succeeds by both taking a new tack, and by going back to the beginning.
Sara Bareilles and Jessie Nelson’s 2015 musical adaptation of Adrienne Shelly’s film, about a small-town waitress who processes her feelings via her skilful baking, brings its sugar and spice concoction to the West End. The result is a tasty treat – albeit with the odd ill-mixed ingredient.
Harriet Lane’s memorably unsettling 2012 novel, about an overlooked sub-editor who infiltrates the literary elite, has been adapted for stage by Lucinda Coxon. Its combination of psychological thriller and industry satire is decently translated, but a conservative production from Bridge boss Nicholas Hytner (who, astonishingly, is here directing his first ever play by a female writer) makes a middling case for the virtues of a theatrical version.
From a starry Pinter and tasty musical treat to a portrait of grief.
This is a golden age of London Sondheim revivals, with Marianne Elliott’s thrilling Company still playing in the West End, and Dominic Cooke’s Follies getting a hugely welcome second run at the National – both testament to a director’s transformative vision. A few key cast changes add extra incentive to this Follies encore, although the sheer level of detail in Cooke’s production should be more than enough to tempt a second (or third, or fourth) visit.
In my February MoveTo Town and Country Arts pages:
“Isn’t that the problem with political theater, too much directness?” queries one of Anne Washburn’s characters in her new play – which, in meta fashion, and over a leisurely three hours, not only addresses Trump head on, but also painstakingly analyses our responses to the President and the present moment, including the role of the arts.
The current West End queens discuss the hit musical – and who is most like their alter ego…
