“We are only as powerful as the stories we tell.” So proclaims poet and activist Emilia Bassano, as she wrestles back her own story in Morgan Lloyd Malcolm’s 2018 Globe hit – its raw, feminist, revolutionary power just as potent … Continue reading
Pulitzer-winner Bruce Norris once again challenges audiences with a play built around a difficult topic – in this case, asking whether paedophiles are irredeemable, how they should be punished, the distinction between justice and vengeance, and whether an empathetic response … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading
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 – … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading
In my February MoveTo Town and Country Arts pages: Exhibition Avant-garde visions in Home Futures at the Design Museum Film A right royal romp in award-winning The Favourite Theatre Sondheim reborn in the sensational musical Company Commuter corner Candid reflections from Michelle Obama … Continue reading
