French playwright Florian Zeller returns, with another compelling puzzle box of a play – the only thing definite about it being the trademark definite article in the title. But anchoring the human side of this elliptical work is a pair of commanding … Continue reading
Based on Daniel Wallace’s novel and Tim Burton’s 2003 film adaptation, this musical is quite the oddity. Screenwriter John August has tinkered with the book since its brief Broadway run in 2013, but it remains an unfathomable mixture of magical … Continue reading
“I’m Death.” “And you’re on holiday?” Well, there’s really no way to disguise the preposterousness of this show’s premise, nor to reconcile its winking humour and self-serious grand romance. Thus, Thom Southerland’s London premiere wisely diverts attention to its seductive … Continue reading
Oscar-winning Son of Saul, Nick Payne’s latest play and Line of Duty reaches its nail-biting climax. Read my full theartsdesk newsletter here
The death of a child is an unnatural loss. There’s no reassurance that the departed lived a full life, rather the jagged edge of one cut short. In the case of Becca and Howie, it’s also nonsensical: their perfectly healthy … Continue reading
Just what constitutes reasonable behaviour in an enlightened society? Not long ago, the death penalty fell under that umbrella in Britain, and state-sanctioned killing as punishment for the crime of, well, killing is just the kind of twisted irony that … Continue reading
Events have overtaken this Macbeth, dramatically heightening its queasy topicality. Not just brutal beheadings and torture, but the cost and collateral damage of conflict without end, and the scourge of a tyrant slaughtering his own people, strike one anew in … Continue reading
What exactly is the level of Kenneth Branagh’s self-awareness? He’s certainly conscious of inviting comparison with Olivier once again by presenting a year-long season of plays at the refurbished Garrick under the auspices of the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company – … Continue reading
