The bells, the bells! They’re ringing out at the Donmar – ushering girls into class, and nuns into cloister. It’s one of the creative ways in which director Polly Findlay reframes this beloved classic, although a new adaptation from David Harrower also rings … Continue reading
Polly Stenham’s updating of Strindberg’s Miss Julie moves the action to contemporary London, and finds both contempt and sympathy for this new version of the idle rich. But, shorn of its 19th-century context, the play struggles to make the class transgression feel … Continue reading
On my June MoveTo Town and Country Arts page: Exhibition The British Museum explores Rodin’s relationship with Ancient Greek sculpture Film An unflinching look at motherhood in Tully Theatre Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband – with double the Foxy charm Commuter corner Michelle Dean’s Sharp: The Women Who Made … Continue reading
It begins with deep breathing, in order to access words that hold unimaginable power. And Ian Rickson’s exquisite production of Brian Friel’s masterpiece maintains that space throughout: for words to breathe and simmer, to hang in the air, and for us to … Continue reading
Michelle Terry’s first season as Artistic Director of the Globe will be carefully scrutinised. Emma Rice’s contentious exit raised important questions about the venue’s purpose, its balancing of tradition and innovation, new and returning audiences, and about how we engage … Continue reading
The band’s back together. Alfred Molina plays Rothko for the third time in Michael Grandage’s revisiting of John Logan’s richly textured two-hander, first seen at the Donmar in 2009 and then bypassing the West End for Broadway. Another excellent Alfred – Alfred Enoch, of … Continue reading
American playwright Rajiv Joseph’s latest certainly doesn’t lack for ambition, spanning 90 years, three countries, and mixing history and fiction in its form to make a point about, well, mixing history and fiction. Storytelling through to the pertinent “fake news” … Continue reading
Gendered power dynamics, the commodification of art, and abuse in the creative industries: Joe Penhall’s new play certainly feels of the moment, and there’s a particular frisson in seeing such subject matter explored at the Old Vic, which is dealing with the … Continue reading
Chess, by Tim Rice and ABBA’s Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, hasn’t had a major West End revival since its Eighties heyday, but it’s back with a bang in a semi-staged production that features aerial silk acrobatics, cheerleading stunts and drunken Cossack dancing. But … Continue reading
