Tag Archives: russia

Patriots, Almeida Theatre

A monstrously entertaining account of Vladimir Putin’s kingmaker. Read my full London Theatre review here

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Not to hold Eurovision in Ukraine is a capitulation to Putin

Ukraine could have gained soft power, international attention and trade, while giving the Song Contest purpose. Read my full Telegraph article here

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Eurovision has long been a battleground between Russia and Ukraine

Eurovision has tried to remain apolitical, but with Russia now booted from the contest, it has finally succumbed to long-simmering discord. Read my full Telegraph article here

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Flames of Paris

The Bolshoi’s fiery revival of “the Les Mis of dance” features Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev. Read my full The i Paper pick here

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Preludes, Southwark Playhouse

Where does music come from? That’s the vital question posed to Sergei Rachmaninoff in Dave Malloy’s extraordinary 2015 chamber work, as the great late-Romantic Russian composer – stuck in his third year of harrowing writer’s block – tries to relocate his gift. It comes … Continue reading

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Fiddler on the Roof, Menier Chocolate Factory

There’s a welcome alternative to panto hijinks in this gem of a Trevor Nunn musical revival – more attuned to the biting hardships of winter, and to the elegiac aspect of change, than to festive jollies. Which is not to say that there … Continue reading

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Describe the Night, Hampstead Theatre

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

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Chess, London Coliseum

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

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Cell Mates, Hampstead Theatre

Offstage drama infamously hijacked the 1995 premiere of Simon Gray’s play, with star Stephen Fry walking out mid-run – hastening the production’s early closing. Here, then, is a chance to put the focus back on the work itself in Edward … Continue reading

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Wild, Hampstead Theatre

Who do you trust? The EU Referendum campaign has exposed a mounting suspicion of the establishment, from financial institutions to press and politicians, and our sense of nationhood has never been murkier. But if we cease to believe in anything, … Continue reading

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