To coincide with the opening of Three Days in The Country, Patrick Marber’s new adaption of Turgenev, I’ve rounded up 10 other great plays set in the summer, from bucolic romance and adolescent yearning to fiery conflict and family combustion. Read my … Continue reading
Judgement is inescapable in Richard Jones’s punishing version of Kafka’s novel. Miriam Buether’s striking design makes the audience a voyeuristic jury, ranged on benches in the queasily lit courtroom, with the accused toiling before us on a rolling travelator. It’s … Continue reading
How did he get away with it? That’s the question Jonathan Maitland’s controversial new play addresses, juxtaposing national treasure Sir Jimmy Savile, feted by monarchs, prime ministers and cardinals, with the thuggish serial abuser. Savile’s cheeky asides – the knighthood … Continue reading
Seldom has there been such impassioned debate about whether a play has a right to exist. Writer Jonathan Maitland faced a barrage of criticism, with many accusing him of exploitation; others felt it was too soon for freshly unveiled horror … Continue reading
The advantage of basing drama on real events, particularly emotive ones like the 2005 London bombings, is that they have inbuilt resonance; the disadvantage, all too apparent in 2013 play Warde Street, is that it can be challenging to articulate a … Continue reading
‘How do you police symbolic acts?’ In 2011, millions of people across the globe watched and waited for news of renowned conceptual artist Ai Weiwei, incarcerated by Chinese state officials for 81 days on spurious grounds. Last Friday, an astonishing … Continue reading
