Casual sex between human beings is murky business. The intertwining of flesh on flesh is never the uncomplicated act the animal kingdom enjoys, rather it's a mash up of flirtation, power plays and fleeting satisfaction that sometimes comes with a hefty price. In Anna Ziegler's 2017 two-character play, Actually, sex is not just a simple act of coitus between two … [Read more...]
The Time Of Our Lies at Park Theatre | Review
Why are we dropping bombs on this peaceful village this morning? It's a question a young American bombardier named Howard Zinn should have asked his commanders before embarking on bombing raids during the Second World War. Instead, his own personal fervour to defeat fascism, coupled with the spurious belief that his aerial bombs were hitting military targets only, … [Read more...]
Daphne, Tommy, The Colonel and Phil at the Union Theatre
Things are not what they appear to be in Daphne, Tommy, the Colonel and Phil, a play that spins on an absurd situation, replete with ludicrous characters and risible circumstances, but doesn't quite make it as dramatic comedy or farce. Where it does hit a high note is in its portrayal of older people, not as characters in the twilight years of existence, but as … [Read more...]
Review of Metamorphosis at the New Diorama Theatre
Metamorphosis, arguably Franz Kafka's best-known work, is a seemingly bizarre, illogical tale about a lowly employee, Gregor Samsa, who wakes one morning to find he's been transformed into a gigantic insect. First written in 1912, intellectuals and literary critics have pondered its meaning for decades. A new version of this nightmarish tale, written and directed … [Read more...]
Lyric Ensemble present The Mob Reformers | Lyric Hammersmith Theatre
'Can Theatre make the change in the world that we want to see?' The Lyric Ensemble, a group comprised of ambitious young actors and theatre-makers, kick-boxed this question for nine months and found inspiration in England's history of rebellion. The fruit of this innovative team of creatives, under the bold guidance of director Holly Race Roughan, is realised in … [Read more...]
While the Sun Shines at The Orange Tree Theatre
Those of us who love the works of Terence Rattigan will invariably have a favourite Rattigan play. Almost certainly, The Winslow Boy, Flare Path, The Deep Blue Sea and Separate Tables will top most lists. Little attention is paid, however, to Rattigan’s 1943 West End hit, While the Sun Shines, an effervescent bubble of a play and an affectionate wink to Shakespearean … [Read more...]
Urban Wolves Theatre Company Presents Experiment 150 | Review
We live in terrifying times, an age of never-ending wars fuelled by political propaganda, theft of personal information, Big Brother methods of surveillance and a propensity in media to support government wrong-doing in the name of patriotism and the public good. Bryan Oliver's explosive new play, Experiment 150, mirrors this nightmare scenario, one that whittles … [Read more...]
The Glass Piano by Alix Sobler at The Coronet Theatre | Review
Alix Sobler's comic, albeit, philosophical tale of a slender princess who swallows a glass piano the day her mother absconds from a soul-destroying marriage, is a metaphor for the stultifying power of moral convention and the price to pay for those who defy it. The narrative of The Glass Piano is based on a real-life phenomenon, that of Princess Alexandra Amelie of … [Read more...]
All My Sons by Arthur Miller at the Old Vic Theatre | Review
All My Sons, Arthur Miller's colossal dinosaur of a play, will be revisited for centuries to come. Like the works of Shakespeare and Ibsen before him, it depicts the evil committed by ordinary men, the carnage that ensues, and the suffering of those who collude and look the other way. First performed in New York in 1947, All My Sons carries with it the fallout of … [Read more...]