‘Fails to capture the acidic wit of Wilde’ Stars combine and theatres from east to west collaborate for a digital recontextualising of Oscar Wilde’s seminal novel. But can the Belle Epoch really dance to the tune of the pandemic? Oscar Wilde’s 1890 novel is steeped in scandal, debauchery, and vanity. The life of the naive Dorian is ruined as he ...
‘The attempt to pull these women out of their historical setting brings its own problems’ From the heart of St Albans (Maltings Theatre to be precise) and shot straight to your home, this production drags the wives of King Henry VIII kicking and screaming into the 21st century. We all know the rhyme, don’t we? Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, ...
‘Writing at its most perceptive’ Lolita Chakrabarti’s (prestigious writer with the best name in existence) new piece is concerned with two sadly underrepresented topics: men’s mental health and black masculinity. The bite-sized production, live-streamed from the Almeida Theatre, comes out sprinting, even if by the end it stumbles slightly over its own feet. We are pretty used to digital theatre ...
‘Tasteful exploration of our capacity for regrowth’ With lockdown stretching onwards into the distance like an unwelcome family car ride, what we need at the moment is something hopeful and uplifting! Something to vary the insipid doldrums of another evening in. How about a film about death? Wait wait wait… hear me out. Yes, escapism is a tempting solace for ...
‘The ugly face of misogyny rises’ Bones are good, structural, essential, underpinning. But what if the skin… could do with some moisturising? Streamed from the Southwark Playhouse The Fabulist Fox Sister has some potential deep, deep down, and that’s what counts? Right? With music by Luke Bateman and both book and lyrics by Michael Conley (who is also the lead – alarm bells yet?), ...
‘Get ready to get wet and wild’ Silvia Mercuriali’s most recent Autoteatro piece is an experience fit for 2020; isolated, inward-looking, and dripping with…creativity. Get ready to get wet and wild (sorry but I couldn’t resist) in a unique piece, beamed straight into your bathroom. So, with obligatory writer’s puns out of the way, let’s discuss Swimming Home in all its ...
‘Mirrors the 2020 experience’ Food, a blessing, or a curse? functional or aspirational? Transcendent or transient? Sat at home demolishing a big bag of crisps I wonder…But as a gateway to your heritage, and a link to the past? Now you’ve got me sat up straight, orange-dusted hand removed from the packet, intrigued. “am I fat?” straight in, Pepa Duarte, ...
‘Flying close to the wind’ Candle House collective, and Evan Neiden (the creator) are clawing (see what I did there?) at the frontiers of the artform we call theatre, with mixed results. With the future of theatre looking rocky at best and doomed at worst, they, like various bright-minded folks, have used the technological wizardry at their fingertips to push ...
‘Heavy but rewarding’ Terence Rattigan’s 1952 play allows for expert actors to embody complex and unhappy humans. In the blue wash, misery and love dance a highland jig in a small London flat, and we the audience are enraptured. Tom Schutt’s set is as if some artistically minded giant has cleaved a building block in two, exposing its insides to ...
‘Utterly believable, important work’ Lorraine Hansberry’s final work, Les Blancs, invades our living rooms, driving out the sound of my washing machine and whinging puppy. It is a work that demands to be seen. Written in 1970 and finished off by Hansberry’s husband, this epic drama hasn’t had its time in the sun when it comes to accolades. Hansberry’s writing is both ...