Dawn King’s climate change play has a strong scenario – the youth of the future hold their parents to account in court for environmental damage. A sci-fi dystopia, the piece is an effective, well-written call to action. It’s big on ideas and, while important for all to see, perfect for a younger demographic. There’s a … Continue reading “The Trials” at the Donmar Warehouse
If you are a fan of the 1987 movie this show is based on there’s a chance you will enjoy seeing the action on stage. If you don’t know about, or don’t care for, the coming-of-age romance between a woman called ‘Baby’ and her dance tutor Johnny, seeing Dirty Dancing would be a mistake. The … Continue reading “Dirty Dancing” at the Dominion Theatre
David Drake’s hour-plus monologue covers coming out, the AIDS epidemic and activism. Steven Dexter’s forceful direction of this off-Broadway hit does the script justice and the performance from John Bell is a stage debut to cheer. The show’s subject matter is important, but this ground has been covered before, not least by the playwright whose … Continue reading “The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me” at the Studio, New Wimbledon Theatre
Several theatrical responses to the AIDS crisis might be labelled ‘ground-breaking’. Epics by Tony Kushner, or the recent marathon effort from Matthew Lopez, as well as William H Hoffman’s As Is, could all make the claim. Larry Kramer’s play from 1985 deserves the label, too. But, as this excellent revival inadvertently demonstrates, breaking ground doesn’t … Continue reading “The Normal Heart” at the National Theatre
Top marks for trying. For this filmed theatre production of Shakespeare’s tragedy, director David Evans has used technology to carry on working during Covid-19. Using green screens and CGI sets means protective social distancing is possible for a large cast. Unfortunately, the results are uneven; you end up missing live theatre more than ever. The … Continue reading “Romeo and Juliet” from Metcalfe Gordon Productions
With so much of our lives spent online, a musical about the internet seems apposite to our lockdown times. The twist for this show, from Francesca Forristal and Jordan Paul Clarke, is that it is a verbatim piece. All the words spoken or sung are taken from the internet. The result is a snapshot of … Continue reading “Public Domain” from the Southwark Playhouse
As a second lockdown begins, there’s still a chance to get close to quality theatre, even if it is online. It’s hard not to be grumpy, though. This rehearsed reading of Steven Carl McCasland’s play makes it painfully obvious how much better a staged production would be. Nonetheless, the history in the piece is interesting … Continue reading “Little Wars”: a rehearsed reading
A bittersweet highlight of the Covid-19 lockdown, this specially filmed version of a show via The Other Palace theatre is wonderful – even if it made me rue the chance of seeing Jason Robert Brown’s masterpiece live more than ever. Taking the roles of lovers Cathy and Jamie, Lauren Samuels and Danny Becker have singing … Continue reading “The Last Five Years”: a lockdown performance
This collection of 100 scenes, with the instruction that they can be selected at will and performed in any order, is “a challenge and an invitation” to theatre companies. It’s a startling idea that makes for a big book and shows playwright Alice Birch’s prodigious ability. It is also a suitable celebration of co-producer Clean … Continue reading “[Blank]” at the Donmar Warehouse
Hiring a venue up the road from a house dedicated to the world’s most famous detective is a good idea when your subject is the same man. If Greg Freeman’s play can tempt just a fraction of the tourists in line for the Sherlock Holmes Museum then this will be a big hit. The target … Continue reading “Sherlock Holmes and the Invisible Thing” at the Rudolph Steiner Theatre
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