Author: The Reviews Hub - London

Writer: Winsome Pinnock Director: Miranda Cromwell The legacy of slavery, and the money the enslavers accrued from the practice, is something with which Britain is still struggling to engage. Whenever a National Trust property seeks to contextualise the history of the family that once owned it, they encounter resistance from a small segment of the public. And such recontextualisation lies at the heart of Winsome Pinnock’s The Authenticator. Set in a crumbling stately home, its current owner, Fenella (Sylvestra Le Touzel), has discovered a series of diaries written by her ancestor, Henry Harford, that cover the six years in which…

Writer: Christopher Marlowe  Director: Alex Pearson Derek Jarman’s film adaptation of Christopher Marlowe’s daring play was sexy and political, clearly locating some of the action in the Britain of the 1990s, when Thatcher’s homophobic Clause 28 was the catalyst for queer activism. Alex Pearson’s production, playing at the Jack Studio Theatre, is not so sexy and not so political. Set in a timeless England, the all-female cast delivers Marlowe’s lines with aplomb, but this Edward II lacks fire and drive. With only six actors and a running time of 95 minutes, of course, some lines have been cut, and some…

Composers: Mark-Anthony Turnage, Béla Bartók, Modest Mussorgsky Conductor: Edward Gardner London Philharmonic Orchestra’s latest offering, Pictures at an Exhibition, provides a thrilling and well-curated programme. The premise of the show is a set of works that evoke the visual imagination. This invites the listener to engage with the music from an imaginative perspective and gain something deeper from the music. Led with great ease by conductor, Edward Gardner, the evening begins with a bang. Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Three Screaming Popes, which premiered in 1989, is inspired by a series of paintings by 20th century artist Francis Bacon. This eerie visual reference…

Writer: Robert Bailey Director: Billy Siegenfeld In its international debut, London’s White Bear Theatre presents In Some Dark Valley: The Testimony of Reverend Brand, a tale of religious fervour, resilience, and a stark portrait of a small community in the post-Civil war south. Despite some vividly compelling storytelling, the imbalance of elements and a few poor choices let this production down. As the title suggests, this is Reverend Brand’s story, told by sole performer and writer Robert Bailey, and laden with narrative, multi-rolling, and songs and prayers from the American south. His testimony is his life story, which begins in…

Writer: William Shakespeare Director: Kay Brattan A bartender greets audience members as they arrive. There are crystal decanters, flapper dresses, a stylish bar, a silk-upholstered sofa, live music… The relocation of Much Ado about Nothing from sixteenth-century Sicily to 1920s Brooklyn fits both the Arches Lane theatre’s own subterranean vibe and the number of Americans among this young cast. Messina is no longer a city, but an underground speakeasy, the alcohol-soaked setting for playful, subversive entertainment after the horrors of war. The story begins as a group of soldiers return from battle, looking for laughter and love. Leonato, local governor…

Writer: William Shakespeare Directors: Rachel Bagshaw and Robin Belfield In this co-production of A Midsummer’s Night Dream, the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and the Unicorn Theatre create a magical interpretation of the beloved Shakespearean play. This play is suitable ages seven and above and is centred around making Shakespeare accessible and easy to understand to children. The play is reworked for younger audiences. Though the language and the interpretations are meant for a younger audience, this does not take away from the comedic effect. This production uses the slapstick humour of the original play and breathes fresh air into the…

Writer: Christopher Hampton Director: Marianne Elliott “Show no pity”, the Marquise de Merteuil advises her charges in Christopher Hampton’s Les Liaisons Dangereuses, and Director Marianne Elliott shows none for her characters whose attitudes and exploits are savagely punished in this outstanding revival at the National Theatre. Giving precedence to the exploitation, assaults and deceptions endured by women in the play over the louche, bad boy charm of the Vicomte de Valmont, Elliott’s control and combination of staging techniques, dance and performance offers a mercilessly contemporary commentary that looks behind the masks women must wear to survive. Frustrated that her favourite…

Writer: Tarell Alvin McCraney Director: Nancy Medina Director Nancy Medina’s tender, atmospheric 2023 production of Tarell Alvin McCraney’s coming-of-age drama Choir Boy comes to Stratford East, 14 years after the play first saw light of day at the Royal Court.  The production sensibly leans into the piece’s strengths: marvellously executed a Capella Gospel and spiritual music, lashings of comedy, and a sympathetic, fully fleshed-out teenage protagonist. But even a director as accomplished as Medina cannot quite paper over a baggy middle half, static minor characters, and some decidedly melodramatic flourishes. It is graduation day at the elite, all-black, all-boys Charles…