Tag Archives: Theatre

Writer: Henry Filloux-Bennett Director: Jennie Riordan Reviewer: Andrea Allen “It is impossible not to love someone who makes toast for you…once the warm, salty butter has hit your tongue, you are smitten, putty in their hands”. The visceral, evocative language which opens this show is perfectly complemented by the smell of burnt toast hitting your nostrils as you step into ...

Writer: Hattie Naylor adapted from the book by Sarah Waters Director: Alastair Whatley Reviewer: Richard Maguire Without a doubt, The Night Watch is one of Sarah Waters’ finest novels. Meticulously researched, it follows the lives of a group of people, including four lesbians, over the Second World War. But instead of starting in 1939, Waters begins her book in 1947. ...

Writer: Jacob Marx Rice Director: Alex Howarth Reviewer: Maryam Philpott Romcoms teach us that a chance encounter can be life changing, that two destined souls will find each other and eventually live happily ever after. The reality is somewhat different, particularly when the central couple are both suffering from different forms of mental health issue and meet in the psychiatrist’s ...

Writer: Frank McGuinness Director: James O’Donnell Reviewer: Richard Maguire The Greek myths are powered by revenge, especially when they tell the stories of women. Medea killed her children when her husband Jason abandoned her, while Clytemnestra killed her husband Agamemnon after he sacrificed their daughter Iphigenia. Frank McGuinness’s one-woman play of 2012 rewrites these myths for a modern age with ...

Writer: Natalie Mitchell Director: Grace Gummer Reviewer: Richard Maguire The Bunker’s new show opens in the same week as the theatre announces its closure in 2020 as the area around London Bridge continues to be redeveloped. For over three years, The Bunker has been a keen supporter of new writing by young playwrights from underrepresented backgrounds, but as it searches ...

Writer: Zawe Ashton Director: Jo McInnes Reviewer: Richard Maguire The Hackney Showroom is on the move and is presenting its new play in the swish interior of the Art Deco Stoke Newington Town Hall. Zawe Ashton’s powerful new play charts the life of an African woman coping with the pressures of English life. It makes for a stirring evening. Joy ...

Writer: Danusia Samal Director: Tanuja Amarasuriya Reviewer: Richard Maguire Consistently championing new writing, Theatre503 is a springboard for many young playwrights and over the years the theatre has produced a number of brilliant plays. Out of Sorts, its latest offering, is one of the best for some time. Danusia Samal’s play follows two days in the life of Zara, the ...

Writer: Anton Chekhov Director: Timofey Kulyabin Reviewer: Richard Maguire The opulently named Theatre of Nations is in town and earlier this week brought the stories of Shukshin to the stage. Now it turns its hand to a more familiar name, Chekhov, and his early and rarely performed play, Ivanov, moving the action to contemporary times. The play completely stands up ...