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Antony and Cleopatra, Olivier Theatre
Antony and Cleopatra. clocking in 3 hours and 30 minutes is a tale of two halves (you really do only get one interval). The first half is lavish in its set designs but lacking in narrative clarity whilst the second half is much more basic in design but the direction and narrative are much clearer.…
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Apatheatre; Apathy and the arts
I see a lot of theatre productions, obviously and whilst I still enjoy seeing new shows, new ideas and a creative piece that is genuinely exciting I am starting to feel apathetic to much of what I see; no longer seeing it as a piece of entertainment but questioning the ‘why’ more than the ‘how’.…
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Network, National Theatre
The NT’s production of Network still has something to say about your lives, God damn it.
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The Trackers of Oxyrhyncus, Finborough Theatre
The Trackers of Oxyrhynchus, Tony Harrison’s 1998 will either divide or conquer its audience with its intense performances and its rhyming couplets. I failed to really research this production prior to seeing it. I waltzed in with my double G&T expecting an Edwardian drama about two Oxford dons in the Egyptian Desert I was soon…
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An Inspector Calls, Playhouse Theatre
An Inspector Calls, is a haunting look at the gaps in society and this production is a timely and important reminder that not much has changed since it’s 1912 setting, it’s 1945 premiere or even when it debuted as a production in 1992 at the National Theatre Written in 1945 it is no doubt JB…
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Look Back on: Terence Rattigan
With revivals of his work at the National Theatre, Theatre Royal, Bath, Chichester Festival Theatre, The Garrick and on tour why does the work of Rattigan attract modern audiences? National Theatre’s The Deep Blue Sea (1952), directed by Carrie Cracknell and starring Helen McCrory this summer was one of a number of revivals of his…
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Look Back On: An Inspector Calls
Stephen Daldry’s National Theatre Production An Inspector Calls made its debut in 1992 and twenty-four years later it returns to Playhouse Theatre after many revivals but what is the long lasting appeal of JB Priestley’s play and why does this version remain so popular. I am one of many who studied this play at GCSE,…
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‘You’d need to pay me to drink here’ London’s Theatre bars and pubs
Why are theatre bars such grim places to have a drink? I was inspired to write this blog by my friend Alison, who voiced her contempt for Soho Theatre’s cramped, loud and very expensive bar. In theory Soho is full of other bars you can go to but they suffer from the same problems that…
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National Theatre bans critics’ plus one invitations
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/05/18/national-theatre-director-takes-revenge-on-theatre-critics-as-pl/ Interesting movement by National Theatre, who are no longer providing comps to critics’ guests. It is a fair move, in my (very small) experience of receiving free tickets for productions I am always a bit thrown when I am offered a pair. As an amateur it impresses my companion but really I am there…
View from the Cheap Seat 