Monthly Archives: August 2012

The struggle for freedom, the fight against tyranny, continues daily and so long as there are bloody coups, assassinations, rampaging mobs and wars, Shakespeare’s political thriller about power and its abuses will always be topical. In 1938 in New York … Continue reading →

The little-known Cornelius will be of special interest to admirers of JB Priestley, author of the highly popular and regularly revived An Inspector Calls, When We Are Married and Time and the Conways. The play, subtitled “a business transaction in … Continue reading →

There have been many attempts to stage and film F Scott Fitzgerald’s novel about the damned and beautiful decadent rich, endlessly partying in the Roaring Twenties; but none of them, even with actors such as Warren Baxter, Alan Ladd and … Continue reading →

Greed is always topical and whenever Shakespeare’s satire on a money-grabbing society is revived, the critics invariably say how apposite it is; but it has never been popular, at least not since the early 18th century. The drama, raw and … Continue reading →

Emigration has had a profound effect upon Irish society and Brian Friel has often written about it. His play, premiered in 1964, and not seen in London since 1992, is one of his best, a modern Irish classic, beautifully written … Continue reading →

Spamalot is the musical version of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Christopher Luscombe’s jolly, pacy production is designed for touring and is on a more intimate scale than the original West End version. The show still remains the silliest … Continue reading →

“Life,” said Bernard Shaw, “does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh.” The Doctor’s Dilemma, written in 1906 in answer to a challenge that he could not write … Continue reading →

Richard III, the ultimate villain, who can murder whilst he smiles, is one of the great bravura roles and caught the imagination of actors and audiences from the very start. The play has been a virtuoso showcase ever since 1592/93, … Continue reading →