Monthly Archives: February 2015

Nicholas Hytner takes his farewell as artistic director of the National Theatre with his production of Tom Stoppard’s first play in nine years. Stoppard, a brilliant player with words and punster supremo, has written two masterpieces, Arcadia and Rosencrantz and … Continue reading →

St John Hankin (1869 -1909) has been neglected for far too long. In the Edwardian era his social satires were staged alongside those of Bernard Shaw and Harley Granville-Barker and much admired by them. The Last of the de Mullins … Continue reading →

It takes some time to fully understand what is going on in Alice Birch’s play Grief is a terrible thing. Can there ever be closure? David Mercatali’s production keeps a tight grip throughout and the power of the writing and … Continue reading →

Harriet Walter and Guy Paul are married in real life. Their rapport is an obvious advantage in Clara Brennan’s surprise ending is the most interesting thing about this brittle-tender 90-minute marital spat.

People are fighting for their jobs. Life is tough. There’s bullying and redundancy in the market place. Bull, the 55-minute one-act play at the Young Vic, is by Mike Bartlett, author of King Charles III, which has just won the … Continue reading →

Tanya Ronder’s adaptation of a play by the Pakistani playwright Shahid Nadeem is given an epic production by Nadia Fall. The subject is religious extremism and the perversion of Islam by fundamentalists. The story is set in Mughal India in … Continue reading →

I asked an usher what the ratio of women to men coming to the Vaudeville had been so far. He said that audience was 80% women. But then Amelia Bullmore’s comedy drama, directed by Anna Mackmin, is a celebration of … Continue reading →

Peter Souter’s romantic comedy describes the first and last hour of a dysfunctional relationship between an extrovert (Miranda Raison) and an introvert (Shaun Evans). Set in the unreal world of sitcom, it’s a play for those who want theatre to … Continue reading →