Monthly Archives: March 2015

Kevin Spacey takes his leave of The Old Vic, where he has been artistic director these last 11 years, with one of his favourite roles, a role which has attracted actors of such stature as Paul Muni, Spencer Tracy, Orson … Continue reading →

August Strindberg’s first major play, which premiered in 1887, is a memorable and morbid psychological drama, based on his first disastrous marriage. The misogyny is loud and clear: Women are untrustworthy. Desire and hatred are inseparable. The action, directed with … Continue reading →

Mustapha Matura’s satire on Trinidadian ethnicity and politics is set in the 1950’s before and after Independence and opens with some simple comedy between an Indian tailor (Johann Myers) and his naive, likeable and menial African apprentice (Seun Shote). Their … Continue reading →

Hugh Whitemore’s Stevie is the quirky English poet, Stevie Smith (1902-1971), who wrote about loss, loneliness and death. Her heyday was the 1960’s and her most famous poem remains Not Waving but Drowning. If you are looking for a play … Continue reading →

Sophocles’ great tragedy, first performed circa 441 BC, is a clash between two extremists and always timely. When Jean Anouilh staged his version in Occupied Paris in 1944 during World War 2, the French saw in Antigone’s refusal to kowtow … Continue reading →

I much enjoyed Mike Bartlett’s King Charles III at the Almeida and in the West End. I also enjoyed Bull at the Young Vic. So I was really looking forward to seeing, his latest work. The Almeida has been completely … Continue reading →

The 1930s were the Golden Age of the American musical. The lively, tuneful, wise-cracking, delectable, de-lovely Anything Goes, Cole Porter’s first smash-hit, was the definitive stage musical of the period; and perfect escapism for those who had been through the … Continue reading →

The one time Bernard Shaw’s comedy was a huge commercial success in the West End was when John Clements and Kay Hammond cut the play to a manageable three acts. At the National Theatre they include the Don Juan in … Continue reading →