THE CARDINAL/A LIE OF THE MIND Southwark Playhouse

Southwark Playhouse stages two interesting and very rare revivals: James Shirley’s The Cardinal, a characteristic watered-down, anti-Catholic Jacobean drama from 1641 and Sam Shepard’s potent absurdist family drama, A life of the Mind, from 1985. When it comes to writing about mythical America and American dysfunctional families, Shepard is the absolute master; he can be tragic even while actively courting laughter