Category: History
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The Welkin at the National Theatre review ****
The Welkin National Theatre Lyttleton, 4th February 2020 Rural Suffolk. 1759. A court case. There was only ever going to be one companion for the Tourist’s visit to see The Welkin. Step forward MS. A Tractor Boy by upbringing, if not birth, and an expert on all things legal and…
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Swive at the Sam Wannamaker Playhouse review ****
Swive Sam Wannamaker Playhouse, 3rd February 2020 I am very partial to the work of Ella Hickson. Precious Little Talent, Boys, Oil, The Writer, ANNA, all have met their, expansive, ambition. Splendid theatre with something powerful to say. With Swive she has collaborated with director Natalie Abrahami, (who marshalled cast…
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Leopoldstadt at Wyndhams Theatre review ****
Leopoldstadt Wyndham’s Theatre, 29th January 2020 A new play from the venerable 82 year old Sir Tom Stoppard. Not our greatest living playwright. That is Caryl Churchill, but he does know his way around a text. So booked early, for early in the run and before knowing too much about…
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Rembrandt’s Light at the Dulwich Picture Gallery (and others) review *****
Rembrandt’s Light Dulwich Picture Gallery, 17th January 2020 The Tourist has been a bit remiss in keeping up the records on art exhibitions over the last few months so in addition to the above he will offer a few thoughts on other visits. Rembrandt‘s Light first. The DPG exhibition space…
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Botticelli in the Fire at Hampstead Theatre review **
Botticelli in the Fire Hampstead Theatre, 20th November 2019 Us pensioners, well nearly in the case of the Tourist, as well as the real-dealers who haunt the matinees at which he largely frequents, are getting our eyes opened in Roxana Silbert’s first season as AD at the HT. Nothing fusty…
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Our Lady of Kibeho at the Theatre Royal Stratford East review *****
Our Lady of Kibeho Theatre Royal Stratford East, 31st October 2019 Old Billers, now set to enjoy retirement as he steps down from his job as chief critic at the Guardian, knows a thing or two about theatre. So, when he identified, with his colleagues, OLOK as one of the…
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The Permanent Way at The Vaults review *****
The Permanent Way The Vaults, 13th October 2019 I have to hand it Debbie Hicks and Alexander Lass, producer and director of The Permanent Way. Whilst David Hare’s 2003 verbatim dissection of the Tory rail privatisation in the 1990s, and the four fatal disasters which followed, is an undeniably powerful…
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The Last King of Scotland at the Sheffield Crucible review *****
The Last King of Scotland Crucible Sheffield, 28th September 2019 The Tourist generally agrees with all those smart people paid to review theatrical productions. That is a) because they now what they are doing, they are experts with experience and should be listened to, rather than some halfwit with his/her…
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The King of Hell’s Palace at the Hampstead Theatre review ***
The King of Hell’s Palace Hampstead Theatre, 17th September 2019 This was an interesting choice as the first production in Roxana Silbert’s inaugural season at the Hampstead Theatre. A play based on a true story about corruption scandal in China. From a US playwright, (who spent part of her childhood…
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