At Home He Feels Like A Tourist

Category: Theatre

  • Labour of Love at the Noel Coward Theatre review *****

    Labour of Love Noel Coward Theatre, 15th November 2017 The Tourist is wracked with guilt. A couple of lovely women who were sat next to him asked his opinion at the interval as to whether James Graham’s Ink or Labour of Love was the better play. He said Ink. By…

  • Heisenberg: The Uncertainty Principle at Wyndham’s Theatre review ****

    Heisenberg: The Uncertainty Principle Wyndham’s Theatre, 9th November 2017 Everyone’s at it. The “science” play. Science, whether directly through using theory to inform plot, or indirectly, often through the impact of ecological or other catastrophe, has underpinned many of the best new plays I have seen in the last couple…

  • Slaves of Solitude at the Hampstead Theatre review ***

    Slaves of Solitude Hampstead Theatre, 8th November 2017 As this blog testifies I spend a lot of time in theatres, (too much I think), but the SO is far more circumspect in her choices. Occasionally, very occasionally, the SO’s desire to see a play, and her enjoyment thereof, outstrips mine. Slaves of…

  • St George and the Dragon at the National Theatre review ***

    Saint George and the Dragon National Theatre, 31st October 2017 This must have looked a great idea on paper. A state of the nation play, with much to say about ill at ease contemporary Britain, told as allegory, in a format and staging that nods to a fairy tale. Writer…

  • Mother Courage and Her Children at the Southwark Playhouse review ***

    Mother Courage and Her Children Southwark Playhouse, 7th November 2017 Hmmm. I am torn. This was a mixed bag and no mistake. The good stuff first. Well it is Brecht so there will always be big issues to chew on, although here the anti-war appeal that lies at the heart…

  • Suzy Storck at the Gate Theatre review ****

    Suzy Storck Gate Theatre, 4th November 2017 The Gate under Ellen McDougall has found another blinding play, this time courtesy of French writer Magali Mougel (translated by Chris Campbell). Visceral only begins to describe it. Ms Mougel has created a modern-day Medea and invested it with an arresting, and bleak,…

  • Minefield at the Royal Court Theatre *****

    Minefield The Royal Court Theatre, 7th November 2017 Argentinian writer, Lola Arias, in her own words, explores the “overlap zones between reality and fiction”. Minefield though is all reality, in the rawest, most uncomfortable and, ultimately, moving way imaginable. She has devised a powerful piece of theatre, documenting the tragedy…

  • Heather at the Bush Theatre review *****

    Heather Bush Theatre, 8th November 2017 For me the best plays take a very few ideas, or even better one idea, and then explore those ideas from multiple perspectives. If the writer loads up the text with too many ideas and messages, usually because he/she can and “it would be…

  • My pick of London theatre – on now and booking ahead

    Right let me cut to the chase. Here is my latest attempt to distil the best of what is on now and what is coming up in the world of London theatre. There is a bunch of new stuff notably at the National Theatre, the Barbican, the Donmar Warehouse, the…

  • Follies at the National Theatre review *****

    Follies National Theatre, 2nd November 2017 I now think I might be mistaken in my general aversion to musical theatre. I think the problem may be that I just haven’t seen enough Sondheim. You can see from all the proper reviews and audience feedback just how well this production has…