At Home He Feels Like A Tourist

Category: Theatre

• Acting Agency Culture Gender London Patriarchy Power Shakespeare Theatre

  The Taming of the Shrew at the Barbican review ***

  The Taming of the Shrew Barbican Theatre, 2nd January 2020 What to do with Taming of the Shrew. Pretend the framing device with Sly deceived by Milord gets you off the hook. Not sure audiences buy that. Mine the text very carefully and add detail through direction which undermines the…

  February 9, 2020
• Age Christmas Culture Family Generations Identity London Politics Relationship Sexuality Theatre

  Snowflake at the Kiln Theatre review ****

  Snowflake Kiln Theatre, 28th December 2019 Lucky family. Never know what Dad is going to serve up as their Christmas theatrical treat(s). And always careful to at least try to conceal their disappointment. Having banked the virtual certain success of Mischief Theatre’s Magic Goes Wrong (of which more to come),…

  February 6, 2020
• Capitalism Communism Culture Ideology London Politics Soviet Union Sport Theatre USA

  Ravens at the Hampstead Theatre review ***

  Ravens: Spassky vs Fischer Hampstead Theatre, 18th December 2019 I can see why Tom Morton-Smith would have alighted on the infamous chess match between Boris Spassky and Bobby Fischer in 1972 in Reykjavik. There are a ton of tomes on the subject and, after all, if it was good enough…

  February 3, 2020
• Class Culture England Family London Race Relationship Theatre

  A Kind of People at the Royal Court Theatre review ****

  A Kind of People Royal Court Downstairs, 16th December 2019 Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti was a new playwriting name for me. No longer. A Kind of People takes a not uncommon subject, racism in contemporary Britain, and not uncommon set-ups, a mixed race marriage, friendships, a party, a workplace, and conjures…

  January 31, 2020
• Culture London Power Race Theatre USA

  Fairview at the Young Vic review ***

  Fairview Young Vic Theatre, 11th December 2019 Fell like a bit of a fraud putting pen to paper on this. For, I confess, I did not completely understand Fairview. African-American playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for the play. The conceit is ingenious. A birthday dinner for…

  January 30, 2020
• Colonialism Culture Family London Nationhood Nigeria Theatre War

  Three Sisters at the National Theatre review ***

  Three Sisters National Theatre Lyttleton, 9th December 2019 Opportunity partially missed I am afraid. Inua Ellams has come up with a brilliant idea by transporting Chekhov to 1960s Nigeria, specifically during the Biafaran Civil War. Yet his urge to educate and contextualise leaves the dialogue heavy on exposition. And, in…

  January 29, 2020
• Culture Disability Family London Theatre

  A Day in the Life of Joe Egg at Trafalgar Studios review *****

  A Day in the Life of Joe Egg Trafalgar Studios, 30th November 2019 Not a fan of the Trafalgar Studios which has been asking daft prices for mediocre seating in the last year or so, (though it seems to have eased up a bit now and is nowhere near as…

  January 23, 2020
• Acting Culture Dreams Fiction London Myths Stories Theatre Truth

  The Antipodes at the National Theatre review ****

  The Antipodes National Theatre Dorfman, 23rd November 2019 I’ll tell you what. That Annie Baker backs herself. Here is another long play, near 2 hours straight through, where, visually, nothing much happens, bar a properly weird interlude, and dense with word. And this time it is a story about stories,…

  January 14, 2020
• Community Culture Landscape London Memory Place Theatre Wales War

  On Bear Ridge at the Royal Court Theatre review ***

  On Bear Ridge Royal Court Theatre, 21st November 2019 Knockout premise. Some splendid dialogue. Beguiling, complex characters. Inspired design courtesy of Cai Dyfans. Supported by the lighting of Elliot Griggs and sound of Mike Beer, And engaging performances from the outstanding Welsh cast of Rhys Ifans, Rakie Ayola (the first…

  January 3, 2020
• art Culture Florence History Italy London Performance Renaissance Sexuality Theatre

  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…

  December 18, 2019