New play by debbie tucker green is too abstract for its own goodLove, we know, will tear us apart again. And again. And yet again. It will shred our nerves and rip through our guts; it will …
SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 05:36PMAmerican play about virtual reality therapy is a bit thinTheatre increasingly uses digital delights to enhance audience enjoyment. And you can easily see why. Visual effects that mimic the e…
SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 05:54PMNeat revival of 1980s feminist comedy is more curiosity than classicThe 1980s were a great decade for British women playwrights. During those Thatcher-dominated years, Caryl Churchill produc…
SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 07:06PMReal sex workers take the stage for a brilliantly devised showSex workers come in all shapes and sizes. Everyone knows that. But why do they do it? Why does anyone take the risk of being int…
SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 06:03PMStage version of dystopian classic returns – lively but cartoonishThere are few modern literary fables that really resonate in the wider culture. And most that do are dystopias. Think of G…
SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 05:48PMJamie Lloyd tackles Philip Ridley’s modern classic — with terrific resultsPlaywright Philip Ridley has one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary theatre. His imagination is lace…
SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 06:12PMNew drama about literary ambition is neat, but not nearly disturbing enoughOdd bedfellows are an ideal subject for comedy, and for passion — because opposites attract, right? Well this is …
SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 06:36PMHit rom-com show is LOL funny, but also a bit thinAs the only inhabitant of Planet Earth who wasn’t completely knocked senseless by La-La Land, it does occur to me that I might not be the …
SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 06:04PMNew play about the cultivated face of fascism is fascinating if flawedA day or so after Theresa May’s keynote speech about Brexit the words Europe and European carry an electric charge. Fo…
SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 07:12PMNew play about casual work is thinly written and lacks dramaYou could call it the Corbynisation of new writing. In the past couple of years, a series of plays have plumbed the lower depths, …
SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 06:04PMRevival of Shaw classic is a tour de force for Gemma ArtertonHow’s this for a Christmas-week story? Joan, a young peasant girl – played in this version by the charismatically attractive …
SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 07:18PMTop director Ivo van Hove makes an uneven National Theatre debutTheatre conventions are a funny thing. Today, it’s actually quite difficult to see a modern classic dressed in the clothes a…
SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 06:24PMPhoebe Waller-Bridge’s television hit returns to the stage – and still rocksIt’s television, not theatre, that has real power. Real cultural force. Cultural muscle. Take the case of Ph…
SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 07:54PMNew drama about generational tension and nuclear disaster is metaphor-heavy and lacks energyOver the past decade, one new theme in particular has emerged in contemporary British new writing:…
SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 06:54PMNew drama about our desire for a simpler life is intriguing, but flawedThe beauty of the past is that it’s a foreign country, and you don’t need a visa to visit it. With the free movemen…
SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 03:12AMWelcome return of boxing drama, which is thrilling if a bit hard to followWith the Bush Theatre’s main building undergoing renovations, this company’s shows are being staged in a selecti…
SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 04:24AMJoe DiPietro’s cult hit is enjoyable, but rather predictable in form and contentFollowing no less than three smash-hit, sell-out runs in London and at the Edinburgh Fringe, the King’s He…
SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 06:36PMHARROGATE, ROYAL COURT THEATRE Al Smith's play about love, perversion and memory is electrifyingAl Smith's play about love, perversion and memory is electrifying What’s incest got to …
SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 06:36AMAMADEUS, NATIONAL THEATRE Revival of Peter Shaffer’s most famous play is a musical triumphRevival of Peter Shaffer’s most famous play is a musical triumph Populist playwright Peter Shaff…
SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 06:36AM
