Wendy & Peter Pan doesn’t have the strongest storyline, but it is a jolly good ride, and a comfortable one at that, thanks to the Barbican’s excellent seats. It’s an entertaining, incredibly well-produced spectacle that reminds you that, however old you are, playfulness is not just for children.
Review: Kyoto from RSC @SohoPlace
As the LA fires continue to rage, the effects of climate change are only too evident on our screens this week. Kyoto, opening @sohoplace theatre, feels especially prescient. Referencing the international protocol signed in Kyoto in December 1997 to commit states to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the play is a timely reminder of a dramatic part of climate negotiation history.
RSC A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Barbican
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, often associated with high summer, fits comfortably into the Christmas pantomime’s shoes. Whimsical costumes, many jokes, lovable personalities, and buffoonery; much like panto, there’s a wedding at the end. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of Shakespeare’s most familiar plays, transferring from a recent run at Stratford-Upon-Avon.
The Buddha of Suburbia, RSC at the Barbican
The Buddha of Suburbia is a joyful production that balances serious topics – race, class, racial violence and the immigrant experience in the UK. There is plenty of sex, drugs and music that transports the audience back into the 70s with heaps of humour and strong performances.
English – Kiln Theatre – a Pulitzer Prize Winner
Life in the classroom English by Sanaz Toossi won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2023 and recently made its UK debut at the Royal Shakespeare Company’s The Other Place Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. Now there’s a chance to see this funny, thought-provoking production in London at Kilburn’s Kiln Theatre. Directed by Diyan Zora, the drama […]
The Merchant of Venice 1936
A re-examination of antisemitism in Shakespeare’s controversial play. I doubt that any production of The Merchant of Venice ever opened with the lighting of candles to usher in the Jewish festival of Passover. But then this Merchant, opened at Criterion Theatre, is no ordinary production. Transposed to London’s East End, this contemporary interpretation of The […]
The Comedy of Errors – Barbican – Review
Double trouble The RSC is back in town with its latest production of William Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors for a six-week run at the Barbican. It arrives fresh from tour after first being staged outdoors in Stratford-upon-Avon during the summer season. I arrived at the Barbican harbouring a long-held soft spot for The Comedy […]