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In 2005, Mike Bartlett’s formally experimental Not Talking found a home on BBC Radio 3 after being rejected from multiple theatres. In 2018 – amazingly – it is being performed ...
Ridley’s Games: Angry at the Southwark Playhouse
Angry is an anthology of monologues by Philip Ridley, perhaps Britain’s most distinctive living playwright.
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Power Play: The Birthday Party at the Harold Pinter Theatre
In 1958, The Birthday Party was so widely panned it closed after eight performances. Sixty years later, enjoying one of the starriest revivals in the West End.
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A Show That Almost Wasn’t: Rita, Sue and Bob Too at the Royal Court Theatre
This controversial Andrea Dunbar revival could easily have been unwatchable in the current climate, but on the whole it has a surprising lightness of tone.
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A Cry in the Dark: Parliament Square at the Bush Theatre
James Fritz’s new play is bold, fresh and acutely observed – but also an incredibly uncomfortable theatrical experience.
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No Frills, Huge Thrills: Ordinary Days at the Drayton Arms Theatre
I must admit I am a big crier at the theatre, but Streetlights, People! Productions’ take on Adam Gwon’s 2009 Off-Broadway sleeper hit deserved every tear that was shed.
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In the Penal Colony: Inside Pussy Riot at the Saatchi Gallery
I was kneeling handcuffed on the floor of a church in a knitted red balaclava – not my average Thursday evening by a long shot.
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Terror and Apocalypse: B and Victory Condition at the Royal Court Theatre
Two plays in nightly rep wrestle with radicalism and violence.
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Call Things By Their Proper Name: The Plague at the Arcola Theatre
Neil Bartlett’s take on Albert Camus’ seminal novel is bold and effective – even if it sacrifices some important scenes in the name of economy.
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Theatre of Blood: The White Devil at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse
John Webster’s The White Devil, writes Simon Fearn, must be one of the most cynical plays in the canon.
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“They Fell Queasy – But They Love It”:The Pitchfork Disney at Shoreditch Town Hall
Director Jamie Lloyd’s Philip Ridley production is high on drama and tension, yet nothing new is teased out of the text or re-evaluated in a modern context.
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Going Nuclear: The Children at the Royal Court Theatre
Lucy Kirkwood’s latest effort is as much about people as about the environment, writes Simon Fearn.
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At the Fringe III: Demonic Masks, Female Solidarity and a Hair Salon
Simon Fearn gives his final round-up from the Edinburgh Fringe.
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At the Fringe II: Dickens, Wartime Spies, Heart Rate Monitors and More
Simon Fearn rounds up five shows at the Edinburgh Fringe.
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Music and Suffering: Haim: In the Light of the Violin at the Print Room
The story of violinist Haïm Lipsky’s post-Auschwitz recovery drew tears from the audience.
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Theatre in Space: X at the Royal Court Theatre
In the days since I’ve left the theatre I’ve become increasingly fixated with X.
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