Eugene O’Hare’s latest production, Sydney and the Old Girl, is about an ill-tempered old woman and her miserable son, living together in an East London flat. The pair despise each other but also depend on each other. Nell (Miriam Margoyles) claims that her son, Sydney (Mark Hadfield), makes her skin crawl, while Sydney refers to his mother as a ‘deaf old snatch’. The hatred between them is palpable, hilarious, and occasionally bordering on the depressing. The entrance of Nell’s carer, ...

Lolita ChakrabartiDirected by Indhu Rubasingham★★★★ Pros: Lolita Chakrabarti’s script allows audiences to see a flawed yet brilliant man let down by London. Cons: It’s a shame about the last thirty seconds before the lights go dark at the end. The last scene is the only really weakness in the entire show. Our Verdict: A very important man has been left out of the history books because he was black. A brilliant, succinct show with neat yet complex characters that mirror ...