Everything Theatre Reviews, interviews and news for theatre lovers, London and beyond

Harold Pinter Directed by Ian Rickson ★★★ Courtesy of Sonia Friedman Productions Rather controversially, I am always unsure about the works of Harold Pinter. On the one hand, I recognise that his writing is certainly very clever: economical and extremely human dialogue, emotionally reserved characters and the ability to develop the story and the characters without the use of longer monologues. On the other hand, I have always found his work a little hard to engage with on stage. Despite ...

Henrik Ibsen, in a new version by Ben Power Directed by Jonathan Kent ★★★★ Courtesy of the National Theatre We were very pleased when we got our hands on our tickets for Emperor and Galilean, but perhaps not for the correct reasons. In truth, before seeing this show the excitement was due to the fact that it meant we needed only to see London Road (which we intend to do this weekend) in order to have witnessed every single production ...

Clifford Odets Directed by Angus Jackson ★★★ Courtesy of the National Theatre The National’s season just past was absolutely second to none. With such shows as Frankenstein, The Holy Rosenbergs, and more recently One Man, Two Guvnors it has really been a triumphant few months for Nicholas Hytner and his team. Perhaps that is why their production of Rocket to the Moon went somewhat less smoothly, with its run being cut short at the last minute. Indeed, we saw it ...

Nikolai Gogol, in a new version by David Harrower Directed by Richard Jones★★★ Courtesy of The Young Vic Julian Barratt is widely known for being one half of the comedic duo behind award-winning comedy The Mighty Boosh. It is no surprise then that The Young Vic’s new production of Nikolai Gogol’s The Government Inspector, in a new version by David Harrower, which casts Barratt as a hapless mayor, has drummed up not only a considerable buzz but also very high expectations ...

William Shakespeare Directed by Josie Rourke ★★★★ Courtesy of Sonia Friedman Productions Sonia Friedman’s newest West End offering has been the subject of much excitement, and with heavy-weights David Tennant and Catherine Tate featuring in the line up, you can understand why. The show had almost sold out before it even opened, but despite the fact that Much Ado About Nothing is quite a safe choice of play, with expectations raised to such high levels there is always a risk ...

Terence RattiganDirected by Trevor Nunn ★★★★ Courtesy of Theatre Royal Haymarket “I was very moved by this play. It is a masterpiece of understatement. But we are rather good at that, aren’t we?” Winston Churchill said to the cast of the original production of Flare Path on a winter’s night in January 1943. Britain was still reeling from the Blitz and the Battle of Britain, and the German forces were at their zenith. In many ways, early 1943 was Britain’s ...

Terence Rattigan It would be easy to miss, were you not looking out for it, but 2011 marks a celebration in the arts, that of the 100th birthday of playwright and screenplay writer Terence Rattigan. In the West End, two theatres are currently staging his plays: The Old Vic, with its production of the courtroom drama Cause Célèbre, directed by Thea Sharrock, and the Theatre Royal Haymarket, with its revival of Flare Path, starring Sienna Miller and directed by Sir ...

Richard Bean, based on The Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni Directed by Nicholas Hytner ★★★★★ Courtesy of National Theatre Richard Bean’s One Man, Two Guvnors, based on Carlo Goldoni’s Commedia dell’arte classic of The Servant of Two Masters, has been one of the most eagerly anticipated productions of the National’s current season. It reunites Nicholas Hytner with James Corden for the first time since Hytner’s outrageously successful production of Alan Bennett’s The History Boys catapulted Corden into the ...

Anton Chekhov (translation by Andrew Upton)  Directed by Howard Davies ★★★ Courtesy of National Theatre Last year saw a huge revival of Chekhov productions to mark 150 years since the author’s birth. A highly influential, but notoriously difficult-to-read author, Chekhov is a polarising figure, especially in Theatre. While some praise his depictions of life in his works (his ‘theatre of mood’) others are frustrated by his lengthy and heavy plays. With this in mind, staging a Chekhov at the National ...

Ryan Craig Directed by Laurie Sansom ★★★★ Courtesy of National Theatre It is interesting to see what the National Theatre has on offer in the Cottesloe, their most intimate and flexible space. The Holy Rosenbergs is a new play, by a new author, in a small venue known for housing more experimental pieces. In addition the plot touches on another heavily politicised issue, the Israel-Palestine conflict, which raised fears that it may be a repeat of the political preaching dished ...