Legal Fictions - TNT
As short stories, this pair of slightly whimsical, affectionate but creaky episodes (originally written for radio by Rumpole creator John Mortimer in 1957 and 1982) would no doubt yield mild, unchallenging pleasure with their gentle mockery of the legal system. The Dock Brief features an ageing, incompetent barrister who takes on the defence of Nicholas Woodeson's working class bird-fancier — a man who freely admits to murdering his unbearably jolly wife. Edwin is about a retired judge who has too much time on his hands and questions the paternity of his son. But at just over an hour each, the two parts of this show are overstretched, making you wish Edward Fox, in the central roles, would speed up his cut-glass drawl and get to the unlikely twists far faster.
Savoy, Strand, WC2 (0870-164 8787). Until April 26. £45-£20
Monday, 31 March 2008
Snowbound - TNT
Ciaran McConville's new play looks at love in different forms. A brief series of video extracts top and tail the acts, but there's no precise consensus. What's in no doubt, though, is that Tom loves — and feels responsible for — his autistic brother, Alex. Since the death of their mother, he's put his life on hold to care for him while their sister goes to uni and then embarks on a career. When he bumps into her former classmate Mary, another devoted relationship develops — but love can't protect any of them from fate. Sam Hazeldine's Tom has a gentle reticence, balanced by Katherine Manners' almost too bouncy Mary, and Karl Davies impresses as the blossoming Alex. McConville sounds a further cautionary note that caring can be taken too far when their doctor drives his trophy wife to drink by blurring the distinction between patient and family friend. Trafalgar Studios (2), Whitehall, SW1 (0870 060 6632). Until April 19. £24 (£15 on Mondays)
Ciaran McConville's new play looks at love in different forms. A brief series of video extracts top and tail the acts, but there's no precise consensus. What's in no doubt, though, is that Tom loves — and feels responsible for — his autistic brother, Alex. Since the death of their mother, he's put his life on hold to care for him while their sister goes to uni and then embarks on a career. When he bumps into her former classmate Mary, another devoted relationship develops — but love can't protect any of them from fate. Sam Hazeldine's Tom has a gentle reticence, balanced by Katherine Manners' almost too bouncy Mary, and Karl Davies impresses as the blossoming Alex. McConville sounds a further cautionary note that caring can be taken too far when their doctor drives his trophy wife to drink by blurring the distinction between patient and family friend. Trafalgar Studios (2), Whitehall, SW1 (0870 060 6632). Until April 19. £24 (£15 on Mondays)
Slippery Mountain - TNT
East meets West in this interesting hour-long adaptation of a Chinese folk fable in which Mulian, a monk, sets out to clear his mother's name. Not So Loud theatre company has brought together elements of Peking Opera and Western clowning, with cleaver-wielding demons desperate to grind her bones and poke out her eyes as they escort her to hell. It may sound gruesome (and a twirling sword fight at such close proximity is dazzlingly disconcerting) but this bi-lingual synthesis offers the chance to sample another culture – and indulge in some tasty dim sum (included in the ticket price) at the same time. A small, obviously committed, international cast ensures that the narrative is clear and musician Joanna Qiu Zenghui impresses with her versatility on a virtual orchestra of Chinese instruments.
New World Restaurant, Gerrard Place, W1 (0870-033 2600). Until April 13. £25
East meets West in this interesting hour-long adaptation of a Chinese folk fable in which Mulian, a monk, sets out to clear his mother's name. Not So Loud theatre company has brought together elements of Peking Opera and Western clowning, with cleaver-wielding demons desperate to grind her bones and poke out her eyes as they escort her to hell. It may sound gruesome (and a twirling sword fight at such close proximity is dazzlingly disconcerting) but this bi-lingual synthesis offers the chance to sample another culture – and indulge in some tasty dim sum (included in the ticket price) at the same time. A small, obviously committed, international cast ensures that the narrative is clear and musician Joanna Qiu Zenghui impresses with her versatility on a virtual orchestra of Chinese instruments.
New World Restaurant, Gerrard Place, W1 (0870-033 2600). Until April 13. £25
Monday, 24 March 2008
The Vortex - TNT
Written at the beginning of his career, Noel Coward's controversial 1924 exposé of questionable morals and drug dependence made his reputation. Its main shock value nowadays lies in the extreme callousness the characters reveal as they indulge in their privileged, frivolous lifestyles. Felicity Kendal's adulterous socialite Florence (flitting from one selfish pleasure to another in a doomed attempt to hold back the years) impresses in the final showdown with her effete son Nicky (the same age as her latest officer toyboy and just back from Paris where he's picked up both a cocaine habit and, surprisingly, a fiancée). Phoebe Nicholls adds an extra layer of unacknowledged lesbian devotion as her best friend Helen who isn't afraid to speak the truth.
Apollo Shaftesbury Ave, W1 (0870-040 0080). Until June 7. £15-£45
Written at the beginning of his career, Noel Coward's controversial 1924 exposé of questionable morals and drug dependence made his reputation. Its main shock value nowadays lies in the extreme callousness the characters reveal as they indulge in their privileged, frivolous lifestyles. Felicity Kendal's adulterous socialite Florence (flitting from one selfish pleasure to another in a doomed attempt to hold back the years) impresses in the final showdown with her effete son Nicky (the same age as her latest officer toyboy and just back from Paris where he's picked up both a cocaine habit and, surprisingly, a fiancée). Phoebe Nicholls adds an extra layer of unacknowledged lesbian devotion as her best friend Helen who isn't afraid to speak the truth.
Apollo Shaftesbury Ave, W1 (0870-040 0080). Until June 7. £15-£45
The Harder They Come - TNT
After a couple of successful runs at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East, the late Perry Henzell's stage adaptation of his cult 1972 film (which starred Jimmy Cliff) has taken up temporary residence on the vast expanse of the Barbican stage. The bold, primary colour décor conjures the vibrancy of the Jamaican sunshine and the evening (though over long) is sexy, superbly sung, and has a salutary tale to tell. Frustrated by the corruption which thwarts him at every turn, would-be reggae star Ivan changes from naïve country "bwoy" to gun-toting Kingston killer in a story which unfolds in rather too leisurely flashback. But Rolan Bell (reprising his Stratford success as Ivan) has a wonderfully warm stage presence, some great moves and the unquashable belief that You Can Get It If You Really Want. And there's excellent work all round — especially from Joanna Francis's church-going Elsa who steals his heart, and from the onstage band joyously providing the backdrop for some irresistible choreography which makes you want to jump up and join in.
Barbican, Silk St, EC2 (0845-120 7515 or 020-7638 8891) Until April 5. £30-£10
After a couple of successful runs at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East, the late Perry Henzell's stage adaptation of his cult 1972 film (which starred Jimmy Cliff) has taken up temporary residence on the vast expanse of the Barbican stage. The bold, primary colour décor conjures the vibrancy of the Jamaican sunshine and the evening (though over long) is sexy, superbly sung, and has a salutary tale to tell. Frustrated by the corruption which thwarts him at every turn, would-be reggae star Ivan changes from naïve country "bwoy" to gun-toting Kingston killer in a story which unfolds in rather too leisurely flashback. But Rolan Bell (reprising his Stratford success as Ivan) has a wonderfully warm stage presence, some great moves and the unquashable belief that You Can Get It If You Really Want. And there's excellent work all round — especially from Joanna Francis's church-going Elsa who steals his heart, and from the onstage band joyously providing the backdrop for some irresistible choreography which makes you want to jump up and join in.
Barbican, Silk St, EC2 (0845-120 7515 or 020-7638 8891) Until April 5. £30-£10
Days Of Significance - TNT
Roy Williams' powerful 90-minute play bursts onto the stage with a vicious Friday night brawl and ends with a quiet, contemplative embrace several months later. In between, the lives of most of the young, working class protagonists have been drastically changed. Williams' street-sharp dialogue is as fast and dangerous as a snapping turtle as the loud-mouthed lads and the equally aggressive girls (led by Pippa Nixon's provocative Trish) face up for a night of sex, booze and projectile vomiting. Hannah and Dan are about to go off to uni, but for Ben and Jamie it's their last chance to get laid before heading off to Iraq where (according to Dan) they'll just be fast fodder for the Army. Following the boys to Basra (where the fighting — and its consequences — take on an altogether different dimension), Williams get to the heart of the fear behind the uninformed bravado of these bigoted lads, and, in the final scenes, traces the ambiguity of outgrown friendships. Written in response to the Bard's Much Ado About Nothing (and briefly premiered by the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford last year) this superbly acted production deserves a much longer London run. Catch it while you can.
Tricycle, Kilburn High Rd, NW6 (020-7328 1000) Until March 29. £18-£10
Roy Williams' powerful 90-minute play bursts onto the stage with a vicious Friday night brawl and ends with a quiet, contemplative embrace several months later. In between, the lives of most of the young, working class protagonists have been drastically changed. Williams' street-sharp dialogue is as fast and dangerous as a snapping turtle as the loud-mouthed lads and the equally aggressive girls (led by Pippa Nixon's provocative Trish) face up for a night of sex, booze and projectile vomiting. Hannah and Dan are about to go off to uni, but for Ben and Jamie it's their last chance to get laid before heading off to Iraq where (according to Dan) they'll just be fast fodder for the Army. Following the boys to Basra (where the fighting — and its consequences — take on an altogether different dimension), Williams get to the heart of the fear behind the uninformed bravado of these bigoted lads, and, in the final scenes, traces the ambiguity of outgrown friendships. Written in response to the Bard's Much Ado About Nothing (and briefly premiered by the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford last year) this superbly acted production deserves a much longer London run. Catch it while you can.
Tricycle, Kilburn High Rd, NW6 (020-7328 1000) Until March 29. £18-£10
Sunday, 16 March 2008
The Hour We Knew Nothing Of Each Other - TNT
There's no point waiting for the dialogue in avant-garde Austrian playwright Peter Handke's unusual but surprisingly involving work from 1992. Twenty-seven actors portray 450 characters in 100 wordless minutes, but it's far from silent as they scurry, lope, skate and dawdle across an urban square surrounded by anonymous concrete buildings. Singly, in pairs, or in groups, they traverse the stage in quick succession — all human life is here. Some (like the urgently copulating couple, the cleaners, the businessman) are realistic, but Puss in Boots and a tablet-toting Moses make a brief appearance too and even Tarzan swings into view. No story is complete, but there's comedy, heartbreak and a sense of doom in this kaleidoscope of carefully choreographed fragments.
Lyttelton at the National, South Bank, SE1 (020-7452 3000). Until April 12. £10-£29
There's no point waiting for the dialogue in avant-garde Austrian playwright Peter Handke's unusual but surprisingly involving work from 1992. Twenty-seven actors portray 450 characters in 100 wordless minutes, but it's far from silent as they scurry, lope, skate and dawdle across an urban square surrounded by anonymous concrete buildings. Singly, in pairs, or in groups, they traverse the stage in quick succession — all human life is here. Some (like the urgently copulating couple, the cleaners, the businessman) are realistic, but Puss in Boots and a tablet-toting Moses make a brief appearance too and even Tarzan swings into view. No story is complete, but there's comedy, heartbreak and a sense of doom in this kaleidoscope of carefully choreographed fragments.
Lyttelton at the National, South Bank, SE1 (020-7452 3000). Until April 12. £10-£29
Random - TNT
Although this new 50-minute play is performed by a single actor, it wouldn't be doing justice to either her or playwright Debbie Tucker Green to call it a monologue. There are four main characters (sister, brother, father, mother) plus a teacher, who are all brought to brilliantly differentiated life by Nadine Marshall. She stands alone on an ever-darkening stage and (with knife-edge precision) shifts tone, accent and posture to convey their conversations, thoughts and interactions during the course of one ill-fated day. What begins humorously with an ordinary black family getting up and having their breakfast (porridge, burnt) turns to devastating and needless tragedy, and Marshall's virtuosity — coupled with the streetwise immediacy of the spare, poetic language — brings an impressive immediacy to this modern story of the pointless knifing of a teenage schoolboy.
Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, SW1 (020-7565 5000). Until April 12. £15-£10 (under 26s £5)
Although this new 50-minute play is performed by a single actor, it wouldn't be doing justice to either her or playwright Debbie Tucker Green to call it a monologue. There are four main characters (sister, brother, father, mother) plus a teacher, who are all brought to brilliantly differentiated life by Nadine Marshall. She stands alone on an ever-darkening stage and (with knife-edge precision) shifts tone, accent and posture to convey their conversations, thoughts and interactions during the course of one ill-fated day. What begins humorously with an ordinary black family getting up and having their breakfast (porridge, burnt) turns to devastating and needless tragedy, and Marshall's virtuosity — coupled with the streetwise immediacy of the spare, poetic language — brings an impressive immediacy to this modern story of the pointless knifing of a teenage schoolboy.
Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, SW1 (020-7565 5000). Until April 12. £15-£10 (under 26s £5)
Make Me A Song - TNT
William Finn isn't exactly a household name over here, but even if you've never heard of him before, it won't be long into this compilation show before it becomes abundantly clear that he's American, gay, Jewish, worried about his weight and not exactly in the first flush of youth. His words are worth listening to, but (with a couple of notable exceptions) his tunes won't linger in the memory on first hearing. Without narrative drive to support them, the evening becomes a pleasantly enjoyable, often funny — and sometimes tender — medley, packed with neuroses and urban angst, which would have benefitted from some background information.But each performer has a chance to shine: Sally Ann Triplett's dowdy comic teacher in Only One, Frances Ruffelle's flirty starlet confiding The Stupid Things I Won't Do, Ian H Watkins' nerdy schoolboy spelling bee contestant with his hair standing on end in I'm Not That Smart, and (most poignant of all) Louise Dearman dueting with Simon Thomas in I'd Rather Be Sailing/Set Those Sails. New Players, The Arches, Villiers St, WC2. (0844-477 1000). Until April 6. £35-£25
William Finn isn't exactly a household name over here, but even if you've never heard of him before, it won't be long into this compilation show before it becomes abundantly clear that he's American, gay, Jewish, worried about his weight and not exactly in the first flush of youth. His words are worth listening to, but (with a couple of notable exceptions) his tunes won't linger in the memory on first hearing. Without narrative drive to support them, the evening becomes a pleasantly enjoyable, often funny — and sometimes tender — medley, packed with neuroses and urban angst, which would have benefitted from some background information.But each performer has a chance to shine: Sally Ann Triplett's dowdy comic teacher in Only One, Frances Ruffelle's flirty starlet confiding The Stupid Things I Won't Do, Ian H Watkins' nerdy schoolboy spelling bee contestant with his hair standing on end in I'm Not That Smart, and (most poignant of all) Louise Dearman dueting with Simon Thomas in I'd Rather Be Sailing/Set Those Sails. New Players, The Arches, Villiers St, WC2. (0844-477 1000). Until April 6. £35-£25
Thursday, 13 March 2008
BABY GIRL/ DNA/ THE MIRACLE - This Is London
Selected from plays developed at the National Theatre as part of the 2006 and 2007 New Connections seasons, these three short, well-acted works (each around an hour long) were written specifically for young people to perform.
The 2005 season yielded a couple of gems (along with some knockout performances) and although this current selection doesn't have quite the same emotional punch, there's still much to enjoy, admire and commiserate with. In ‘Baby Girl’, quick fire dialogue infuses welcome humour into the fate of 13 year old Kelle (Candassaie Liburd) who, taunted for still being a virgin, encouraged the fumblings of an unpopular but kindly peer with foreseeable consequences. Petra Letang (as her feisty mother, destined to become a grandma at 26) is helpless to stop history repeating itself, and Paul Miller's snappy direction matches the honesty of Roy Williams' street-smart writing.
Dennis Kelly's ‘DNA’ is a disturbing portrayal of bullying gone disastrously wrong. He paints a lurid picture of kids out of control and unable to distinguish between a bit of a fun and sadistic
persecution. Most unsettlingly, it's Sam Crane's taciturn outsider who chillingly illustrates that still waters can run murderously deep, whilst Ruby Bentall adds comic quirkiness as his garrulous friend who talks more than enough for both of them.
A softer note is sounded in Lin Coghlan's ‘The Miracle’ in which adolescent Ron (Ruby Bentall again) seems to have acquired special powers when a flood washes a statue of St. Anthony up through the floorboards. But, even here, there's a disturbed young soldier back from Iraq and once again the teenage years are shown as a difficult and problematic time which, (whilst providing fertile dramatic ground) most adults will be glad to have left behind.
Cottesloe Theatre
Selected from plays developed at the National Theatre as part of the 2006 and 2007 New Connections seasons, these three short, well-acted works (each around an hour long) were written specifically for young people to perform.
The 2005 season yielded a couple of gems (along with some knockout performances) and although this current selection doesn't have quite the same emotional punch, there's still much to enjoy, admire and commiserate with. In ‘Baby Girl’, quick fire dialogue infuses welcome humour into the fate of 13 year old Kelle (Candassaie Liburd) who, taunted for still being a virgin, encouraged the fumblings of an unpopular but kindly peer with foreseeable consequences. Petra Letang (as her feisty mother, destined to become a grandma at 26) is helpless to stop history repeating itself, and Paul Miller's snappy direction matches the honesty of Roy Williams' street-smart writing.
Dennis Kelly's ‘DNA’ is a disturbing portrayal of bullying gone disastrously wrong. He paints a lurid picture of kids out of control and unable to distinguish between a bit of a fun and sadistic
persecution. Most unsettlingly, it's Sam Crane's taciturn outsider who chillingly illustrates that still waters can run murderously deep, whilst Ruby Bentall adds comic quirkiness as his garrulous friend who talks more than enough for both of them.
A softer note is sounded in Lin Coghlan's ‘The Miracle’ in which adolescent Ron (Ruby Bentall again) seems to have acquired special powers when a flood washes a statue of St. Anthony up through the floorboards. But, even here, there's a disturbed young soldier back from Iraq and once again the teenage years are shown as a difficult and problematic time which, (whilst providing fertile dramatic ground) most adults will be glad to have left behind.
Cottesloe Theatre
Monday, 10 March 2008
Ring Round the Moon - TNT
Romantic comedy '50s style comes to the West End in this gorgeous but subtly designed revival of French dramatist Jean Anouilh's post-war confection. A poor, beautiful dancer is catapulted into the world of the wealthy for one Cinderella night when she's hired by cavalier Hugo to distract his lovesick twin. Belinda Lang (with bright red hair and terrible taste) is a comic horror who just won't shut up, Angela Thorne's imperious Madame Desmortes exerts her authority from her wheelchair, and Leigh Lawson's self-made immigrant learns that his vast fortune can't guarantee his daughter's happiness. But JJ Feild is underpowered in the dual role of the twins, and this frothy critique of superficial values takes a while to find its elegant feet.
Playhouse, Northumberland Ave, WC2 (0870-060 6631). Until May 24. £16-£46
Romantic comedy '50s style comes to the West End in this gorgeous but subtly designed revival of French dramatist Jean Anouilh's post-war confection. A poor, beautiful dancer is catapulted into the world of the wealthy for one Cinderella night when she's hired by cavalier Hugo to distract his lovesick twin. Belinda Lang (with bright red hair and terrible taste) is a comic horror who just won't shut up, Angela Thorne's imperious Madame Desmortes exerts her authority from her wheelchair, and Leigh Lawson's self-made immigrant learns that his vast fortune can't guarantee his daughter's happiness. But JJ Feild is underpowered in the dual role of the twins, and this frothy critique of superficial values takes a while to find its elegant feet.
Playhouse, Northumberland Ave, WC2 (0870-060 6631). Until May 24. £16-£46
Brief Encounter - TNT
It's not every day that you go to the cinema to see a stage adaptation of a classic (1945) film which itself began life as a one-act drama (in 1936). Director Emma Rice and Kneehigh theatre company have successfully merged elements of both media, added Noel Coward's own songs to his original scripts and even partially transformed the Haymarket into a '40's movie house – distributing cucumber sandwiches and showing spoof ads in the intermission. It's a bold enterprise which, for the most, part yields considerable dividends as married middleclass GP Alec removes a piece of grit from the eye of housewife and mother Laura whilst they're waiting for their respective trains to whisk them off in opposite directions. A series of meetings follows, they fall in love - and never stop feeling guilty. There's a tendency for this likeable company to overindulge, but there's more than enough restrained emotion and unexpected comedy (courtesy primarily of Amanda Lawrence's perky waitress Beryl) to make this period romance as poignant as ever, and Rice makes excellent use of black and white cinema footage as Tristan Sturrock's Alec slips through a slit screen to take his seat, on film, on the homeward bound train.
Cinema, Haymarket, SW1 (0870-230 1562). Until June 22. £39.50 - £35
It's not every day that you go to the cinema to see a stage adaptation of a classic (1945) film which itself began life as a one-act drama (in 1936). Director Emma Rice and Kneehigh theatre company have successfully merged elements of both media, added Noel Coward's own songs to his original scripts and even partially transformed the Haymarket into a '40's movie house – distributing cucumber sandwiches and showing spoof ads in the intermission. It's a bold enterprise which, for the most, part yields considerable dividends as married middleclass GP Alec removes a piece of grit from the eye of housewife and mother Laura whilst they're waiting for their respective trains to whisk them off in opposite directions. A series of meetings follows, they fall in love - and never stop feeling guilty. There's a tendency for this likeable company to overindulge, but there's more than enough restrained emotion and unexpected comedy (courtesy primarily of Amanda Lawrence's perky waitress Beryl) to make this period romance as poignant as ever, and Rice makes excellent use of black and white cinema footage as Tristan Sturrock's Alec slips through a slit screen to take his seat, on film, on the homeward bound train.
Cinema, Haymarket, SW1 (0870-230 1562). Until June 22. £39.50 - £35
Sunday, 9 March 2008
The Viewing Room - TNT
If he weren't so priggishly obnoxious, you'd probably feel sorry for Brian. After all, how would you like to share your compact open plan apartment with a prisoner who can peer through the glazed bathroom door as your wife undresses? That's the uncomfortable scenario in Daniel Joshua Rubin's topical play, set some time in the future, which addresses the issues of prison overcrowding and the responsibility of the individual for those whom society or state has locked away. Caged like a bird, but as malign as an unpredictable pet dog gone bad, convicted criminal Kyle (Leonard Roberts from "Heroes" making a muscular West End debut) is part of an every-home- should-have-one rehabilitation program in which members of the public enlist as house prison officers. But, as they attempt to set their allocated "houseguest" back on the road to a productive freedom, Brian and his restless wife (Samantha Wright) find out that their duties extend uncomfortably far beyond the installation of surveillance equipment and the provision of regular meals. Rubin deviates too often and too repetitiously from the main thrust of his thesis (and raises unintentional giggles when he dilutes his argument by equating motherhood with incarceration) Somewhere in there, a fine play is waiting to get out but, like Kyle, it needs to be knocked into shape before it's completely ready for release.
Arts Theatre, Great Newport St, WC2 (0844-847 1608) Until March 29. £32.50- £15
If he weren't so priggishly obnoxious, you'd probably feel sorry for Brian. After all, how would you like to share your compact open plan apartment with a prisoner who can peer through the glazed bathroom door as your wife undresses? That's the uncomfortable scenario in Daniel Joshua Rubin's topical play, set some time in the future, which addresses the issues of prison overcrowding and the responsibility of the individual for those whom society or state has locked away. Caged like a bird, but as malign as an unpredictable pet dog gone bad, convicted criminal Kyle (Leonard Roberts from "Heroes" making a muscular West End debut) is part of an every-home- should-have-one rehabilitation program in which members of the public enlist as house prison officers. But, as they attempt to set their allocated "houseguest" back on the road to a productive freedom, Brian and his restless wife (Samantha Wright) find out that their duties extend uncomfortably far beyond the installation of surveillance equipment and the provision of regular meals. Rubin deviates too often and too repetitiously from the main thrust of his thesis (and raises unintentional giggles when he dilutes his argument by equating motherhood with incarceration) Somewhere in there, a fine play is waiting to get out but, like Kyle, it needs to be knocked into shape before it's completely ready for release.
Arts Theatre, Great Newport St, WC2 (0844-847 1608) Until March 29. £32.50- £15
Monday, 3 March 2008
I'll Be The Devil- TNT
Since it lost its permanent London base, Royal Shakespeare Company productions have been popping up all over the place. A short season at the Tricycle kicks off with Leo Butler's violent drama, set in Limerick in 1762, which focuses on the cruel indignities inflicted on the Catholics by the occupying British army. It's a situation complicated by the presence of Irish soldiers who (having converted to Protestantism) prove quick to turn on one of their own to demonstrate their new loyalty. Thanks to Lizzie Clachan's design, Ramin Gray's production looks good as it moves from rough peasant cottage to wasteland to brutal public house brawl, but the narrative sacrifices clarity for bluster. The convoluted language tends to alienate, reducing sympathy for Derbhle Crotty's dispossessed widow Maryanne as she begs her secret soldier lover to secure a passage to England for their simpleminded offspring. There's a surfeit of on-stage urinating, a crucifix ends up where no crucifix was ever meant to go, a pig gets beheaded and human eyes are gouged. Only with the appearance of John McEnery's icy English Colonel do either writer or director show any sign of restraint in this bleak glimpse at one of many troubled periods in Ireland's history.
Tricycle, Kilburn High Rd, NW6 (020-7328 1000). Until March 8. £18- £10
Since it lost its permanent London base, Royal Shakespeare Company productions have been popping up all over the place. A short season at the Tricycle kicks off with Leo Butler's violent drama, set in Limerick in 1762, which focuses on the cruel indignities inflicted on the Catholics by the occupying British army. It's a situation complicated by the presence of Irish soldiers who (having converted to Protestantism) prove quick to turn on one of their own to demonstrate their new loyalty. Thanks to Lizzie Clachan's design, Ramin Gray's production looks good as it moves from rough peasant cottage to wasteland to brutal public house brawl, but the narrative sacrifices clarity for bluster. The convoluted language tends to alienate, reducing sympathy for Derbhle Crotty's dispossessed widow Maryanne as she begs her secret soldier lover to secure a passage to England for their simpleminded offspring. There's a surfeit of on-stage urinating, a crucifix ends up where no crucifix was ever meant to go, a pig gets beheaded and human eyes are gouged. Only with the appearance of John McEnery's icy English Colonel do either writer or director show any sign of restraint in this bleak glimpse at one of many troubled periods in Ireland's history.
Tricycle, Kilburn High Rd, NW6 (020-7328 1000). Until March 8. £18- £10
Sunday, 2 March 2008
Speed-The-Plow - TNT
Making his UK stage debut, Jeff Goldblum more than meets his match as newly appointed head of production Bobby Gould in this super-fast paced revival of David Mamet's vitriolic satire on Hollywood values. The paint's barely dry in his office before his old buddy (Kevin Spacey) blasts in with the force of a tornado on speed, bringing a 24-hour option on a sure-fire prison blockbuster that'll make them millions. But his $500 bet that Gould can't bed his demure temp secretary looks as though it's backfired when Gould is seduced by her enthusiasm for filming a worthy apocalyptic novel instead. This central section flags, but when Spacey and Goldblum are on stage together, sparks fly as these two avaricious, insecure Tinseltown stags lock horns.
Old Vic, The Cut, SE1 (0870-0606 6280). Until April 26. £10-£47.50
Making his UK stage debut, Jeff Goldblum more than meets his match as newly appointed head of production Bobby Gould in this super-fast paced revival of David Mamet's vitriolic satire on Hollywood values. The paint's barely dry in his office before his old buddy (Kevin Spacey) blasts in with the force of a tornado on speed, bringing a 24-hour option on a sure-fire prison blockbuster that'll make them millions. But his $500 bet that Gould can't bed his demure temp secretary looks as though it's backfired when Gould is seduced by her enthusiasm for filming a worthy apocalyptic novel instead. This central section flags, but when Spacey and Goldblum are on stage together, sparks fly as these two avaricious, insecure Tinseltown stags lock horns.
Old Vic, The Cut, SE1 (0870-0606 6280). Until April 26. £10-£47.50
Three Sisters On Hope Street- TNT
Chekhov' s penultimate play of unfulfilled wishes gets a complete makeover in Diane Samuels and Tracy-Ann Oberman's interesting update which relocates the three sisters and their brother from turn-of-the century Russia to post World War II Liverpool. It turns them into an educated Jewish family in which the siblings are several years older than their original counterparts and the visiting soldiers have become American GI's stationed nearby, but the stunted trajectory of their lives remains very much the same. It's a challenging experiment and one which works surprisingly well. Anna Francolini's disappointed school teacher Gertie, firmly locked into an unwanted spinsterhood, sees middle sister May (Suzan Sylvester) scorn the husband she stole from her in favour of a romantic but married flight commander, and encourages Rita (the youngest) to accept a proposal from a privileged but idealistic airforce man with strong Zionist leanings. Philip Voss is superb as their doting lodger (here a retired gynaecologist who supplements his income performing illegal abortions), while Daisy Lewis's Scouse Debbie adds broader comedy as a supremely bossy sister-in-law who knows exactly what she wants and (unlike the others) won't let anything stand in her way. Hampstead, Eton Ave, NW3 (020-7722 9301). Until March 29. £22 -£13
Chekhov' s penultimate play of unfulfilled wishes gets a complete makeover in Diane Samuels and Tracy-Ann Oberman's interesting update which relocates the three sisters and their brother from turn-of-the century Russia to post World War II Liverpool. It turns them into an educated Jewish family in which the siblings are several years older than their original counterparts and the visiting soldiers have become American GI's stationed nearby, but the stunted trajectory of their lives remains very much the same. It's a challenging experiment and one which works surprisingly well. Anna Francolini's disappointed school teacher Gertie, firmly locked into an unwanted spinsterhood, sees middle sister May (Suzan Sylvester) scorn the husband she stole from her in favour of a romantic but married flight commander, and encourages Rita (the youngest) to accept a proposal from a privileged but idealistic airforce man with strong Zionist leanings. Philip Voss is superb as their doting lodger (here a retired gynaecologist who supplements his income performing illegal abortions), while Daisy Lewis's Scouse Debbie adds broader comedy as a supremely bossy sister-in-law who knows exactly what she wants and (unlike the others) won't let anything stand in her way. Hampstead, Eton Ave, NW3 (020-7722 9301). Until March 29. £22 -£13
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