Faustus: That Damned Woman, Lyric Hammersmith review - gender swap yields muddled results
Chris Bush's retelling has feminist urgency, but lacks dramatic coherence
Suzman, London Schools Symphony Orchestra, Edwards, Barbican review - a cabaret from hell
Great speeches and fine conducting hold a cornucopia of devilish tales together
The devil wore all manner of outlandish attire in last night's chameleonic programme devised by Peter Ash, the London Schools Symphony Orchestra's challenging artistic director.
Education, Education, Education, Trafalgar Studios review - politics and pupils, mayhem and music
The future of education seen from 1997 and 2019
It's the 2nd May 1997, the morning after the night that swept New Labour into power. We’re in the staffroom of a school somewhere in Britain and the teachers are jubilant. They've been glued to their TV sets for the results and have shagged and drunk through the night to crawl in with hangovers and pouchy eyes to face the day with a particular brand of frazzled optimism.
Admissions, Trafalgar Studios review - topical and whiplash-smart
Alex Kingston stars in darkly comic Off Broadway transfer
Joshua Harmon knows how to stir and excite an audience and does that and more with Admissions, newly arrived in the West End as part of the ongoing tsunami of American theatre across the capital just now.
Kes, Leeds Playhouse review - seminal Yorkshire story soars
Stripped-down staging of Barry Hines' iconic novella
Robert Alan Evans’ adaptation of Kes is a dark, expressionist reworking of Barry Hines’ novella. It pays lip service to Ken Loach’s iconic film version, and most of the memorable bits are present and correct here: the wince-inducing rant from head teacher Mr Gryce is a highlight, as is the PE teacher’s sadistic insistence that poor Billy has to take a shower. Evans distils the book into just 70 minutes without diluting its anger, the original’s dense narrative reshaped into a series of tiny scenes.
James Graham: 'the country of Shakespeare no longer recognises arts as a core subject'
Full transcript of the playwright's passionate speech about the importance of the arts at the Hospital Club's h100 Awards
Thank you. It’s an honour to have been asked to speak here today. Although looking at the h100 List this year, I’ve no idea why I’m presumptuously standing here; given the talent, creativity and achievements far surpassing my own within this room. But I’m also excited, and genuinely inspired, to be part of such a group.
I don’t know about you, but I find working in the arts often seriously discombobulating in either being a far-too-lonely and private endeavour one minute; an overwhelming public and intensely populated one the next.
Holy Shit, Kiln Theatre review - what's in a name?
The old Tricycle Theatre is transformed with a name change and a great opening play
Holy shit! After being closed for two long years, the old and battered Tricycle Theatre in Kilburn has been refurbished and relaunched, with a name change and £5.5 million-worth of improvements. It’s now a much more welcoming place, full of light at the front and with an on-street café, as well as easy access to the new plush seats and excellent sightlines.
Dance Nation, Almeida Theatre review - a tarantella through the convulsions of the teenage psyche
Humour used too often as a substitute for perception
Lycra, jealousy and pubescent ambition are put under the spotlight in Clare Barron’s provocative probe into the American competitive dancing scene. Dance Nation is a tarantella through the convulsions of the teen psyche as its characters respond to the psychological and physical pressures of ambitious parents circling like piranhas, and a dance teacher (Pat) with a dictator complex.
theartsdesk at bOing! International Family Festival - the best of European children's theatre
Visual and aural adventures at well-programmed weekend introduce the young to the arts
Theatre for children can often be dismissed – a box to tick for parents who want to keep up with cultural practices; a job for actors who haven't quite made it in the mainstream; theatre that mums and dads want to see that works for their little ones, too.