Author: Tom Wicker
TaniwhaThames
Something ancient is lurking in the Thames in this company-devised piece. The shapeshifting Taniwha of Māori legend has travelled oceans to lure men and women into the murky depths of England’s most famous river. After a rather forced start where you’re encouraged to toast the Taniwha with a shot of … Continue Reading TaniwhaThames
Crash
The car left the road at 6:30am on Monday, November 3. Heavy rainfall the night before had resulted in hazardous driving conditions, which were exacerbated by the leaf cover caused by recent gales. The road, a shortcut between two towns, is notorious for accidents. It is narrow, with many unexpected … Continue Reading Crash
Interview: Guillaume Pige and Adam Taylor on The Gambler
What does it feel like to be addicted to gambling? This is what exciting new physical theatre company theatre re- is hoping to show you in their latest production, The Gambler, at The Space. Edgar spends his time imagining what a spin of the wheel could bring. But then a … Continue Reading Interview: Guillaume Pige and Adam Taylor on The Gambler
Love, Question Mark
Are swans the only monogamous species on the planet? And is it really possible to distinguish love from sex? These are among the questions writer and director Robert Gillespie (of That Was the Week That Was fame) tackles in this wry look at sexual politics and social conventions. Unfortunately, the play’s … Continue Reading Love, Question Mark
A Place at the Table
A place at the table is exactly what you get in Daedalus Theatre Company’s haunting look at the origins and recent bloody history of the African Great Lakes region. The audience/performer divide recedes as you take a seat at a UN meeting in the mid 1990s about the assassination of … Continue Reading A Place at the Table
Interview: Meshaun Labrone
Meshaun Labrone talks to Tom Wicker about exploring the life and times of legendary American rapper 2Pac in his one-man show Tupac Shakur – The Right To Remain. Tupac Amaru Shakur was only 25 years old when he was killed in a hail of bullets in Nevada. Since his death, … Continue Reading Interview: Meshaun Labrone
Death and the Maiden
There’s an intense physical vulnerability to Thandie Newton as an actress. Fine-boned and slender, just her presence draws your attention to how awkward, unyielding and harsh a place the world can be. This effect is something that director Jeremy Herrin successfully harnesses in his production of Ariel Dorfman’s Death and the … Continue Reading Death and the Maiden
Interview: Chris Loscher and Mike Lees of Cerberus Theatre
It was on Kenneth Tynan’s list of plays he believed should be produced by the National. It scandalised audiences when it debuted in 1951 and was subsequently banned in Germany. Now, in the centenary year of Max Frisch’s birth, Cerberus Theatre Company presents the UK premiere of COUNT OEDERLAND at … Continue Reading Interview: Chris Loscher and Mike Lees of Cerberus Theatre
Between Scenes
It’s the final night of the school production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The run has gone well – competently – but it has a different quality this evening. Perhaps it’s because of the particularly receptive audience, or the storm rumbling overhead; but whatever the reason, the play feels excitingly … Continue Reading Between Scenes
Inadmissible Evidence
For many writers, the stage is where they put the inadmissible in their lives; twisting it, obscuring it, trying to make sense of it. Here, John Osborne closes the fractured family photo album of Look Back in Anger to present us with something that is less explicitly autobiographical but no less personal … Continue Reading Inadmissible Evidence
Interview: Kerry Michael, artistic director of Theatre Royal Stratford East
Last month, Westfield Stratford City opened its doors to a deluge of eager customers. The gleaming £1.45 billion retail complex has transformed the skyline and created ripples in local commerce; and it will have an even greater impact as the main entrance to the Olympic park when the Games come … Continue Reading Interview: Kerry Michael, artistic director of Theatre Royal Stratford East
Third Floor
Watching Canadian playwright Jason Hall’s new play, inspired by his purchase of a flat, is like being told a story by a friend who thinks it’s absolutely hilarious. The problem is that it isn’t as funny as it could be and the punch-line, when it comes, isn’t justified by the … Continue Reading Third Floor
Saved
Since its debut at the Royal Court in 1965, Edward Bond’s Saved has become as notorious for its impact on British theatre as for its bleak depiction of a society in freefall. The Lord Chamberlain’s decision to ban it because of a scene in which a baby is stoned to … Continue Reading Saved
Interview: Hamish MacDougall
Director Hamish MacDougall talks to Tom Wicker about reviving Howard Korder’s The Lights in the aftermath of the London riots and the importance of theatre as a communal experience. Hi Hamish. So, what is The Lights, which you will be reviving at The Spring from next Monday, about? The Lights, … Continue Reading Interview: Hamish MacDougall
Interview: Mark Shenton on fringe theatre
In the second part of Tom Wicker’s interview with Mark Shenton, the theatre critic and journalist explains why he accepted a position on the Off-West End ‘Offies’ Awards panel, talks about his experiences of producing a show on the London fringe and reveals what he’s looking forward to seeing in … Continue Reading Interview: Mark Shenton on fringe theatre
Ragtime
Clutching the baby she has recently tried to bury alive, young black girl Sarah sings ‘Your Daddy’s Son’. Her face is etched with pain and her voice with sorrow and confusion. It’s one of many electrifying moments in Robert McWhir’s skilful and hugely evocative re-staging of ‘Ragtime’, first performed on … Continue Reading Ragtime