Review: Measure for Measure, Donmar Warehouse

While others strive for power, one Duke appears to be giving it away. Relinquishing his judicial power and assigning it to his deputy, he dons a monk's habit and steps back, to see what will unfold in his absence...

What does unfold is a staging of Measure for Measure quite unlike any that has been envisaged before. Though it is performed far less frequently than some of Shakespeare's other plays, Measure showcases an array of human vices which have become ever more important to address. Abuse of power, blackmail and hypocrisy, gender inequality and sexual violation - one instance of many in which a 16th century playwright appears to be speaking directly to us in the 21st century.

Review: Apollo Theatre, Everybody's Talking About Jamie

Out of the darkness and over the wall, Jamie's stepping out into the spotlight - in a glamorous pair of glossy red high heels...

Jamie New steps into the spotlight at an exciting time for theatre - a time which sees an inspiring array of representation, from race to sexuality to gender. At the live screening of Everybody's Talking About Jamie, my expectations of this award-winning production were met, and surpassed. Seeing it live at the Apollo Theatre on London's West End had me falling for it all over again. This is a joyous production filled to the brim with humour, emotion, and strong moral messages. Here's my thoughts.

Review: National Theatre, Translations

In the midst of a clash between languages, Sarah has yet to conquer the power of speech...

Fascinated with traditional languages and cultures, I was drawn to see Brian Friel's Translations at the National Theatre. The play begins in a 'hedge-school' in County Donegal, where tutor Manus is encouraging Sarah, a mute, to pronounce her own name. This is a poignant starting place for a play which sees the native Irish tongue being displaced by English, an operation which threats the language and identity of its central characters. Yet despite this, Sarah is not the focus of the play, and is swiftly pushed to the peripheries as a detachment of English soldiers barge onto the scene. From the very beginning, things begin to slip away, an erosion which continues until the final scene. Here's my thoughts. 

Review: National Theatre, Macbeth

In a bleak, post-apocalyptic landscape, the king's militia brutally decapitate an enemy fighter, hanging his head in a plastic bag upon a pylon... 

As with the RSC's recent production of Macbeth, the reviews for the National Theatre's rendition of the Scottish Play were less than praising. Criticised for misjudging the play's themes and glorifying its violence in a 'Mad Max'-style setting, the production has been cited as one in a long line of flops from the National Theatre under artistic director Rufus Norris. Yet, as with the RSC production, I sat down for the live screening with an open mind - and was pleasantly surprised. Here's my thoughts.

Review: Bridge Theatre, Julius Caesar

In the streets of Rome, a mob gathers: drinking beer, waving flags, and jumping to the beat of 'Eye of the Tiger'...

The newly-opened Bridge Theatre has done it again - with its versatile auditorium and vibrant, trendy style, the theatre's second ever production met with fantastic reviews. Willing to take bold new risks, its production of Julius Caesar transformed this sometimes-tedious historical narrative into a wild, howling thing, brimming with restlessness, anxiety and pain. Here's my thoughts. 

Review: Bridge Theatre, Young Marx

The year is 1850, and amongst the ramshackle streets of Soho, a desperate man heads to the pawnbrokers with his wife's family silver tucked under his arm...

So begins Young Marx, the debut production at the new Bridge Theatre on London's South Bank. For me, the play was an unexpected delight - not the dry, inaccessible political lecture I feared it might be, but a playful, upbeat comedy highlighting the all-too-human flaws and failings of one man, now known as the greatest intellectual revolutionary of his age. Here's my thoughts.