Based on the real-life event which took place 1 September 1939 Lewis and Freud come to a head in Freud’s study in Hampstead just weeks before Freud takes his own life. Freud’s Last Session by Mark St. Germain at the King’s Head Theatre tackles household giants and mammoth issues of religion, sex, and death with unflinching ambition.
We could have turned back.
The production of Eure Paläste sind leer (Your Palaces Are Empty) marks the first time a play by award-winning Austrian dramatist Thomas Köck premieres at a Munich theatre. The only dramatist to win the important Mühlheimer Dramatikpreis twice in a row, in 2018 and 2019, Köck focuses on choric theatre, his dramas resemble musical compositions and are written as continuous texts without punctuation. Eure Paläste sind leer (all we ever wanted) is his first collaboration with director Jan-Christoph Gockel, and the beginning of a long-term relationship with the Münchner Kammerspiele.
A hilarious and psychological stage adaptation by Tim Price brings the Alps to the Donmar Warehouse. A seemingly happy family of four are getting away for some quality time on a skiing trip, but the cracks are already showing and one controlled avalanche away from breaking away altogether.
Courtesy of Marc Brenner.
We’re by-products of the heartfelt folk songs and tales of our ancestors, narratives passed down through the generations that resonate and pass through our veins, our every breath, our every action. Every culture bringing with it it’s own rich and diverse cannon of songs passed down through the ages, details having changed from the original source due to mispronunciations, mishearings and context – however still retaining at the core the song’s heart and soul. Delving into the folk songs collected from Somerset between 1896 to 1905 by Cecil Sharp, Principal of then Hampstead Conservatoire of Music, now known as Central School of Speech and Drama, Nell Leyshon brings to light the song composition process from the eyes of two very different perspectives in Folk.
As we continue to adapt post pandemic to our new normal, the past two years have caused us to look back at early 20th century history, in doing so, we’re able to draw many parallels current circumstances. Nearly a century on from The Great Depression (1929-1030), a century on from the prohibition era (1920 – 1933) and WWI (1914-1918 what would would have been known as ‘The Great War’ at the time) F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby encapsulates the unpredictability of world events taking shape. Drawing on Fitzgerald’s iconic novel Ruby in the Dust Theatre turn the work into a musical, Gatsby: The Musical – tying our 21st century experience of the 20s and transporting us back to the opulent, roaring 20s of the last century!
Courtesy Lidia Crisafulli.
With the festive season in full swing, the days leading up to Christmas offer us a chance to reflect on the year just passed, and celebrate accomplishments. Closing the 2021 theatrical calendar at Upstairs at the Gatehouse, Clarke Peters’ Olivier Award Winning Five Guys Named Moe is a fitting conclusion, a man’s potential journey into oblivion stopped by the wise words of his alter egos.
Peggy For You is a familiar quintessentially English play that is comfortably entertaining but, on this occasion, falls short due to inconsistent acting standards from the company and the times we live in. First performed at the Hamstead Theatre in 1999 it makes me wonder who thought it needed a revival two decades later.
Politically relevant new play by James Graham at the Young Vic delivers in all departments with high production values. Set in the volatile year of 1968 America, the play tells the story of broadcast network ABC’s televised debates between William F.Buckley and Gore Vidal. The two rivals were invited on to save ABC’s dwindling ratings and in doing so ushered in a new age of American politics which moved away from well-informed journalists and political experts and towards celebrity punditry.
Courtesy of Wasi Daniju.
Marking nearly 60 years since the Civil Rights movement in the US, a movement campaigning for the ending of racial discrimination, the campaigning continues on. Pre-dating the influential movement, and an important facet of it, Alice Childress‘ lesser known satirical play Trouble in Mind instils the hostility and divisive nature of the 1950s societal and political climate, and how this presents itself within the theatrical world.
Courtesy of Johan Persson.
Within the past decade, we’ve witnessed the brave and pioneering work put in by sporting legends of the past really making its mark. From sponsorship opportunities, to support for mothers, to the awareness brought towards women’s sport, the battle for much needed endorsement and support within women’s sport has been a lengthy one, and one that continues to be battled, both on and off the sporting arena. Examining the advocacy aspect of sport within her sporting drama Fair Play, Ella Road crafts a complex portrayal of training, competition and the advocacy that goes on behind the scenes to help ensure a fairer playing field.
Courtesy of Ali Wright.
