Royal Court
Orson's Shadow, Southwark PlayhouseTuesday, 07 July 2015
The latest transatlantic transfer is curiously esoteric, concerning as it does an obscure period in the lives of two great men: Laurence Olivier and Orson Welles. The centenary of the latter’s birth makes this an apt moment for the European premiere... Read more... |
Hang, Royal Court TheatreWednesday, 17 June 2015
One of the most talented playwrights to emerge in the 2000s, debbie tucker green is a law unto herself. The best word to describe her is uncompromising. When I interviewed her in 2003 she refused pointblank to answer any questions about her West... Read more... |
Violence and Son, Royal Court TheatreTuesday, 09 June 2015
Titles can be warnings as well as come-ons. In Gary Owen’s new play about a teenager growing up in the Welsh Valleys, it’s not difficult to guess what the main theme of the play is. Stumbling out of the performance tonight I had the distinct... Read more... |
The Twits, Royal Court TheatreWednesday, 15 April 2015
The Royal Court has had a makeover. Recently, the walls have had a fresh coat of paint and huge messages have appeared on them: the front doors now say, “Come In”. (Oh, thanks for telling me...) Inside, there are so many arrows pointing you to the... Read more... |
How To Hold Your Breath, Royal Court TheatreWednesday, 11 February 2015
Is there such a thing as New Writing Pure? By this I mean plays that not only have a really contemporary sense of character, plot and dialogue, but are also written in a distinctly individual language whose texture is singular and personal. Call it... Read more... |
Liberian Girl, Royal Court Jerwood Theatre UpstairsWednesday, 14 January 2015
When a play is preceded by a long list of content warnings, it’s hard not to let your judgement be coloured in advance. Sexual violence, strong language, strobe lighting, smoke effects, audience-actor interaction – we’re told in advance that... Read more... |
God Bless the Child, Royal Court TheatreThursday, 20 November 2014
Much of the recent programming of the Royal Court has flaunted a preference for gimmicky gestures rather than the hard work involved in developing new playwrights. So after its staging of book adaptations, fictional documentaries and monotonous... Read more... |
2071, Royal Court TheatreThursday, 06 November 2014
When science and the arts combine they form a new genre, which has the unlovely name of “artsci”. But although there have now been several plays about climate change in recent years, can an innovative partnership between a playwright, a scientist... Read more... |
Teh Internet Is Serious Business, Royal Court TheatreWednesday, 24 September 2014
Currently, the Royal Court is exploring the theme of revolution and resistance. In its studio space it is staging The Wolf from the Door, Rory Mullarkey’s excellent absurdist fantasy of a very English uprising. And now on its main stage is Tim Price... Read more... |
The Nether, Royal Court TheatreThursday, 24 July 2014
There is so much public anxiety about paedophiles on the internet that it’s surprising that so few plays tackle the issue. Now Los Angeles playwright Jennifer Haley brings her new play on the subject, which won the 2012 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize,... Read more... |
Adler & Gibb, Royal Court TheatreThursday, 19 June 2014
Theatre-maker Tim Crouch has a thing about art. One of his plays, ENGLAND, was performed in art galleries across the world; another was called An Oak Tree, after the 1973 conceptual art piece by Michael Craig-Martin. In fact, Crouch even looks like... Read more... |
Khandan (Family), Royal Court TheatreThursday, 12 June 2014
Some days, I feel very sorry for playwrights, especially those that become notorious through no fault of their own. If their most famous play causes enough controversy, it can take decades before people forget it. So now, 10 years since Gurpreet... Read more... |
