Reading the news I learned that our former MP and PM, David Cameron, and his wife, Sam, had been holidaying at one of the resorts designed by Jaime Parladé. And that reminded me that the obituary of him I wrote for one of the British national newspapers, the Telegraph, was never published. I knew Jaime slightly, and liked him, and it is sad that this fascinating man's life has not been remembered … [Read more...]
Some Home Thoughts about Angels from Abroad
Among the dramatis personae in Tony Kushner’s two-play Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes are a couple of non-fictional characters, Roy Cohn and Ethel Rosenberg. Cohn (1927-1986) was one of the most morally reprehensible characters in American history. I am old enough to remember him as chief counsel to Joe McCarthy’s Senate subcommittee “investigating” Communist influence and … [Read more...]
Who pays The Ferryman? It’s complicated.
The hottest new play in London has got the maximum 5-star rating from half a dozen of the national newspapers; its West End transfer was assured before it even opened. There hasn’t been a theatrical event like this since – well, since the same playwright’s Jerusalem, Jez Butterworth’s “state of the nation” play about England. The Ferryman details the state of another part of the United … [Read more...]
Entertaining Consent — Seriously
Nina Raine’s new drama, Consent, can now be seen in a stunning in-the-round production at the National Theatre’s small Dorfman auditorium – but the play is so good (and has been so well reviewed) that it will not be surprising if it transfers to the West End. Or even to Broadway, despite its essential Englishness. American audiences will have no difficulty with its themes of rape (thus the … [Read more...]
Making What You Will of Malvolia
Having spent the past five weeks in Palm Beach, where I stayed four doors away from Mar-a-Lago, the winter palace of the current Lord of Misrule, I came late to the Twelfth Night party at the National Theatre, which opened last month. We often forget that Twelfth Night or What You Will was offered as a traditional entertainment for the end of the Christmas season. Shakespeare, of course, … [Read more...]
Who’s responsible for The Donald? The Founding Fathers.
Last Friday Donald Trump was inaugurated as President of the United States. Across the world this weekend millions, mostly women, have marched to protest the event. It is already said to be the largest protest march in the history of the U.S. The attitude of the Briton on the High Street is simple: it’s preposterous. Not that it can’t happen here – after all, we have Nigel Farage and Jeremy … [Read more...]
Hedda Gabler: monster or philosopher?
Ruth Wilson as Hedda My colleagues among the London critics are divided by Ivo van Hove’s new National Theatre production of Hedda Gabler, in an un-gimmicky, plain new version by Patrick Marber – except that they all agree in their high praise of Ruth Wilson’s performance in the title … [Read more...]
A.A. Gill R.I.P.
(photo Evening Standard) Adrian Gill would have been pleased and amused by the way his too-early death, aged only 62, has been noticed. It was repeatedly announced in the national BBC radio and TV news yesterday (10 December) ; and today his own newspaper, The Sunday Times, has a magazine cover-feature on his cancer, which he wrote himself last week, plus a front page story, and no … [Read more...]
Robert Rauschenberg: Art that contains multitudes and overcomes gridlock
Though London is in pre-Christmas gridlock, making it difficult to go anywhere that can’t be reached on foot, there are some important shows to be seen, including the remarkable Beyond Caravaggio at the National Gallery (until 15 January if you can get through the traffic to Trafalgar Square). Though it has only a handful of the naughtiest-painter-ever’s pictures, it is a wonderful … [Read more...]
The Tempest-Tost Find a Home (at Stratford-upon-Avon)
In 1993 I was lucky enough to see Simon Russell Beale, then a sprightly 32-year-old, play Ariel in Sam Mendes’ Royal Shakespeare Company production of The Tempest. Last week, at the RSC in Stratford, we saw the 55-year-old Russell Beale’s Prospero, directed by Gregory Doran. This new staging has been done in collaboration with Intel, and is replete with digital bells and whistles, which … [Read more...]