| After
Mrs. Rochester |
Polly Teale, 2003 |
Polly Teale’s “After Mrs. Rochester” is a theatrical
tour de force based on the troubled life of novelist Jean Rhys, a
white Creole who identified with the West Indian madwoman in the attic
in Charlotte Bronte’s “Jane Eyre.”...MORE |
| Anything Goes |
Cole Porter, 2003 |
Anything Goes is the delectable Cole Porter Art Deco
1934 musical set on shipboard, revived periodically but never so well
as in its current reincarnation directed by Trevor Nunn at the National
Theatre....MORE |
| Aristocrats |
Brian Friel, 2005 |
Set in Ireland’s County Donegal, Brian Friel’s Aristocrats concerns
a once powerful and wealthy family who gather in their crumbling great
Georgian house for the wedding of the youngest of four daughters....MORE |
| As You Like It |
William Shakespeare, 2002 |
Celebrating its seventieth anniversary, the Open Air Theatre in
Regent’s Park, London, set amidst the trees, shrubberies, flowers,
and fountains of Regent’s Park, offered an idyllic setting for “As
You Like It.” ...MORE |
| Bronte |
Polly Teale, 2005 |
Bronte, arriving at the Lyric Hammersmith, is Polly Teale’s
third work in a trilogy dealing with Jane Eyre and Charlotte
Bronte...MORE |
| Coriolanus (Fiennes) |
William Shakespeare, 2000 |
“Coriolanus” is a definitive production of Shakespeare’s tragedy
of the hero who wins glory for Rome and for himself, only to be brought
down by his own pride and anger....MORE |
| Coriolanus (Hicks) |
William Shakespeare, 2003 |
The Royal Shakespeare Company production of Coriolanus at
London’s Old Vic is dominated by the magnificent performance of Greg
Hicks in the title role....MORE |
| Cruel and Tender |
Sophocles, 2004 |
Sophocles’ “Trachiniae”
deals with the all-time number one mythic hero Hercules and centers
upon his wife’s revenge for deserting her for another woman....MORE |
| Cyrano de Bergerac |
Edmond Rostand, 2004 |
How do you stage a work full of romantic flourishes as an Errol
Flynn movie or “The Count of Monte Cristo,” the potboiler in which
Eugene O’Neill’s father toured?...MORE |
| Distance From Here,
The |
Neil LaBute, 2002 |
Just about everyone here in London agrees that American Neil LaBute
is the most impressive playwright to appear since David Mamet....MORE |
| Eastward Ho! |
Ben Johnson, etc. |
At the Elizabethan Swan Theatre in Stratford, five plays by Shakespeare’s
contemporaries are being staged in repertory, the most enjoyable so
far (with two to arrive later in the summer) being the city comedy
by Ben Jonson, George Chapman, and John Marston....MORE |
| Frost/Nixon |
Peter Morgan, 2006 |
Frost/Nixon at the Donmar Theatre was an engrossing drama about
the real-life television interviews in 1997 between talk-show host
David Frost and ex-president Richard Nixon....MORE |
| Hamlet - Al Weaver |
William Shakespeare, 2004 |
At last a young Hamlet! Although
the text so indicates, by appending the adjective every time he is addressed as “young
Hamlet,” and the plot bears this out, most actors who play the role
are no longer young....MORE |
| Hamlet - Simon Russell Beale
|
William Shakespeare, 2000 |
Simon Russell Beale’s Hamlet at the National Theatre captures the
character’s keen intelligence and biting satire, as well as his versatility,
going in a flash from the emotional first soliloquy (“O that this
too, too solid flesh”) to the conviviality of greeting and joking
with Horatio, to concealed agitation when he hears of the ghost....MORE |
| Hamlet - Samuel West |
William Shakespeare, 2000 |
Samuel West’s Hamlet in the Royal
Shakespeare Company production at London’s Barbican was the Hamlet
for our decade....MORE |
| Hecuba |
Euripides, 2004 |
Hecuba, the most produced of Euripides’ nineteen plays, was
revived twice, at the Donmar, where Jonathan Kent directs, and by
the Royal Shakespeare Company....MORE |
| Henry V |
William Shakespeare, 2003 |
As a Shakespeare play lends itself to a variety of interpretations,
why not an anti-heroic Henry V?...MORE |
| Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2 |
William Shakespeare, 2001 |
The two best plays in Shakespeare’s epic cycle of English history
from “King Richard II” to “King Henry VIII” are the first and second
parts of King Henry IV, seen in an exciting production directed
by Nicholas Hytner at the National Theatre....MORE |
| History Boys, The |
Alan Bennett, 2004 |
Alan Bennett latest play was another hit for the National Theatre
in London....MORE |
| House of Desires |
Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, 2004 |
Mexican nun
Sor Juana Ines
de la Cruz wrote “House of Desires” for presentation....MORE |
| Humble Boy |
Charlotte Jones, 2001 |
Charlotte Jones’s “Humble Boy” was London’s latest
new play to attain the status of an unqualified hit that moved to
the West End, that is, on conclusion of its sold-out run at the National
Theatre’s Cottesloe....MORE |
| Iphigenia at Aulis |
Euripides, 2004 |
A leader fearful of losing his position at the top, a coalition
gathered and itching to depart for the Middle East, a muddled cause
that needs clarification (is it revenge for injury or the riches of
the enemy?), a self-serving brother, a young person who welcomes death
and martyrdom -- sound familiar?....MORE |
| King John |
William Shakespeare, 2001 |
Irony, satire, expediency, and double-dealing are timeless Shakespearean
political themes that seem especially relevant today, as demonstrated
by productions like the Royal Shakespeare Company’s King John,
Peter Hall’s Troilus and Cressida, and Almeida Theatre's Coriolanus....MORE |
| Love's Labours Lost |
William Shakespeare, 2001 |
A delightful “Love’s Labour’s Lost,” set in the Romantic era, among
the great trees and shrubbery of Regent’s Park, proved that this early
work, dismissed by many scholars, has more to it than meets the eye
on a first (or subsequent) reading....MORE |
| Measure for Measure |
William Shakespeare, 2001 |
Mary Zimmerman has directed “Measure for Measure” as the comedy
it is, not at all worried that so many critics call it “dark” and
“difficult.” ...MORE |
| Measure for Measure
- National Theater |
William Shakespeare, 2004 |
The virtues of this inventive modern dress production at the National
Theatre are its clarity and the performances of its three principals
– Paul Rhys as Angelo, Naomi Frederick as Isabella, and David Troughton
as the Duke....MORE |
| Merchant of Venice,
The |
William Shakespeare, 1999 |
"The Merchant of Venice" at the Royal National Theatre
has moved to the Olivier Theatre from the small Cottesloe, where it
sold out early in its run after enthusiastic reviews....MORE |
| Mercy Seat, The |
Neil LaBute, 2003 |
In The Mercy Seat, Neil LaBute focuses on two people on September
12, 2001, the day after the catastrophe at the World Trade Center....MORE |
| Merry Wives of Windsor,
The |
William Shakespeare, 2002 |
In Shakespeare’s only contribution to the popular genre of city
comedy like "Eastward Ho!",
he depicts not London but the town of Windsor, dominated then as now
by its castle, seat of Elizabeths I and II....MORE |
| Midsummer Night's Dream, A |
William Shakespeare, 2003 |
At the Open-Air Theatre in Regent’s Park this play provides an enchanting
evening or afternoon, the leafy setting perfect for Shakespeare’s
comedy of love and magic....MORE |
| Midsummer Night's
Dream, A (Open-Air Theater London) |
William Shakespeare, 2006 |
As Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is set in a forest
of moonlight and magic, what better place to see a magical production of it than in the greenery
of the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park on a balmy summer night,
with real moonlight....MORE |
| Mill on the Floss,
The |
Polly Teale, 2001 |
George Eliot’s novel is a classic, and Shared Experience captures
not only its narrative but its emotional tenor. In directing
Helen Edmundson’s dramatic adaptation, Nancy Meckler and Polly
Teale imaginatively enlist three actresses to portray the complex
psychology of heroine Maggie Tulliver at three stages of her life....MORE |
| Mr. Peter's Connections |
Arthur Miller, 2000 |
“Mr. Peters’ Connections” is a fascinating glimpse into the mind
of an aging American....MORE |
| Much Ado About Nothing |
William Shakespeare, 2002 |
That “Much Ado About Nothing” was a hit in Shakespeare’s day the
swift publication of the play in a Quarto edition in 1600 bears testimony....MORE |
| Night Season, The |
Rebecca Lenkiewicz, 2004 |
This is only the second
play by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, who already
is being hailed as
a bright, new important addition to
the theater scene for her “gift for combining the lyrical and the
eccentrically comic” and her “shrewd psychological insights.” ....MORE |
| Play Without Words |
Matthew Bourne, 2002 |
“Play Without Words” is Matthew Bourne’s brilliant dance version
reminiscent of the 1963 movie “The Servant,” with a screenplay by
Harold Pinter....MORE |
| Othello |
William Shakespeare, 2003 |
This sell-out production by the Royal Shakespeare Company has moved
to London, and what a
production it is!....MORE |
| Power |
Nick Dear, 2003 |
Nick Dear’s new play Power at the National
Theatre was a witty, ribald, relevant commentary on types of power
wielded in the 17th century French court of Louis XIV, especially
by genial financier Nicolas Fouquet, who seems to have invented creative
accounting....MORE |
| Producers, The |
Mel Brooks, 2001 |
Who said movies do not make good musicals? If I did, I take it back.
My favorite movie has opened as my favorite musical: Mel Brooks’
“The Producers.” ....MORE |
| Relapse, The |
John Vanbrugh, 2004 |
If you’ve ever asked, “What’s all the fuss about” when confronted
with Restoration comedy, ask no more....MORE |
| Richard II (Fiennes) |
William Shakespeare, 2000 |
Ralph Fiennes is giving what must be the virtuoso Shakespeare performance
of the new millennium so far: ....MORE |
| Richard II (Rylance) |
William Shakespeare, 2003 |
At Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre on the Thames, audiences are cheering
Mark Rylance as Richard II, the weak king whose self-indulgence
leads to his deposition....MORE |
| Richard III |
William Shakespeare, 2001 |
The Royal Shakespeare Company productions of the eight history plays
from “Richard II” through “Richard III” has concluded, after being
cheered by audiences in Stratford-upon-Avon, London, and
Michigan....MORE |
| Ride Down Mt. Morgan, The |
Arthur Miller, 2000 |
Arthur Miller, as one would expect, makes both a moral and a philosophical
point in “The Ride Down Mt. Morgan,” but his play is a comedy; its
subject, as traditionally with comedy, is sex....MORE |
| Stones in His Pockets |
Marie Jones, 2000 |
In the West End of London, Marie Jones’ serious comedy “Stones in
his Pockets” is enacted against a never changing backdrop of clouds,
fronted by a lineup of shoes....MORE |
| Stuff Happens |
David Hare, 2004 |
A docudrama, based on actual records and speeches, David Hare’s
Stuff Happens takes as its title the response by Donald Rumsfeld
when queried about the looting of ancient treasures from the museum
in Iraq when the war began....MORE |
| Talking Cure, The |
Christopher Hampton, 2004 |
“The Talking Cure” as produced by the National Theatre in London
was one of Christopher Hampton’s best plays, in a career of outstanding
works .that include “The Philanthropist,” “Les Liaisons Dangereuses”
and “Tales from Hollywood.” His talents extend to translations
and adaptations as well, with versions of “Uncle Vanya, “Hedda
Gabler,” “A Doll’s House” and Moliere’s “Don Juan.”...MORE |
| Taming of the Shrew, The |
William Shakespeare, 2006 |
“The Taming of the Shrew” is a
delightful production of this early comedy, replete with turnabouts
as identities are changed, poses are dropped, and love conquers all,
ending with fireworks and a joyful wedding dance....MORE |
| Tempest, The |
William Shakespeare, 2002 |
Michael Boyd directs a production that is not only spectacular,
but also thoughtful and imaginative....MORE |
| This is How it Goes |
Neil LaBute, 2005 |
This Is How It Goes is
Neil LaBute’s best play to date. All
the defining qualities of this writer are here: dialogue that is not
realistic, but sharpened to seem so, a plot that takes you through
twists and turns to an end that surprises, and characters with whom
you might sympathize and even trust – until their behavior prevents
your doing so....MORE |
| Twelfth Night |
William Shakespeare |
Director Sam Mendes marks his farewell as artistic director of London’s
Donmar Warehouse with a definitive production of “Twelfth Night.”
...MORE |
| Two Gentlemen of Verona,
The |
William Shakespeare |
The second offering of the Open Air Theatre in London’s Regent’s
Park is a delightful rendering of Shakespeare’s early comedy “The
Two Gentlemen of Verona.”...MORE |
| UN Inspector, The |
David Farr, 2005 |
The UN Inspector is a clever update of the 1836 comedy
that lampooned greedy government bureaucrats who entertain a nondescript
clerk they mistakenly believe has arrived to examine corruption in
high places....MORE |
| Vincent in Brixton |
Nicholas Wright, 2002 |
Nicholas Wright’s excellent new play is about the twenty-year-old
Vincent Van Gogh when he came from Holland to work for the art dealers
Goupil and Co....MORE |
| Winter's Tale, The |
William Shakespeare |
In the opening scene, director Matthew Warchus attempts to motivate
Sicilian King Leontes’ inexplicable jealousy by depicting him as a
1930s Mafia-type Sicilian-American, who might understandably go berserk
at the thought of his wife’s infidelity and inflict upon her the cruel
and unusual punishment familiar from television’s “Sopranos.”...MORE |
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