WILL STONE fact-checks the colourful life of Ozzy Osbourne
A cerebral play, broaching questions that never quite land
MARY CONWAY tries her best to work out ‘what the hell is going on’ as style triumphs over substance
Gina Mckee and Paul Mcgann
[The Other Richard] 
JAMES CROSSLEY applauds a lucid biography of the German radical preacher who reemerged as a hero in the GDR
Prizes all round: the Bard hands plaudits to the Miners Gala, OT&JC, Joe Solo, Black Sabbath’s frontman and the Lionesses
Star cartoonist JAMIE BRITTON is in awe of a graphic novel of epic proportions that explores class, religion and globalisation via the strange cultivation of Ginseng in the US Midwest
GUILLERMO THOMAS is intrigued by a history of the Middle East that demonstrates how promising post colonial beginnings were snuffed out by Western imperialist interests
MARIA DUARTE recommends the intricate study of a high-performance and highly dysfuntional German family
The Forest
Hampstead Theatre
PLAYWRIGHT Florian Zeller finds himself in a charmed position by anyone’s standards, his play The Father having achieved almost iconic status and the film version having won best actor Oscar for Anthony Hopkins. Following this and the other two plays in his family trilogy, Zeller we must believe can do no wrong.
So it feels like a fait accompli that his new play The Forest – in its customary translation by heavyweight Christopher Hampton – will gather accolades galore for its premiere at Hampstead Theatre.
The play – as with Zeller’s earlier work – is based on a single idea in which style and structure ultimately triumph over substance. And the prime fascination for the audience is the absorbing task of working out what the hell is going on.
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MARY CONWAY applauds the success of Beth Steel’s bitter-sweet state-of-the-nation play
MARY CONWAY is blown away by a flawless production of Lynn Nottage’s exquisite tragedy
MARY CONWAY revels in the Irish American language and dense melancholy of O’Neill’s last and little-known play
MARY CONWAY recommends a play that some will find more discursive than eventful but one in which the characters glow
