SIMON PARSONS is discomfited by an unflichingly negative portrait of motherhood and its trials
Exuberant anti-fascist musical
LYNNE WALSH applauds an exceptional piece of theatre that pits the BUF against the heroes of Cable Street
PAUL FOLEY recommends an extraordinary double bill that packs a punch and leaves you reeling
MARY CONWAY is disappointed by a play about AI that results in a deadening disconnect for its audience
SIMON PARSONS applauds an insightful state-of-the-nation play that explores the growing class divide in South Africa
MATTHEW HAWKINS pays tribute to the performance artist and costumier, Leigh Bowery
SIMON DUFF reviews a new composition by German composer and pianist Florian Weber that blurs the line between where improvisation ends and composition begins
New releases from The Jim Mullen Quartet, Caroline Kraabel/John Edwards, and Matthew Muneses/Riza Printup
Cable Street, a new musical
Southwark Playhouse
THIS retelling of an iconic story manages to be exuberant and inspirational, while delivering a chilling reminder of the easy rise of the far right.
The Battle of Cable Street defined an era; as Franco, Mussolini and Hitler savaged democracy, Britain’s own tin-pot dictator, Oswald Mosley, targeted the East End. Some 5,000 zealots from the British Union of Fascists (BUF), with a buffer zone of 6,000 police, would be confronted by 300,000 anti-fascists.
More from this author
Anti-fascists from around the world will soon be travelling to Spain to commemorate the International Brigades and walk in the footsteps of the bravest of their generation, writes LYNNE WALSH
From prostitution to surrogacy, access to women’s bodies can be bought for a fee. LYNNE WALSH reports from a conference exploring the mounting crisis in which women are increasingly seen as products to be consumed
LYNNE WALSH reports from the recent ‘Chartism Day’ conference at Reading University, where sisters of the 19th century Chartist struggle emerged from the pages of history
LYNNE WALSH reports from a recent conference in London organised by the Women’s Declaration International
Similar stories
A nervous year, showing that the theatre, like the world, stands on a precipice and seems uncertain where to jump
From Lee Anderson's sad parliamentary antics to Tommy Robinson's lager-soaked rallies, STEPHEN ARNELL skewers the hollow bravado of Britain's resurgent right and looks at how mass mobilisation can counter its influence
PAUL DONOVAN applauds a good piece of political theatre that offers a glimpse of how badly children have been treated in the UK
JIM JUMP welcomes the new booklet published by the RMT and International Brigade Memorial Trust about the seafarers and rail workers who fought Franco’s fascism in Spain