MAYER WAKEFIELD has reservations about the direction of a play centered on a DVLA re-training session for three British-Pakistani motorists
Latest editorial
Korean divide bridged by bond of blood
reunion
New releases from Steve Knightley, Jupiter & Okwess, Jason Palmer, Lisa Knapp and Gerry Driver, Kin'Gongolo Kiniata, Ingrid Laubrock/Tom Rainey, Dan Sealey, Simin Tande, PAZ
JOHN GREEN relishes photography that unfolds a longstanding and poetic relationship with Leeds
A uncomfortably misogynistic authorial voice that sometimes seems to lack insight troubles FIONA O’CONNOR
MARY CONWAY is disappointed by a production that panders – if inadvertently – to Western prejudice against China
JOHN GREEN is fascinated by a history that excavates the enormous role played by agricultural workers in recent times
ALEX HALL recommends a book that places empirical evidence at the heart of understanding racism
What Remains of Us
Bristol Old Vic
DAVID LANE’S play based on a brief reunion of North and South Korean families 60 years after the Korean War has taken on a profound relevance with the current conflict in Ukraine.
The division of Korea saw the displacement of 10 million families and since 1953 there have been 21 state-controlled family reunions where parents and children selected by their country have had the opportunity to meet each other under the watchful eyes of both the authorities and the world’s press.
Seung-Ki (Jung Sun den Hollander) the daughter of Kwan-Suk (Kwong Loke) last saw her father 50 years previously when he joined the South Korean army. Her family have clung on to his memory despite hearing nothing in all that time. News of his existence and ability to meet up with her at the Red Cross organised reunion has stirred up the past and raised many questions.
More from this author
SIMON PARSONS is discomfited by an unflichingly negative portrait of motherhood and its trials
SIMON PARSONS applauds an insightful state-of-the-nation play that explores the growing class divide in South Africa
SIMON PARSONS applauds a tense and thoughtful production that regularly challenges our political engagement and prejudices
SIMON PARSONS questions whether a dark take on Shakespeare’s Seasonal comedy is in harmony with the original text
