DENNIS BROE finds much to praise in the new South African Netflix series, but wonders why it feels forced to sell out its heroine
Sex, lies and samovars
SIMON PARSONS applauds an ambitious and relevant dramatisation of the the great Russian classic
DYNAMIC: The full company in Anna Karenina
[Robbie McFadzean] 
CARL DEATH introduces a new book which explores how African science fiction is addressing climate change
In his second round-up, EWAN CAMERON picks excellent solo shows that deal with Scottishness, Englishness and race as highlights
Fiery words from the Bard in Blackpool and Edinburgh, and Evidence Based Punk Rock from The Protest Family
MATTHEW HAWKINS is mesmerised by a performance that dissolves the line between audience and performer
MATTHEW SHARPE recommends the essays of a Renaissance politician that instruct and unnerve after 400 years
GAVIN O’TOOLE welcomes the reissue of a seminal work of revolutionary theory that have genuine relevance in the current context
Anna Karenina
Britol Old Vic
TOLSTOY’S epic novel of a doomed, scandalous affair in imperial Russia is considered one of the great works of literature. At almost a thousand pages in length with multiple subplots, it is told through both an objective omniscient narrator and subjective interior monologues detailing troubled relationships across rural and cosmopolitan settings.
It is a mammoth challenge for any stage adaptation.
Lesley Hart’s version makes no bones about this two-hour, eight-person stage production being a Scottish-infused love story for a contemporary audience. From the opening salvo of invective from Dolly, not Princess Darya Alexandrovna Oblonsky as she is formally titled in the novel, we know we are in for a stripped down, dynamic modern reworking of the story.
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