RITA DI SANTO assesses the winners of the most politically charged festival to date
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Wonderland, Hampstead Theatre London
Powerful reminder of the war against the miners in 1984-85
KATARZYNA KOSMALA introduces a retrospective by one of the most significant figures in contemporary US photography
MAYER WAKEFIELD is entertained but let down by an audacious production that, sadly, doesn't ring true
MARY CONWAY is disappointed by drama that, despite accomplished performances, cannot overcome an unfocused script
New releases from Sam Carter, Spell Songs and Les Thomas
BETH STEEL'S Wonderland, the second of Hampstead Theatre’s trio of free online productions, was originally performed in 2014.
Even then, its hard-hitting political message — presented through a mixture of song and documentary commentary — must have reminded those with long memories of John McGrath’s innovatory 7:84 touring company of the 1980s.
Dealing with Thatcher’s carefully pre-planned and ruthless 1984-85 war against the miners, Edward Hall’s production takes us down the pit, where we meet the Iron Lady’s “enemy within” — the men who worked in an environment and under conditions that for most people would be viewed as a daily hell.
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GEOFF BOTTOMS applauds a world-class production King Lear that pits late feudalism against a rising bourgeoisie
From Margate to Deal, mining memories are being kept alive. National co-ordinator for General Strike 100, HENRY FOWLER continued his nationwide tour of partner organisations in the Garden of England
GORDON PARSONS appreciates fine performances and a feel for ambiguity, but misses the music of the dialogue
Although this production was in rehearsal before the playwright’s death, it allows us to pay homage to his life, suggests MARY CONWAY