ANDY HEDGECOCK relishes two exhibitions that blur the boundaries between art and community engagement
Error message
An error occurred while searching, try again later.Churchill in Manchester
PAUL FOLEY recommends an extraordinary double bill that packs a punch and leaves you reeling
The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE reviews I Am Martin Parr, September Says, The Monkey, and The Gorge
RITA DI SANTO applauds a touching and witty opener that touches a hot topic in Germany: the future of the immigrant population
SIMON PARSONS is discomfited by an unflichingly negative portrait of motherhood and its trials
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
Escaped Alone / What if if Only
Royal Exchange Manchester
IT may seem absurd to describe two short plays as epic. But Escaped Alone, running at just under 50 minutes, and What If If Only which doesn’t even hit the half-hour, are exactly that.
These extraordinary plays by Caryl Churchill pack such a punch you leave the theatre rolling like a boxer. They are full of ideas, inventiveness and thoughtful insights.
Churchill sets us the challenge “to make of it what you will.” It’s like standing in front of a Braque masterpiece and trying to interpret what it means. The plays need a great director and former Exchange artistic director Sarah Frankcom is the perfect choice. Her skill at understanding how to present them, without irrelevant distractions, is excellent.
More from this author
The phrase “cruel to be kind” comes from Hamlet, but Shakespeare’s Prince didn’t go in for kidnap, explosive punches, and cigarette deprivation. Tam is different.
ANGUS REID deconstructs a popular contemporary novel aimed at a ‘queer’ young adult readership
A landmark work of gay ethnography, an avant-garde fusion of folk and modernity, and a chance comment in a great interview
ANGUS REID applauds the inventive stagecraft with which the Lyceum serve up Stevenson’s classic, but misses the deeper themes