RITA DI SANTO draws attention to a new film that features Ken Loach and Jeremy Corbyn, and their personal experience of media misrepresentation
A suspension of disbelief too far
PETER MASON sees a laudably gender-blind production of Hamlet marred by unconvincing performances
[Tristram Kenton]
JULIA TOPPIN recommends Patti Smith’s eloquent memoir that wrestles with the beauty and sorrow of a lifetime
MARJORIE MAYO welcomes an account of family life after Oscar Wilde, a cathartic exercise, written by his grandson
KEN COCKBURN guides us through a survey of Chekov’s early short fiction, and the groundwork it laid for his later masterpieces
ANDY HEDGECOCK revels in a hugely enjoyable but deadly serious examination of the 1930s, that is an indictment of our own era
The bard distills our hellish times into fiery words
Hamlet
The Globe, London
THE GLOBE’s artistic director Michelle Terry not only steps out of her day job to take part in this production but essays the bold move of playing Hamlet herself. In so doing, she puts into practice the theatre’s new gender-blind policy which sees around half of the roles in the play taken on by actors whose sex is the opposite of their character.
Similar stories
PETER MASON applauds a stage version of Le Carre’s novel that questions what ordinary people have to gain from high-level governmental spying
MAYER WAKEFIELD is gripped by a production dives rapidly from champagne-quaffing slick to fraying motormouth
GORDON PARSONS is bowled over by a skilfully stripped down and powerfully relevant production of Hamlet
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