The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE recommends an impressive impersonation of Bob Dylan
A wise fool in bleak times
MARY CONWAY feels the timeliness of Dostoevky’s strange tale of a nihilist who corrupts an imaginary paradise
The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE reviews Here, Vermiglio, William Tell and Wolf Man
New releases from Thorpe and Morrison, Daria Kulesh, and Will Finn and Rosie Calvert
RINA ARYA confronts the brutal operation of Francis Bacon’s approach to portraiture
Emphasising his continuous engagement in labour movement struggles, ALISTAIR FINDLAY salutes John Foster’s contribution as activist, strategist, intellectual and defender of the Morning Star
ANDY MIAH advocates the use of AI to assist people by expanding access to global literature and culture
EWAN KOTZ relishes a veteran Glasgow band that have lost none of their verve for live performance
The Dream of a Ridiculous Man
The Marylebone Theatre, London
LAURENCE BOSWELL’s stage adaptation of Dostoevsky’s short story couldn’t be more timely.
Set, not in its original 19th century Russia but in contemporary London, this new dramatisation testifies to the greatness of the source work, effortlessly crossing a divide of almost 150 years to capture at the deepest level our lives today.
In our time, we are reminded, hope for a brighter future defeats us, the planet is in freefall, mankind seems intent on self-destruction, governments behave with increasing contempt for the governed, depression and mental illness stalk our young and words of vitriol fill our airwaves. Indeed it’s hard to think of the universe as anything other than a speck of meaningless dust.
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