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Gaza Climate Crisis Workers' rights Austerity Far right Labour
Gordon Parsons
Chaucer
Books / 16 October 2024
Good old-fashioned filth
16 October 2024
GORDON PARSONS recommends an ideal introduction to the writer who was first to give the English a literary language
Georges sand
Books / 6 August 2024
Cross-dressing novelist
6 August 2024
GORDON PARSONS welcomes a graphic biography of George Sand, the most popular French novelist in 19th-century Britain
scandal
Theatre Review / 10 July 2024
Reputation murderers
10 July 2024
GORDON PARSONS relishes a fast moving production of Sheridan’s comic masterpiece
English
Theatre review / 16 May 2024
It’s not what you say, it’s the way that you say it
16 May 2024
GORDON PARSONS relishes a play that reveals how language carries much more than simple communication
language
Books / 3 September 2023
I’m a jam doughnut
3 September 2023
GORDON PARSONS appreciates a very necessary exploration of the benefit of knowing more than one language
Macbeth
Theatre Review / 31 August 2023
Sound and fury
31 August 2023
GORDON PARSONS witnesses a production committed to great fun but signifying nothing 
Falkland
Theatre Review / 24 August 2023
Model citizens
24 August 2023
GORDON PARSONS is underwhelmed by the inflation of a petty war into the undeserved status of epic
theatre review
Theatre Review / 5 May 2023
Word perfect
5 May 2023
GORDON PARSONS wonders at a near perfect production of Shakespeare’s eloquent fairytale
cartoon
Graphic Novel / 14 February 2023
Cynics' Lib
14 February 2023
GORDON PARSONS enjoys the tale of a self-emancipating woman told with deceptive simplicity
main
Culture / 7 December 2022
2022 theatre round-up with GORDON PARSONS
7 December 2022
island
Theatre / 21 October 2022
Ambitious plays in need of directorial editing
21 October 2022
TS+Z
Theatre Review / 14 September 2022
Kiss of death by video
14 September 2022
Uniformity of ‘talking heads’ presentation annihilates all possibility of conveying the true drama inherent in the play, suggests GORDON PARSONS
MR
Book Review / 17 June 2022
The art of deflating the hypocritical creed
17 June 2022
BLM
BOOKS / 13 May 2022
‘Challenges posed by a world in which race matters’
13 May 2022
GORDON PARSONS recommends a book that will keep the reader, black or white, fully engaged and, as importantly, self-questioning
company
Theatre Review / 1 March 2022
Appropriate for the times
1 March 2022
GORDON PARSONS recommends a production that makes no demands other than being entertained
colston
Book Review / 14 January 2022
‘Commodifying our collective ache’
14 January 2022
GORDON PARSONS on a thought-provoking reflection on our out of joint times and a warning that there is no escape into the past
greene/philby
Culture / 1 December 2021
2021 Round-up with Gordon Parsons
1 December 2021
On stage the intriguing Splinter of Ice, eccentricity of Wuthering Heights and a revival of the Living Newspaper tradition absorbed just as much as the graphic novel The Dancing Plague, Ariel Dorfman’s The Compensation Bureau or Mario Vargas Llosa’s Harsh Times
ensemble
Theatre Review / 4 October 2021
A poignantly contemporary reading of an old murder folk tale
4 October 2021
A cautionary melodrama that hits the right notes in articulating the realities of class-ridden society with omnipresent violence against women, writes GORDON PARSONS
protest
Book Review / 17 August 2021
‘Man's Inhumanity to Man*’
17 August 2021
Narratives from detained refugees who exist in a virtual lawless world with no fixed sentences
ss
THEATRE / 25 May 2021
A real clap for carers
25 May 2021
GORDON PARSONS recommends an excellent theatrical tribute to nursing staff
/,/,/,
LITERATURE / 17 May 2021
Revelatory work of literary detection
17 May 2021
Research into the lost plays of the Shakespearean period provides new insights into the Bard and his work, says GORDON PARSONS
xx
THEATRE ONLINE / 22 April 2021
A Splinter of Ice
22 April 2021
Engrossing drama of Moscow meeting between Soviet spy Kim Philby and novelist Graham Greene
kokok
THEATRE ONLINE / 6 April 2021
Things won't be what they used to be
6 April 2021
GORDON PARSONS recommends a sharply satirical take on what awaits us after the pandemic ends
xx
BOOKS / 23 February 2021
Being Human after 1492
23 February 2021
Succinct account of colonialism’s history of blood, cruelty and greed
Kwame
ONLINE THEATRE / 16 February 2021
Tales from the Front Line
16 February 2021
Resonant accounts of the impact of the pandemic on the black community
cdcd
BOOKS / 25 January 2021
Biography: Joseph Conrad
25 January 2021
Enlightening overview of a literary pioneer
BOOKS / 3 January 2021
Passing: An Alternative History of Identity
3 January 2021
Remarkable exploration of how we construct our sense of belonging
Best of 2020 / 4 December 2020
Theatre and Books with Gordon Parsons
4 December 2020
Tales from the Front Line… and other stories
Theatre / 4 December 2020
Tales from the Front Line… and other stories
4 December 2020
Virus of racism diagnosed in acute commentaries on pandemic
cover
Book Review / 12 November 2020
Writing out Vietnam war traumas
12 November 2020
Levy’s compendium is as concerned with the legacy of the Vietnam War on the hapless vets, trying to live in a society which responded with the standard ‘thank you for your service’
JS
Theatre / 4 November 2020
Exploring identity and female solidarity
4 November 2020
On the eve of France’s 1940 surrender an intriguing gathering takes place at Gertrude Stein and Alice Toklas’s renowned Paris salon
PERFORMANCE ONLINE / 19 August 2020
Shades of Tay, Pitlochry Festival Theatre
19 August 2020
Lockdown diversions from the heart of Scotland
Books / 19 June 2020
Studious rebel
19 June 2020
Intriguing account of Lenin's time in London
THEATRE ONLINE / 28 April 2020
#AIWW: The Arrest of Ai Weiwei, Hampstead Theatre at Home
28 April 2020
Timely revival of play on Chinese dissident
tiger
THEATRE ONLINE / 22 April 2020
Tiger Country, Hampstead Theatre London
22 April 2020
Hospital drama from 2014 resonates at a time of NHS crisis
wonder
THEATRE ONLINE / 10 April 2020
Wonderland, Hampstead Theatre London
10 April 2020
Powerful reminder of the war against the miners in 1984-85
Wild
ONLINE THEATRE / 1 April 2020
Wild, Hampstead Theatre London
1 April 2020
Ingenious whistleblower drama from Mike Bartlett now online
FUAT
THEATRE / 30 January 2020
Faustus: That Damned Woman, Lyric Theatre Hammersmith
30 January 2020
Ingenious reworking of Dr Faustus less than the sum of its parts
PIC CAP ‘RADICAL STAR’: Portrait of Defoe by unknown art
Books / 13 January 2020
Crusoe and his Consequences by James Dunkerley
13 January 2020
Radical demystification of Daniel Defoe’s iconic work
PIC CAP STILL RELEVANT: Keir Hardie Pic: George Charles Bere
Books / 16 December 2019
Keir Hardie and the 21st-century Socialist Revival
16 December 2019
Timely reminder of Labour Party founder's vision
PIC CAP LEST WE FORGET: Stalingrad after the battle Pic: Ser
Year round-up / 6 December 2019
Best of 2019: Books
6 December 2019
PIC CAP Mirror to life: John Kani and Anthony Sher in Kunene
Culture / 26 November 2019
Best of 2019: Theatre
26 November 2019
John Kani's Kunene and the King, set in post-apartheid South Africa, was a highlight of the year
Noam Chomsky
Book Review / 27 October 2019
The Responsibility of Intellectuals
27 October 2019
Essays on the role of intellectuals in a conflicted contemporary world
PIC CAP History lesson: A Museum in Baghdad Pic: Ellie Kurtz
Theatre Review / 27 October 2019
A Museum in Baghdad, Swan Theatre Stratford-upon-Avon
27 October 2019
Hannah Khalil’s ambitious new play suffers from information overload
PIC CAP: Product of his times: the young Karl Marx
Book Review / 14 October 2019
Karl Marx and the Birth of Modern Society by Michael Heinrich
14 October 2019
Magisterial biography of Marx's early life and times
PIC CAP Attention seeking: Eleanor Rhode’s production of K
Theatre Review / 29 September 2019
King John, The Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
29 September 2019
Director's cut Shakespeare sacrifices coherence for chaos
Bearing witness: Nayrouz Qarmout Pic: Comma Press
Fiction Review / 15 September 2019
Life in the world's largest prison
15 September 2019
GORDON PARSONS recommends a collection of short stories on the grim realities of existence in Gaza
Stage managed: Black Friday, 2014 Pic: Powhusku, Creative Co
Book Review / 25 August 2019
Touching base with social change
25 August 2019
GORDON PARSONS recommends an evocative exploration of how working-class attitudes have evolved over time in Britain
Edinburgh Fringe / 15 August 2019
Traverse stays true to form as it serves an mouth-watering oeuvre
15 August 2019
Roots
Culture / 13 August 2019
1927 Theatre Company’s innovative style of narrative charms and entertains in equal measure
13 August 2019
https://youtu.be/GLi_OLmzu6E
Culture / 6 August 2019
The Canadian Inuit plight is given a stage with a powerful advocacy
6 August 2019
ballet
Ballet Review / 6 August 2019
Nothing’s lost in classic play’s translation into the physical language of ballet
6 August 2019
Theatre Review / 6 August 2019
A horrifying anatomy of a senseless murder charts new ground
6 August 2019
PIC CAP: Bearing witness: Vasily Grossman in Stalingrad Pic:
Book Review / 17 July 2019
Towering tribute to the hero city
17 July 2019
The novel Stalingrad is a magnificent account of the people who endured the battle which changed the course of WWII, says GORDON PARSONS
Promising: Rich Kids: A History of Shopping Malls in Tehran
Arts Ahead / 15 July 2019
Edinburgh Festival preview
15 July 2019
There are thousands of shows to choose from at this year's festival. GORDON PARSONS helps you make your mind up
PIC CAP Claustrophobic: The Hunt Pic: Marc Brenner
Theatre Review / 30 June 2019
The Hunt, Almeida Theatre, London
30 June 2019
Thomas Vinterberg’s film about a teacher wrongly accused of child abuse gets a powerful stage adaptation
PIC CAP Recluse: Ruth Lass as Silvia de Zigaro Pic: Ellie Ku
Culture / 30 June 2019
Crooked Dances, The Other Place Stratford-upon-Avon
30 June 2019
Engagingly old-fashioned ghost story dressed up in modern clothes
Les Denis
Theatre review / 2 June 2019
Venice Preserved, Swan Theatre Stratford-upon-Avon
2 June 2019
The conflict between love and honour in Thomas Otway’s Restoration tragedy gets a modish yet uneven update by the RSC
Pushkin
Book review / 23 May 2019
The Man Who Shook his Fist at the Tsar by Jack Robertson
23 May 2019
Compelling account of the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin's defiance of autocracy
PIC CAP Comic turn: Caroline Quentin as Lady Fancyfull Pic:
Theatre Review / 12 May 2019
The Provoked Wife, Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
12 May 2019
The RSC are in assured form in a classic Restoration farce
PIC CAP Mirror to apartheid: John Kani and Anthony Sher in K
Theatre Review / 5 April 2019
An infection yet to heal
5 April 2019
There's an invisible third presence throughout John Kani’s magnificent play — the malevolent incubus of apartheid, says GORDON PARSONS
PIC CAP Role reversal: Claire Price as Petruchia and Joseph
Theatre Review / 21 March 2019
The Taming of the Shrew, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
21 March 2019
Shakespeare's misogynistic comedy gets a #MeToo update
Playing for laughs: Lucy Phelps (Rosalind) and Amelia Donkor
Culture / 3 March 2019
Theatre Review: As You Like It
3 March 2019
There’s little to like in this Shakespearean comedy which, played relentlessly for laughs, ignores its sexual ambiguities
Culture / 1 March 2019
Theatre Review: The Son
1 March 2019
Florian Zeller's play is an engrossing study of the neuroses besetting the modern bourgeois family
PIC CAP Credible skinflint: Adan Gillet as Scrooge Pic: Manu
Theatre Review / 16 December 2018
Carol in tune with austerity
16 December 2018
GORDON PARSONS recommends a production of a Dickens classic with contemporary undertones
PIC CAP Authoritative: Neil Faulkner Pic: Pluto Press
Culture / 5 December 2018
Best of 2018: Books
5 December 2018
by GORDON PARSONS
PIC CAP: Love letter to theatre: Wise Children
Year round-up / 26 November 2018
Best of 2018: Performance
26 November 2018
PIC CAP: Establishment mouthpiece: George Orwell broadcasts
Book Review / 11 November 2018
Insights into political contradictions and certitudes of ‘gloomy sage’ George Orwell
11 November 2018
PIC CAP: Motley crew:  James Cooney (Patroclus), Andy Apoll
Theatre Review / 21 October 2018
Doran mines seam of moral corruption at core of Trojan epic
21 October 2018
Book Review / 18 October 2018
Radical insights into how we make history
18 October 2018
Stroll on: Allison Cook as Salome
Opera Review / 3 October 2018
This Salome is a really rocky horror show
3 October 2018
PIC CAP: Hypocrisy in action: Asif Khan as Tartuffe
Theatre Review / 25 September 2018
Plus ca change...
25 September 2018
GORDON PARSONS sees an adaptation of Moliere’s satire on religious hypocrisy translate magnificently from 17th century Paris to 21st century Birmingham
Traverse / 16 August 2018
Rich picking for the inquisitive
16 August 2018
GORDON PARSONS believes the Traverse Festival offers a treasure trove for the casual theatre-goer
Barber of Seville
Opera Review / 10 August 2018
New life breathed into old favourite
10 August 2018
Cold Blood
Culture / 7 August 2018
Death at their finger tips
7 August 2018
GORDON PARSONS falls head over heels with a production that dazzles with its nanotechnology
The End of the French Intellectual
Book review / 13 May 2018
French intellectuals obscured in a moral twilight zone
13 May 2018
Marx 12/4/18
Book review / 11 April 2018
Philosophers pirouetting through a linguistic maze
11 April 2018
Fantastic Follies
Theatre Review / 5 April 2018
Audience and cast in unison delight
5 April 2018
Macbeth 26/3/18
Theatre Review / 22 March 2018
Speed sabotages subtlety
22 March 2018
GORDON PARSONS sees a rapid-fire production of Macbeth that allows no pause for thought
malfi
Theatre Review / 11 March 2018
Gore-filled Jacobean tragedy is a bloody mess
11 March 2018
Macbeth
Opinion / 11 February 2018
Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater
11 February 2018
GORDON PARSONS responds to Chris Jury's attack on the ‘Shakespeare cult’ in the Morning Star
Mary Stuart 28/1/18
Theatre Review / 28 January 2018
Different but the same
28 January 2018
GORDON PARSONS sees an imagined confrontation between Queen Elizabeth I and the jailed Mary Queen of Scots which reveals them as equally confined by personal and political traumas
Imperium
Theatre Review / 14 December 2017
Imperial decline
14 December 2017
An RSC adaptation of Robert Harris's novels about power politics in ancient Rome loses something in translation from page to stage, says GORDON PARSONS
2017 Round-up / 14 December 2017
Gordon Parsons' best books of the year
14 December 2017
Theatre review / 8 December 2017
Culture: A Christmas Carol tuned in to today
8 December 2017
Lurking beneath the festive jollity, the RSC's version of the Dickens classic is a salutary reminder of grim present realities, says GORDON PARSONS
2017 Round-ups / 3 December 2017
Theatre Gordon Parsons
3 December 2017
Wings
Theatre review / 6 October 2017
Crushing cage chronicle
6 October 2017
GORDON PARSONS recommends Arthur Kopit's play on a woman inescapably trapped in the mental torture induced by a stroke
Theatre Review / 2 October 2017
A Coriolanus for the era of Trump
2 October 2017
Theatre Review / 29 September 2017
Sykes and Co turn Marlowe into a theatrical gem
29 September 2017
Gordon Parsons reviews Dido, Queen of Carthage, at the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon