MARIA DUARTE recommends a remarkable study of the friendship between a Palestinian and a Pakistani, broken by a hostile state
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Rom-communism
MARY CONWAY is gripped by a hilarious and erudite new play that dramatises the making of the alliance that defeated fascism
FAIR MINDED PORTRAYAL: Peter Forbes as Joseph Stalin in Churchill in Moscow
[Tristram Kenton]
MATTHEW HAWKINS rakes through un-fancy words and flair-free summaries to find who and what might be flamboyant
PETER MASON is exhilarated by an exciting, well-considered and historically minded tribute to the great Trinidadian instrument
Reducing historical lives to ‘male’ and ‘female’ roles, we lose the nuance of those lives and a clearer understanding of past societies, suggests CLAIRE ISABELLA GILMOUR
CHRIS SEARLE relishes the genius of pianist Alexander Hawkins, his many ensembles, and his new album
Churchill in Moscow
Orange Tree Theatre, London
CHURCHILL IN MOSCOW, which premieres at the Orange Tree Richmond, is already a highlight of the theatrical year and a must-see.
For a start it’s by Howard Brenton – he whose powerful political voice has kept us on our toes for 60 years. Secondly, though historical, it illuminates for us the current world. Next, it takes the fruits of serious research and transforms them into deeply character-driven, joyful theatre, directed by the inimitable Tom Littler. And lastly, Roger Allam and Peter Forbes are sensational as the leads.
Winston Churchill spent three days with Joseph Stalin in Moscow in August 1942. It was the height of World War II when the world leaders saw, in a blinding flash, that they must combine forces or Hitler would win.
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