MARIA DUARTE, LEO BOIX and ANGUS REID review Brides, Dead of Winter, A Night Like This, and The Librarians
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] ![REBELS: Ebada Hassan and Safiyya Ingar in Nadia Fall’s powerful debut feature Brides [Pic: IMDb]](https://msd11.gn.apc.org/sites/default/files/styles/desktop/public/2025-09/round%20up%20web_0.jpg.webp?itok=41xI6jhN)
MARY CONWAY recommends an early Shakespearean tragedy that feels so contemporary that it mirrors our daily news
A ghost story by Mexican Ave Barrera, a Surrealist poetry collection by Peruvian Cesar Moro, and a manifesto-poem on women’s labour and capitalist havoc by Peruvian Valeria Roman Marroquin
DAVID NICHOLSON recommends a dazzling production of Bernstein’s opera set in a world where chaos and violence are greeted by equanimity
MARY CONWAY is frustrated by a new play that loses its drama amid the moral dilemma of re-settling children in the aftermath of WWII
Acclaimed as a masterpiece when it premiered, this study of story-telling in an Irish pub more than lives up to expectations, says MARY CONWAY
SYLVIA HIKINS relishes a comedy that dives deep into Liverpool’s divided loyalties
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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MARY CONWAY relishes two matchless performers and a masterclass in tightly focused wordplay
MARY CONWAY admires an accomplished drama that explores the consequences of a fatal punch on a desolate housing estate
MARY CONWAY recommends a beautifully judged performance that shines a light on the experience of all female war babies and boomers
MAYER WAKEFIELD speaks to playwright David Edgar about the political analysis that underlies his two new plays