ALEX HALL is disgusted by the misuse of ‘emotional narratives’ to justify uninformed geo-political prejudice
Latest editorial
Lockdown blues
SIMON PARSONS welcomes a new play that examines the Covid pandemic through the lens of a disintegrating marriage
MARITAL TENSIONS OF A KEY WORKER: Kacey Ainsworth and Liam Tobin in James McDermott's Jab
SUE TURNER welcomes a thoughtful, engaging book that lays bare the economic realities of global waste management
JOHN GREEN welcomes an insider account of the achievements and failures of the transition to democracy in Portugal
SIMON PARSONS applauds an imaginative and absorbing updating of Strindberg’s classic
PETER MASON is enthralled by an assembly of objects, ancient and modern, that have lain in the mud of London’s river
MICK McSHANE rubs shoulders with Mod legend Steve Craddock and joins in with the joyous Glasgow choir
DENNIS BROE sifts out the ideological bias of the newest TV series offerings, and picks out what to see, and what to avoid
Jab
Finborough Theatre, London
FOUR years since the Covid lockdown, the memory is still fresh in most people’s minds, but James McDermott’s play is a worthwhile reflection on the scarring impact of the event.
Seen through the eyes of a couple in their sixties, this domestic drama works as a series of brief scenes, almost like a photo album, mapping the disintegration of their long marriage during the months of confinement while external snippets of news remind us of the deadly progress of the virus and the government’s responses.
Anne is an NHS administrative worker and the breadwinner for the household, while Don runs an unprofitable vintage clothing shop, more as a hobby than a business.
More from this author
While the group known as the Colourists certainly reinvigorated Scottish painting, a new show is a welcome chance to reassess them, writes ANGUS REID
ANGUS REID recommends an exquisite drama about the disturbing impact of the one child policy in contemporary China
The phrase “cruel to be kind” comes from Hamlet, but Shakespeare’s Prince didn’t go in for kidnap, explosive punches, and cigarette deprivation. Tam is different.
ANGUS REID deconstructs a popular contemporary novel aimed at a ‘queer’ young adult readership
