MAYER WAKEFIELD is entertained but let down by an audacious production that, sadly, doesn't ring true
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The Rubenstein Kiss, Southwark Playhouse, London
Thought-provoking drama on the Rosenbergs, executed in 1953 as ‘Soviet spies’ in the US
Fatal Attraction: Ruby Bentall (Esther Rubenstein) and Henry Proffit (Jakob Rubenstein)
[Scott Rylander]
MARY CONWAY is disappointed by drama that, despite accomplished performances, cannot overcome an unfocused script
New releases from Sam Carter, Spell Songs and Les Thomas
KEN COCKBURN traces the one original language – that of the Yamnaya pastoral nomads – from which all European and Indian languages derive
PAUL DONOVAN is fascinated by the debunking of the iconic British war hero
ALEX HALL recommends a searing panorama of our global predicament
JAMES PHILLIPS’S play is the story of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, who perished on the electric chair for allegedly passing atomic warfare secrets to the Soviet Union.
While the names have been changed and there is some dramatic licence, essentially it’s the authentic history.
The central focus is the American-Jewish couple Esther and Jakob Rubenstein, devoted soulmates with a passion for communism, while Esther’s brother David and his soon-to-be-wife Rachel also shape the drama.
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