Category Archives: Theatre

THEATRE REVIEW: Tamzin Outhwaite in ‘Sweet Charity’

Posted on December 3, 2009 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – British television actress Tamzin Outhwaite is so vivacious and eager to please in the Menier Chocolate Factory’s revival of the 1960s Broadway show “Sweet Charity”, now transferred to the West End, that it’s a shame … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Reviews, Theatre | Tagged 'Sweet Charity', 'The Nights of Calabria', Cy Coleman, Dorothy Fields, Federico Fellini, Matthew White, Neil Simon, Tamzin Outhwaite, Theatre Royal Haymarket | Comments Off

THEATRE REVIEW: Alan Bennett’s ‘The Habit of Art’

Posted on November 19, 2009 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON — Alan Bennett has a lot on his mind in his latest play, “The Habit of Art,” including creativity, aging, fame, anonymity and sex, and it hangs together because of his gift for language and fine … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Theatre | Tagged 'The Habit of Art', Adrian Scarborough, Alan Bennett, Alex Jennings, Frances de la Tour, National Theatre, Nicholas Hytner, Richard Griffiths | Comments Off

THEATRE REVIEW: David Hare’s ‘The Power of Yes’

Posted on October 12, 2009 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – Not so much a play as a staged documentary, David Hare’s insightful “The Power of Yes” at the National Theatre is the result of the playwright acting as a journalist in search of the reasons … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Theatre | Tagged 'The Power of Yes', Angus Jackson, Anthony Calf, David Hare, National Theatre, Stephen Warbeck | Comments Off

THEATRE REVIEW: Kevin Spacey in ‘Inherit the Wind’

Posted on October 5, 2009 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – Director Trevor Nunn brings vividly to life a famous courtroom clash between two idealistic heavyweights in the Old Vic production of “Inherit the Wind,” with unforgettable performances by Kevin Spacey and David Troughton as the … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Theatre | Tagged 'Inherit the Wind', Clarence Darrow, David Troughton, Fredric March, Gene Kelly, H. L. Mencken, Jerome Lawrence, Kevin Spacey, Robert E. Lee, Spencer Tracy, Stanley Kramer, The Old Vic, Trevor Nunn, William Jennings Bryan | Comments Off

THEATRE REVIEW: Anna Friel in ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’

Posted on October 2, 2009 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – Anna Friel is attractive and spirited as Holly Golightly in Samuel Adamson’s new stage adaptation of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” at London’s Theatre Royal Haymarket, but the production cannot match her sparkle. The mountain-stream clarity of … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Theatre | Tagged 'Breakfast at Tiffany's', Anna Friel, Audrey Hepburn, Blake Edwards, George Peppard, Henry Mancini, Samuel Adamson, Theatre Royal Haymarket, Truman Capote | Comments Off

THEATRE REVIEW: ‘Mother Courage and Her Children’

Posted on September 29, 2009 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – There is much to admire in the National Theatre production of Tony Kushner’s translation of “Mother Courage and Her Children” Bertolt Brecht, especially Tom Pye’s dynamic set design and Duke Special’s inspired music. But it … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Reviews, Theatre | Tagged 'Mother Courage and Her Children', Bertolt Brecht, Deborah Warner, Duke Special, Fiona Shaw, National Theatre, Tom Pue, Tony Kushner | Comments Off

THEATRE REVIEW: ‘The Shawshank Redemption’

Posted on September 17, 2009 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – Fashioned more to take advantage of the enduring popularity of the 1994 movie, the stage version of “The Shawshank Redemption”, which moved to the West End following a good run in Dublin, succeeds as entertainment … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Theatre | Tagged 'The Shawshank Redemption', Kevin Anderson, Morgan Freeman, Peter Sheridan, Reg. E. Cathey, Stephen King, Tim Robbins, Wyndham's Theatre | Comments Off

THEATRE REVIEW: Rachel Weisz in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’

Posted on July 29, 2009 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – A knockout performance by Rachel Weisz as Blanche DuBois is the main reason to see “A Streetcar Named Desire,” running at London’s Donmar Warehouse through October 3. But the production has many other riches. Tony-winning … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Theatre | Tagged 'A Streetcar Named Desire', Barnaby Kay, Donmar Warehouse, Elia Kazan, Elliot Cowan, Jessica Tandy, Marlon Brando, Rachel Weisz, Rob Ashford, Ruth Wilson, Tennessee Williams, Vivien Leigh | Comments Off

THEATRE REVIEW: Ronald Harwood’s ‘Taking Sides’, ‘Collaboration’

Posted on July 1, 2009 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – British playwright Ronald Harwood’s 1995 play “Taking Sides” and his latest, “Collaboration,” presented in tandem at the Duchess Theatre in London’s West End, each deal with people trapped in the quagmire of Nazi Germany and … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Theatre | Tagged 'Collaboration', 'Taking Sides', David Horovitch, Duchess Theatre, Michael Pennington, Philip Franks, Ronald Harwood | Comments Off

THEATRE REVIEW: Helen Mirren in ‘Phaedre’

Posted on June 15, 2009 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – The National Theatre’s production of Jean Racine’s tragedy “Phaedre,” in a version by British poet Ted Hughes, is so full of “woe is me” lamentations that when John Shrapnel as Theramene begins his round-the-houses description … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Theatre | Tagged 'Phaedre', 'The Queen', Dominic Cooper, Helen Mirren, Jean Racine, National Theatre, Nicholas Hytner, Ted Hughes | Comments Off