Category Archives: Theatre

THEATRE REVIEW: Joanna Murray-Smith’s ‘Honour’

Posted on February 16, 2006 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – A young intruder’s destruction of a long marriage is at the heart of Joanna Murray-Smith’s play “Honour” and it contains much insight and wisdom except that it’s inconceivable the celebrated media couple involved would never … Continue reading →

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THEATRE REVIEW: ‘Coram Boy’ at the National

Posted on November 16, 2005 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – The National’s production of “Corum Boy” is the most thrilling, moving and intoxicating piece of theater since the last time it adapted a children’s book for grown-ups, Philip Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” almost two years … Continue reading →

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THEATRE REVIEW: Tommy Steele in ‘Scrooge’

Posted on November 10, 2005 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – Tommy Steele was Britain’s first rock and roll star in the 1950s and while his music was more pop than rock he claimed a lifelong place in the affections of British fans that makes his … Continue reading →

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THEATRE REVIEW: George Bernard Shaw’s ‘You Never Can Tell’

Posted on November 8, 2005 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – Anyone who has seen “Pygmalion” (or “My Fair Lady”) will know what kind of sexual politics to expect from George Bernard Shaw’s less well-known and well-crafted but similarly engaging comedy of manners, “You Never Can … Continue reading →

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THEATRE REVIEW: Pirandello’s ‘As You Desire Me’

Posted on October 28, 2005 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – Kristin Scott Thomas eclipses the memory of Greta Garbo on the London stage with an impeccable performance in the silent screen star’s role in “As You Desire Me” following Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio’s unforgettable fading ballerina … Continue reading →

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THEATRE REVIEW: Aaron Sorkin’s ‘A Few Good Men’

Posted on October 25, 2005 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – “The West Wing” creator Aaron Sorkin’s entertaining courtroom drama “A Few Good Men” survives the journey from its Cold War roots in David Esbjornson’s production but it cannot escape the shadow of the star power … Continue reading →

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THEATRE REVIEW: Kevin Spacey as ‘Richard II’

Posted on October 5, 2005 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – Kevin Spacey brings his penetrating wit to the title role of Shakespeare’s “Richard II” at the Old Vic and helps director Trevor Nunn’s modern-dress production achieve a thoroughly modern relevance. Men in suits armed with … Continue reading →

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THEATRE REVIEW: David Edgar’s ‘Playing With Fire’

Posted on October 4, 2005 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – David Edgar’s new play at the National, “Playing With Fire” deals with the nuts and bolts of local politics and how it can suffer when the big guns from party headquarters breeze into town but … Continue reading →

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THEATRE REVIEW: Christopher Hampton’s ‘The Philanthropist’

Posted on September 14, 2005 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – Christopher Hampton’s bland 1970 sex comedy “The Philanthropist”, revived at the Donmar Warehouse, boasts a wonderfully expressive performance by Simon Russell Beale but its story of a blinkered, shy and uncritical English professor who is … Continue reading →

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THEATRE REVIEW: ‘Theatre of Blood’ at the National

Posted on July 26, 2005 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – The very camp but wickedly amusing 1973 film “Theatre of Blood”, which starred Vincent Price as a bad Shakespearean actor who murders his critics using devices employed in the Bard’s plays, has been adapted by … Continue reading →

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