Tag Archives: National Theatre

THEATRE REVIEW: ‘A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum’

Posted on July 12, 2004 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – A shaggy dog story needs a captivating storyteller if it’s not to founder, and “A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum” is the shaggiest. With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and … Continue reading →

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THEATRE REVIEW: ‘His Dark Materials Parts 1 & 2’

Posted on February 10, 2004 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – For kids and adults who like to read children’s books, Philip Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” trilogy of fantasy novels are second in popularity only to the Harry Potter stories. They are rich with colorful characters … Continue reading →

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THEATRE REVIEW: David Hare’s ‘The Permanent Way’

Posted on January 27, 2004 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – When successive Conservative governments under Margaret Thatcher and John Major sold off most of the nationalised British rail system to private industry, former Tory prime minister Harold Macmillan described it as “selling off the family … Continue reading →

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THEATRE REVIEW: Michael Frayn’s ‘Democracy’

Posted on September 5, 2003 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – Michael Frayn’s absorbing new play has a straightforward surface as it look at the years from 1969 to 1974 when Willy Brandt, played by Roger Allam, was chancellor of West Germany until he was brought … Continue reading →

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THEATRE REVIEW: Kenneth Branagh in David Mamet’s ‘Edmond’

Posted on July 22, 2003 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – After a decade’s absence from the London stage, Kenneth Branagh could not have chosen a better showcase for his prodigious talents than David Mamet’s pugnacious little play “Edmond”. As the title character in Mamet’s allegory, … Continue reading →

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THEATRE REVIEW: Simon Russell Beale in Stoppard’s ‘Jumpers’

Posted on June 20, 2003 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – A professor of moral philosophy named George, played superbly by Simon Russell Beale (pictured) dictates his arguments for a speech in defense of the existence of God while, in the adjacent ballroom-sized lounge of his … Continue reading →

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