I’ve fallen a bit behind in the last week and am now going to get some Winter sunshine, so here’s a quick catch-up on shows I’ve seen.
Cleansed** (National Theatre, Dorfman)
Writer: Sarah Kane; Director: Katie Mitchell
Groundbreaking in its day (1998) and still shocking, the late Sarah Kane’s plotless play is a stark, vivid, harrowing, relentless and surreal montage of victims and abusers. Staged impressively and acted with total commitment by a cast of seven, the production presents many challenges to an audience and, sadly, I was not up to meeting them.
Performance date: 22 February 2016
Just the Two of Us**** (St James Theatre)
Performers: Claire Martin & Joe Stilgoe
Mellow jazz for a Sunday evening. Just perfect!
Performance date: 21 February 2016
The Encounter**** (Barbican Theatre)
Director/Performer: Simon McBurney
Endlessly inventive, but overlong telling of an engrossing story of jungle survival.
Performance date: 21 February 2016
The Pianist of Willesden Lane**** (St James Theatre)
Adaptor/Director Hershey Felder
Performer: Mona Golabek
Beautiful piano music soothes the pain of a true story of wartime tragedy.
Performance date: 13 February 2016
The Beast's Pen 