The Duchess of Malfi review " a suitable intensity of vision by Clare Brennan

Nottingham Playhouse Fiona Buffini's production does justice to John Webster's play " even if at times the sense of his words is lostTwo kinds of musicality can make or mar a production: the…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:06am on November 8, 2015☆⚑

The Oresteia review " strong performances at odds with the setting by Clare Brennan

Home, ManchesterAncient and modern clash in a production that juxtaposes a potent mythic past with a contemporary-styled and costumed presentHere is a space for Greek tragedy. Darkness is co…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:24am on November 1, 2015☆⚑

Gaslight review " Tara Fitzgerald impresses in taut psychological thriller by Clare Brennan

Royal & Derngate, NorthamptonPatrick Hamilton's melodramatic play is superbly acted and grippingly directed Guardian theatre critic Michael Billington says stage programming seems to be …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:28am on October 23, 2015☆⚑

Anita and Me review " fragmented adaptation of Meera Syal's novel by Clare Brennan

This semi-musical drama about an Asian girl growing up in the Midlands in the 1970s never quite hits its strideAnyone whose parents came from elsewhere will be familiar with the gaps between…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:41am on October 18, 2015☆⚑

The Tempest review " a new spin on an old play by Clare Brennan

Northern Stage, Newcastle upon TyneShakespeare's tale is relocated to a laundry room in this beautifully designed adaptation directed by Phelim McDermottDirector Phelim McDermott takes putti…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 4:43am on October 4, 2015☆⚑

Iliad review " full of sound and furniture by Clare Brennan

The Ffwrnes, LlanelliScreens, tyres, a wandering audience and hundreds of plastic chairs besiege this staging of Homer's epic, told in four separate playsSpace permitting, I intend to mentio…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 4:09am on September 27, 2015☆⚑

The Glass Menagerie review " 3D actors trapped in a 2D production by Clare Brennan

West Yorkshire Playhouse, LeedsContext is eradicated and reality shunned in this radical reading of Tennessee Williams's family drama, saved only by impressive actingTennessee Williams locat…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:06am on September 20, 2015☆⚑

Brave New World review " impressive but frustrating by Clare Brennan

Royal & Derngate, Northampton Melodrama and anticlimax weaken an often dazzling adaptation of Aldous Huxley's futuristic classicThis new adaptation of Aldous Huxley's 1932 satirical nove…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 4:01am on September 13, 2015☆⚑

Lanark: A Life in Three Acts review " arresting adaptation of a literary classic by Clare Brennan

Royal Lyceum theatre, EdinburghDavid Greig captures the spirit of Alasdair Gray's novel in a visually stunning productionDavid Greig's adaptation is big, sprawling and (at four hours) long. …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 4:04am on August 30, 2015☆⚑

Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour review " a high-energy kick by Clare Brennan

Traverse theatre, Edinburgh There are great performances from these Convent girls let loose in Edinburgh in Lee Hall's adaptation of the Alan Warner novelStoatin' performances and a smokin' …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:36am on August 23, 2015☆⚑

887 review " touching, intimate, powerful by Clare Brennan

Edinburgh International Conference CentreRobert Lepage invites us into his childhood home and life in Quebec via an on-stage memory palace of dazzling shifting perspectivesMemory and forgetf…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:36am on August 23, 2015☆⚑

The Encounter review " kaleidoscopes through times and place by Clare Brennan

Edinburgh International Conference CentreSimon McBurney impresses with a visceral world of sound that transports his audience from the Amazonian rainforest to his daughter's bedroomSimon McB…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:36am on August 23, 2015☆⚑

DruidShakespeare review " this blessed plot of English kings, conjured from Eire by Clare Brennan

Kilkenny arts festival, IrelandA gender-blind reworking of Shakespeare's history plays drives home their universality for kings and commoners alike,"This blessed plot, this earth, this …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:39am on August 16, 2015☆⚑

Richard II review " sparkling tragedy pushed to the verge of triviality by Clare Brennan

Shakespeare's Globe, LondonThough full of good things, Simon Godwin's production shies away from complexityShakespeare's historical tragedy about the deposition of Richard II by his cousin B…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 4:02am on July 26, 2015☆⚑

Mack & Mabel review " scintillating choreography steals the show by Clare Brennan

Chichester Festival theatreBig numbers and slapstick form the true beating heart of Chichester's revival of the 1974 musicalMack & Mabel: the title says equals, the plot says not. This 1…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 4:02am on July 26, 2015☆⚑

The Wind in the Willows/ Romeo and Juliet review " pitch-perfect double bill by Clare Brennan

Grosvenor Park Open Air theatre, ChesterThese versatile actors move seamlessly from Toad Hall to tragedyIn theatre, what you see is seldom what you get. For instance, just now, what we see i…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 4:24am on July 19, 2015☆⚑

Volpone review " slick and well acted, but too self-consciously modern by Clare Brennan

RSC, Stratford-upon-AvonTrevor Nunn's tech-savvy update reduces this vicious comedy to a slight entertainmentNeon lights, glass-panelled walls, information flashing along an LED strip, mobil…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:54am on July 12, 2015☆⚑

Hoard festival review " a rich and rewarding cache of stories by Clare Brennan

New Vic theatre, Newcastle-under-LymeAn event inspired by a hoard of Anglo-Saxon treasure opens with a couple of gemsAt first, I didn't quite get the makeup of this five-week festival. My fa…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:15am on July 5, 2015☆⚑

Noises Off review " David Thacker's 'vertiginous' farewell treat by Clare Brennan

The Octagon, BoltonThe Octagon's artistic director says goodbye with a fine production of Michael Frayn's side-splitting farce-within-a-farceIn Russia in 1906, Vsevolod Meyerhold directed Al…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:42am on June 21, 2015☆⚑

Othello review " convincing and moving by Clare Brennan

Royal Shakespeare theatre, Stratford-upon-AvonIqbal Khan's modern-dress production takes its time but finally delivers a powerful punch, with Iago as its pivot"Your words and performances ar…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:42am on June 21, 2015☆⚑

The Hook review " Arthur Miller's lost 50s tale of union corruption by Clare Brennan

Royal & Derngate, NorthamptonThis version of the screenplay that was never made is atmospheric but shows its ageThe idea of the "common man" as tragic hero is central to Arthur Miller's …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:36am on June 14, 2015☆⚑

Yer Granny review " salty, saucy, vinegar-sharp performances by Clare Brennan

King's theatre, EdinburghGregor Fisher is the picture of conspicuous consumption in Douglas Maxwell's hilarious reworking of Roberto Cossa's playThe small flat above the chip shop is a strip…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:03am on June 7, 2015☆⚑

The Mother review " tied to the kitchen sink by Clare Brennan

Ustinov Studio, Theatre Royal BathA mesmerising Gina McKee in the title role helps salvage Florian Zeller's misogynistic family drama Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:40am on May 31, 2015☆⚑

Peter Pan review " you'll believe a boy can fly by Clare Brennan

Regent's Park Open Air theatre, LondonSetting Peter Pan in the Somme combines fantasy and wartime horror to powerful effectWhat's to be gained by reframing JM Barrie's classic story " reloca…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 2:45am on May 31, 2015☆⚑

Pride & Prejudice review " voguish, costumed, class snobbery by Clare Brennan

Crucible theatre, Sheffield; until 6 JuneSimon Reade's broad-stroke reworking of Jane Austen is watchable if lacking in any real depthExam season is upon us, so here's a question. One critic…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:00am on May 24, 2015☆⚑