Rev Stan's Theatre Blog
London theatre reviews and interviews
Category: Barbican
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The last play I saw Cate Blanchett in, I described at the time as a 'tedious two hours', so I was keen to see her in something different – and better. In The Seagull at the Barbican Theatre, she isn't the only star casting joined by Tom Burke (Trigorin), Emma Corrin (Nina), Tanya Reynolds (Masha),…
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This feels like a moment; I haven't been able to do a best-of theatre list since 2019 because of 'you know what'. It's been huge fun revisiting the plays I've seen – nearly 50. And while that total is down on pre-pandemic levels, it was still tricky to narrow down my choices, but here goes.…
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Ivo Van Hove is back at the Barbican with a bang and another epic, Age of Rage, which spans six Greek tragedies that follow the fall out of the Trojan war. Barbecue time as the audience arrive for Age of Rage at the Barbican Theatre 2022 Well, actually, there is a bit of back story…
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There were few people outside my theatre friends who could understand my excitement at having spent 6 hours watching Shakespeare performed in Dutch. But it was brilliant, and it was at the Barbican theatre. Barbican Theatre lockdown March 2021 The Barbican is one of only a few big theatres in London I actually like. The…
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Going to see a much-loved film or book that has been adapted for the stage can conjure up a mixture of feelings from excitement to nerves. Sometimes there is an element of curiosity about how it will be adapted. So have you seen a screen or stage adaptation that has particularly surprised you in how…
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Sometimes when the actors line up to take a bow at the end of a play it can be emotional, revealing or provoke some spontaneous fun or japes. One of my favourite curtain call moments involved two of the actors doing a joke replay of a scene in the play. Do you have a favourite…
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The coronavirus pandemic and lockdown has thrown a whole new light on certain plays, the ones about isolation, loneliness and surreal landscapes. So I've compiled a list of plays that I think reflect the current weirdness and how we might be feeling. Photo by Timon Studler on Unsplash These aren't plays that are for escapism…
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The best play Rev Stan has seen from each of the past 10 years.
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Here is a snapshot of my favourite theatre from the past 10 years. I say 'favourite', I've tried not to overthink it, these are simply the plays that stand out most in my memory, the ones I talk about if people ask. Stan's growing pile of theatre tickets The list is not about plays that…
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Murphy's performance is a triumph, pitching with precision from one emotional extreme to another. Cillian Murphy and writer Enda Walsh's collaborations on stage tend to lean towards the surreal and avant-garde and Grief Is The Thing With Features is no exception. Based on the award-winning novel by Max Porter, a man (Murphy) is holed-up in…