Rev Stan's Theatre Blog
London theatre reviews and interviews
Category: Hampstead Theatre
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Michael Frayn’s play Copenhagen is a philosophical, moral mystery set around a meeting between Danish physicist Niels Bohr (Richard Schiff), his wife, Margrethe (Alex Kingston) and German physicist Werner Heisenberg (Damien Molony) in 1941. The two men had once worked closely together, but the war saw Germany invade and occupy Denmark, leaving the half-Jewish Bohr…
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Fatherland at Hampstead Theatre Downstairs is the story of an enthusiastic, fun-seeking dad Winston (Jason Thorpe) and a reluctant daughter Joy (Nancy Farino), on a road trip to Ireland to discover family roots. Winston has converted an old school bus for the journey and is seemingly motivated by a desire to take Joy out of…
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Dickie Beau in SHOWMANISM. Photo: Amanda Searle Ian McKellan is on stage. Or at least his voice is, but not the man himself, that part's being played Dickie Beau. Having interviewed the renowned actor about performing, Dickie Beau re-delivers what he says by lip-synching with pinpoint timing. He captures perfectly the variations in speed of…
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Jamie Bisping, Sara Hazemi, Paul Thornley and Ruby Stokes in The Habits, Hampstead Theatre. Photo: Genevieve Girling The Habits is set in a board game cafe where Jess (Ruby Stokes), Maryn (Sara Hazemi) and Milo (Jamie Bisping) meet to escape into a world of Dungeons & Dragons dwarfs, wizards and the mysterious Nightmare King. Cafe…
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Reykjavik, Hampstead Theatre. Photo: Mark Douet Richard Bean's new play Reykjavik at the Hampstead Theatre is set in the 1970s among a community of Hull-based trawler fishing men. It is hard and dangerous work, taking the men away for three weeks at a time as they head further and further into potentially dangerous waters to…
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Natalie Simpson as Marianne and James Corrigan as Stefan. Photo: Marc Brenner It's curious that the play description on the Hampstead Theatre website for Visit From An Unknown Woman focuses on the male character, Stefan, played by James Corrigan, while the story firmly revolves around the mysterious Marianne (Natalie Simpson). Based on a short story…
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Anushka Chakravarti, Rachael Stirling and Dominic Rowan in The Divine Mrs S at Hampstead Theatre. Photo: Johan Persson As The Divine Mrs S opens, we see brother and sister actors John Kemble (Dominic Rowan) and Sarah Siddens (Rachael Stirling) performing on stage at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. John gives a booming, stilted performance in…
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It feels like theatre returned with a splash in 2023 after the dark days of Covid. I saw 62 and a half plays (64 and a half, including second viewings) across London's plethora of theatres, from tiny pubs to big West End stages. Here are my favourite 10 plays – in no particular order (links…
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Nathaniel Parker & Jacob Fortune-Lloyd in Rock 'n' Roll, Hampstead Theatre 2023. Photo Manuel Harlan Cards on the table, I don't always get on with Tom Stoppard's plays. I love Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead but have yet to find another of his plays that resonates or connects with me. Would Rock 'n' Roll at…
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Marion Bailey and Alun Armstrong as Flo & Jack Kirk in To Have and To Hold, Hampstead Theatre. Photo: Marc Brenner Is Richard Bean's new comedy To Have and To Hold at the Hampstead Theatre as funny as One Man, Two Guv'nors? Comparison, when you've had such a big hit, is inevitable. This has a…