All stories by Arifa Akbar on BroadwayStars

Sunday, April 30, 2023

Wuthering Heights review " a deliciously dark Brontë with jagged edges restored by Arifa Akbar

Royal and Derngate theatre, NorthamptonCoal-black humour propels Brontë's tale of murderous desire, animal torture and family abuse Emily Brontë's gothic romance is so often cleansed o…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:24AM[SHARE]
Friday, April 28, 2023

A Play for the Living in a Time of Extinction review " Lydia West takes command by Arifa Akbar

Barbican, LondonThe star narrates an innovative, pedal-powered production that muses on the climate crisis but the wide range of topics limits the storytelling As a concept, Katie Mitchell's…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:36AM[SHARE]
Thursday, April 27, 2023

Retrograde review " toxicity meets integrity in exceptional Sidney Poitier drama by Arifa Akbar

Kiln theatre, LondonRyan Calais Cameron's terrific three-hander dramatises a meeting in 1955 Hollywood, mapping the dilemmas that actors of colour still face Two white men are having a frank…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:24AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Dixon and Daughters review " comic domestic noir reveals grim shadows by Arifa Akbar

Dorfman theatre, LondonWhen Mary returns home from prison, there is both humour and horror in store, as Deborah Bruce's play explores a cycle of abuse The set reveals a house sliced apart so…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:36AM[SHARE]
Thursday, April 20, 2023

Ain't Too Proud review " a Temptations jukebox musical by numbers by Arifa Akbar

Prince Edward theatre, LondonThis plodding account of the Motown band's highs and lows is more than a little soulless A musical about the Temptations was always going to have a phenomenal so…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:36PM[SHARE]

The Secret Life of Bees review " blazing songs light up civil rights drama by Arifa Akbar

Almeida theatre, LondonA young white woman and her Black housekeeper flee across the American south amid the historic struggle, buoyed by astonishingly powerful music First seen off-Broadway…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:54AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, April 19, 2023

Dancing at Lughnasa review " an exquisite staging of Brian Friel's evocative drama by Arifa Akbar

Olivier theatre, LondonThere are superb performances from a cast including Siobhán McSweeney and Ardal O'Hanlon in Josie Rourke's production Brian Friel's semi-autobiographical play, set …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:06AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, April 18, 2023

Strike! review " Dublin shop-workers stage an anti-apartheid protest by Arifa Akbar

Southwark Playhouse, LondonDepicting a brave group who took a stand against selling South African goods in 1984, this spirited show raises the question of why the Dunnes Stores strike isn't …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:02AM[SHARE]
Monday, April 17, 2023

The Silence and the Noise review " star-crossed romance along county lines by Arifa Akbar

Available onlineThe daughter of an addict and a young man trapped in the drugs trade meet in an unsentimental tale that blends tenderness and tragedy Two teenagers meet on a bombed-out sofa …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:42AM[SHARE]
Sunday, April 16, 2023

If You Fall review " an emotive journey through the pitfalls of end-of-life care by Arifa Akbar

Old Vic, BristolPlayful yet plaintive, this six-person show condemns the indignities suffered by two vulnerable elderly people navigating our inadequate system It seems like a particularly a…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:06AM[SHARE]
Friday, April 14, 2023

Life Is a Dream review " profound play messes merrily with reality by Arifa Akbar

Barbican, LondonCheek By Jowl's Spanish-language version of the surreal 1635 classic fuses dreamlike garishness with bizarre slapstick Pedro Calderón de la Barca's 1635 verse play interro…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:32AM[SHARE]
Thursday, April 13, 2023

Hamnet review " slick adaptation captures Shakespeare's horrified unravelling by Arifa Akbar

Swan theatre, Stratford-upon-AvonLolita Chakrabarti's staging of Maggie O'Farrell's moving novel about the death of the playwright's son " and his resurrection in Hamlet " is powerfully play…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:12AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, April 12, 2023

Richard III review " Adjoa Andoh's maverick reimagining drags by Arifa Akbar

Liverpool PlayhouseThe actor and director pitches the antihero as a racial outsider. She is compelling, but he is an inconsistent character in a production leached of intrigue This productio…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:02AM[SHARE]
Friday, April 7, 2023

The Woman Who Turned Into a Tree review " horror fable of a divided self by Arifa Akbar

Omnibus theatre, LondonUsing brilliantly expressive movement, a modern Daphne is torn between a glossy public face and an inner world of howling self-hate A woman in blond wig and sparkly sk…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:42AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, April 5, 2023

A Little Life review " James Norton's sexually abused lawyer is spared no misery by Arifa Akbar

Harold Pinter theatre, LondonSome called it torture porn, others a masterpiece. Ivo van Hove brings Hanya Yanagihara's novel to the West End, complete with spurting blood, relentless sadism …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:32PM[SHARE]

Sea Creatures review " a strange shapeless study of family grief and love by Arifa Akbar

Hampstead Theatre Downstairs, LondonCordelia Lynn seeks to rewrite the rules of playwriting in this rough jewel of a play about a family of women What we know is that this is a house by the …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:02AM[SHARE]
Sunday, April 2, 2023

Sugar Coat review " a rocking coming-of-age story of trauma and healing by Arifa Akbar

Southwark Playhouse, LondonHeadbanging frontwoman Dani Heron moves from schoolgirl sex, parties and music-making to teen pregnancy, miscarriage, rape and depression The set is a cross betwee…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:02AM[SHARE]
Friday, March 31, 2023

The Lost Spells review " enchanting musical has an abundance of magic by Arifa Akbar

Watford Palace theatreA cockney fox and a preening jackdaw open our eyes to the wonders of nature in this charming show based on Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris's book In this new musica…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:02PM[SHARE]
Thursday, March 30, 2023

Berlusconi: A New Musical review " bunga bunga banality by Arifa Akbar

Southwark Playhouse Elephant, LondonIt's a nice idea but this disconnected show about the former Italian PM makes some bizarre choices and lacks satirical bite This satire about Italy's form…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:36AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, March 29, 2023

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead review " a magnificent Complicité creation by Arifa Akbar

Barbican, LondonSimon McBurney directs a toweringly innovative adaptation of the eco-thriller by Nobel-winner Olga Tokarczuk The opening night of this Complicité production was aborted at t…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:42AM[SHARE]
Monday, March 27, 2023

Winnie the Pooh review " Disney juggernaut is a musical snooze by Arifa Akbar

Riverside Studios, LondonThe puppets are lovely but this hour-long show has anodyne songs and a hodgepodge of tales On paper, this Disney musical about AA Milne's honey-loving bear and his …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:54AM[SHARE]
Friday, March 24, 2023

Slow Violence review " surreal comedy of apocalyptic office politics by Arifa Akbar

Pleasance, LondonThe climate crisis is explored via the senseless bureaucracy of a travel agency in a show that lacks subtlety Office politics can be a keen mirror of group behaviour and so…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:42AM[SHARE]
Thursday, March 23, 2023

Killing the Cat review " musical about science v God is purr-gatory by Arifa Akbar

Riverside Studios, LondonA talented cast can't save this bizarre production about a holiday romance dogged by a conflict in ideology This musical begins like a cheesy Mills & Boon romanc…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:54AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Black Superhero review " original queer drama with plenty of kapow by Arifa Akbar

Royal Court theatre, LondonPart satire, part serious drama, Danny Lee Wynter's story of gay love and acting slowly reveals its emotional powers Actor Danny Lee Wynter's debut as a playwright…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:26AM[SHARE]
Sunday, March 19, 2023

The Way Old Friends Do review " super troupers shine in a fun, frothy comedy by Arifa Akbar

Park theatre, LondonTwo friends put together an Abba tribute band and explore ideas of male friendship, homophobia and family in Ian Hallard's witty play Abba superfans might recognise this …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:06AM[SHARE]
Friday, March 17, 2023

Baldwin v Buckley: how the 'debate play' made a riveting resurgence by Arifa Akbar

Verbal clashes from history are being thrillingly restaged for modern audiences. Do these grand battles prove we've lost the art of disagreement? And could watching them anew change the poli…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:00PM[SHARE]

Further Than the Furthest Thing review " slow-burn study of seclusion and secrecy by Arifa Akbar

Young Vic, LondonSet on a volcanic island, this play goes through dormant spells but its themes of colonial conquest are enriched by dazzling design and atmosphere Here is a keen study of is…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:24AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Farm Hall review " riveting wartime thriller shows secret mission to bug German nuclear scientists by Arifa Akbar

Jermyn Street theatre, LondonAs the race to produce the first atomic bomb nears its terrible conclusion in 1945, six members of Germany's nuclear weapons programme are detained at a stately …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:27AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, March 14, 2023

Guys and Dolls review " Nicholas Hytner's gamble pays off by Arifa Akbar

Bridge theatre, LondonThis immersive production of the New York musical has a bold design, superb singing and chemistry between its stars Frank Loesser's 1950 musical comedy about sin and ro…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:01PM[SHARE]

Snobbery about audience behaviour stifles theatre " it's a collective experience | Arifa Akbar by Arifa Akbar

Distracting behaviour, from eating noisily to using mobile phones, is a vexed issue. But the chorus of disapproval often suggests elitism and overlooks theatre's history The recent debate ov…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:00AM[SHARE]
Friday, March 10, 2023

Good Day review " love, death and robots in sleek sci-fi romcom by Arifa Akbar

Vault festival, Network theatre, LondonA depressed 500-year-old wants to remove her immortality implant in this entertaining and kooky dark comedy which lands just short of saying something …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:52AM[SHARE]

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