Hampstead Theatre
I and You, Hampstead Theatre review - now streaming online, this YA play is oddly pertinentTuesday, 24 March 2020
The way that theatres and other arts institutions have leapt into action over the past week, providing a wealth of material online and new ways to connect with audiences, has been truly inspirational. Yesterday, the Hampstead Theatre re-released on... Read more... |
The Haystack, Hampstead Theatre review - a chilling surveillance state thrillerFriday, 07 February 2020
With counter-terrorism an urgent concern – and specifically how best to find, track and use the data of suspected threats, without sacrificing our privacy and civil liberties – it’s excellent timing for a meaty drama about the surveillance state.... Read more... |
The Tyler Sisters, Hampstead Theatre Downstairs review – raucous celebration of sisterhoodWednesday, 08 January 2020
The Tyler sisters start as they mean to go on: bickering. Middle sister Gail (Bryony Hannah) has come home from uni to find that youngest Katrina (Angela Griffin) has stolen her room. “What about Maddy’s? Why didn’t you take that?” Gail snaps. “She... Read more... |
Ravens: Spassky vs. Fischer, Hampstead Theatre review - it's game over for this chess playFriday, 06 December 2019
We’ve had Chess the musical; now, here’s Chess the play. Tom Morton-Smith, who has experience wrestling recent history into dramatic form with the acclaimed Oppenheimer, turns his attention to the 1972 World Chess Championship in Reykjavík, in which... Read more... |
Botticelli in the Fire, Hampstead Theatre review - history mash-up burns brightSaturday, 26 October 2019
Botticelli is a household name, but who knows the true story behind his most famous painting? The painter's 1480s masterpiece, The Birth of Venus, is one of the most striking images of Renaissance Florence – and has achieved iconic status. Because... Read more... |
Either, Hampstead Theatre review - funny, ingenious investigation of gender and loveFriday, 11 October 2019
This ingenious short work deftly investigates themes of love and identity with a breezy assurance that marks first time playwright, Ruby Thomas, out as a daring and exciting new voice. In an age where gender fluidity and polyamory are becoming... Read more... |
The King of Hell’s Palace, Hampstead Theatre review - Chinese scandal freezes the bloodFriday, 13 September 2019
New artistic directors are popping up all over British theatre. Every week seems to usher in a refreshingly versatile talent taking the reins of a major theatre. Tonight, veteran new writing advocate Roxana Silbert, the new head of Hampstead Theatre... Read more... |
Cash Cow, Hampstead Theatre review - timely look at pushy tennis parentsTuesday, 25 June 2019
“How much does she owe us?” So ponder the now estranged parents of a former tennis pro, as they calculate the very literal investment they’ve put into their daughter. This probing new play from Oli Forsyth – well timed for Queen’s and Wimbledon –... Read more... |
The Firm, Hampstead Theatre review - ferociously funny exploration of gang cultureWednesday, 15 May 2019
We are living in a time when gang culture rips and roars its way down London streets, and through newspaper headlines, at increasingly alarming levels. Recent news reports revealed how a surge in knife and gun crime is leading to more young black... Read more... |
Jude, Hampstead Theatre review - Greek tragedy for todayFriday, 03 May 2019
Edward Hall bids farewell to this venue, where he has been artistic director since 2010, with this production of a new play by Howard Brenton. The playwright has been a regular at the Hampstead Theatre, and he has enjoyed stagings of his history... Read more... |
Wilderness, Hampstead Theatre review - stark portrait of modern divorceFriday, 05 April 2019
“We don’t love you any less.” A natural sentiment to express to your child when you’re separating from your partner, but the very fact of saying it plants doubts in the child’s mind as to whether you really mean it. As the audience of Wilderness at... Read more... |
The Phlebotomist, Hampstead Theatre review - thought-provoking dystopian thrillerTuesday, 26 March 2019
Contemporary British theatre loves time travel — and not just to the past. It also enjoys imagining the future, especially the bad stuff ahead. So Ella Road's debut play, The Phlebotomist, is set in a convincingly coherent dystopia where genetic... Read more... |
