The Effect

by Douglas Schatz | Sep 15, 2023 | Reviews

The Effect

by Lucy Prebble

Directed by Jamie Lloyd

National Theatre, London

September 2023

Paapa Essiedu and Taylor Russell
in The Effect.
Photo by Marc Brenner

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Lucy Prebble’s play The Effect was first produced in 2012 in the Cottesloe Theatre at the National Theatre. It is now being revived in a new production with a revised text in the larger Lyttelton space, directed by Jamie Lloyd and starring Paapa Essiedu and Taylor Russell.

The play charts the effects on two young people who participate in a residential drug trial, during the course of which they are given escalating doses of a new anti-depressant. The two fall in love, but they are unsure whether they can trust that their feelings are real. All of this is orchestrated and observed by two doctors, who are trying to assess how much their increasingly intense behaviour can be attributed to the effect of the drug.

Jamie Lloyd’s work as a director is not to everyone’s taste – so what did Jodi and I make of his version of this very thought-provoking play?

The Effect is running in the Lyttelton Theatre at the National Theatre until 7th October.

The Pillowman

by Douglas Schatz | Aug 21, 2023 | Reviews

The Pillowman

by Martin McDonagh

Directed by Matthew Dunster

Duke of York’s Theatre, London

August 2023

Lily Allen as Katurian and Steve Pemberton as Topolski
in The Pillowman.

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Martin McDonagh’s 2004 play The Pillowman is an uneasy mix of gruesome fairy tales, child abuse and murder, overlaid with McDonagh’s signature black humour. Singer Lily Allen and Steve Pemberton head the cast of this revival directed by Matthew Dunster, who worked with McDoonagh on his last two plays. Jodi and I attempt to reconcile the horror and the laughs of the play in this new production.

We also review Tom Basden’s hilarious new adaptation of Dario Fo’s Accidental Death of an Anarchist at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in this same episode, which as it happens is also set in a police station, but is a very different story.

Accidental Death of an Anarchist

by Douglas Schatz | Aug 21, 2023 | Reviews

Accidental Death of an Anarchist

by Dario Fo and Franca Rame, adapted by Tom Basden

Directed by Daniel Raggett

Theatre Royal Haymarket, London

August 2023

Tom Andrews, Tony Gardner and Daniel Rigby
in Accidental Death of an Anarchist
Photo by Helen Murray

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Dario Fo’s satirical farce Accidental Death of an Anarchist was written in Italy 1970 in response to the unexplained death of a prisoner in police custody in Milan. Actor and comedian Tom Basden has written an hilarious new adaptation that updates the setting and scandal to modern-day Britain. The production directed by Danniel Raggett started life at Sheffield Theatres, before transferring to the Lyric Hammersmith, and now arrives in the West End. It is running at the Theatre Royal Haymarket until 9th September.

Jodi and I also review Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman at the Duke of York’s Theatre in this same episode, which as it happens is also set in a police station, but is a very different story.

Dear England

by Douglas Schatz | Aug 10, 2023 | Reviews

Dear England

by James Graham

Directed by Rupert Goold

National Theatre, London

August 2023

Joseph Fiennes as Gareth Southgate
National Theatre, July 2023
Photo by Marc Brenner

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Jodi and I review James Graham’s latest play Dear England, which is running on the Olivier stage at the National Theatre in London until 11th August 2023, but you will have another chance to cheer when it transfers to the Prince Edward Theatre in the West End from the 9th of October.

Graham has earned acclaim for masterfully turning contemporary British history into accessible and thought-provoking theatrical drama. Dear England charts the rise and influence of Gareth Southgate as the Manager of the England men’s football team from his appointment in 2016 to the present day. As unlikely as this sounds for the subject of a production at the National Theatre, as Jodi and I discuss, the play is about more than just football.

Romeo and Juliet

by Douglas Schatz | Aug 1, 2023 | Reviews

Romeo and Juliet

by William Shakespeare

Directed by Rebecca Frecknall

Almeida Theatre, London

21st July 2023

Isis Hainsworth as Juliet and Toheeb Jimoh as Romeo
Almeida Theatre, July 2023
Photo by Marc Brenner

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Jodi Rilot and I share our thoughts about Rebecca Frecknall’s production of Romeo and Juliet at the Almeida Theatre in London. Rebecca Frecknall is currently the hottest director in town, her most recent credits including A Streetcar Named Desire with Paul Mescal and Patsy Ferran, which also started life at the Almeida before transferring to the West End, as well as her innovative production of Cabaret. She is known for her stripped down, modern takes on classic titles and her Romeo and Juliet is no exception.

The Motive and the Cue

by Douglas Schatz | Jul 3, 2023 | Reviews

The Motive and the Cue

by Jack Thorne

Directed by Sam Mendes

National Theatre, London

3 July 2023

Mark Gatiss as John Gielgud and
Johnny Flynn as Richard Burton
in The Motive and the Cue
at the National Theatre May 2023
Photo by Mark Douet

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The Motive and the Cue at the National Theatre in London is currently one of the hottest tickets in town.

There are numerous reasons why this show is so popular, starting with the fact that it tells the story of when two acting giants of the 20th century, Sir John Gielgud and Richard Burton, came together to stage Hamlet on Broadway in 1964. This was at a time when Burton had just married Elizabeth Taylor, and they were the most famous couple in the world. Mark Gatiss and Johnny Flynn recreate Gielgud and Burton respectively.

The play is written by Jack Thorne, the amazingly prolific author for stage and screen, and directed by Sam Mendes.

So many reasons to want to see this show. Jodi Rilot returns to help me to assess whether it lives up to its billing.