“Nasi is on a ladder. Heʼs not coming down any time soon”. As we file into the theatre Nasi is there in front of us, standing high up on the very tall ladder. His demeanor is casual and relaxed but unconvincing. This tense sight amplified by the sense that we had intruded midway through a […]
Consent To Entertainment: The Newspaper Boy
It probably says a lot about the kind of theatre I’m accustomed to that I was initially disappointed by the lack of soliloquies and arty shouting. After some adjustment, it turns out that well-drawn characters struggling relatably against society’s pettiness and cruelty, speaking from the heart with witty, unpretentious dialogue, against a backdrop of impeccable […]
Precious peace in the midst of chaos: Carol Ann Duffy’s ‘The Christmas Truce’
Nestled in the cosy confines of one of Manchester’s ancient armpits is 53two, a theatre in a railway arch offering an hour of festive transcendence to knackered shoppers and knackered everyone. These are grim times, and there’s a feeling in the air that this might be the last Christmas in which the West can stay […]