Reviews Written by J

Not Your Life follows Jacob (Yalim Danisman), who returns from war to find that his best-friend (Rian Cash) and his best-friends' wife (Lucy Clifton) have made a life for themselves in the house Jacob used to call home. What entails is an exploration of the jealousies and fractures within the trio, as they bubble to the surface after years of repression.  A story conceived by Yalim Danisman (writer and performer) and Ege Kucucuk (director), Not Your Life is performed at the Etcetera Theatre, a small but formidable pub theatre. The Etcetera is a successful catalyst for developing talent. Spaces like this are increasingly rare (the loss of Vault Festival, for example, still casts a shadow) and it is great to see venues providing a platform for up-and-coming talent. Not Your Life is an intimate and varied portrait of relationships, be it as friends, enemies or lovers. All the unfolding drama is against the backdrop of the residual trauma of warfare and childhood. Not Your Life also se...

Previously not on my radar, The Coronet Theatre is home to a highly varied, international programme. It was my first time visiting the venue, and made a really strong impression: incredibly helpful staff, and home to a bar that can only be described as the eighth wonder of the world. When I went to collect my tickets, I found that alongside them I had also received a handwritten postcard - a thoughtful touch. The Coronet Theatre clearly has much to offer, and this production is no exception. Einkvan is a play from Nobel Prize winner Jon Fosse. It is directed by the radical Kjersti Horn, artistic director of the Det Norske Teatret. Einkvan transfers from Det Norske Teatret for its UK premiere at The Coronet.  Eikvan takes place entirely behind a translucent curtain, veiling the actors and crew. Our only real insight into what goes on behind the curtain is through live videography, which is projected above the stage. At all times we only ever see what the cameras want us to see. The ...

Richard II may not be the most popular of Shakespeare's plays but this production has certainly drawn crowds. Nicholas Hytner's contemporary adaptation, staring heart-throb Jonathan Bailey, has much to say to the modern audience, whilst maintaining its Shakespearean spirit (and of course language).  While waiting around in the bar area it becomes clear exactly whom everyone is here for. Conversations involving Bailey's name range from excitement to unmoderated thirst. My concern with this production, was that it would be yet another star-vehicle that left an unfortunate bitter taste in the mouth. That the cult of celebrity would again scupper an otherwise great play. On this occasion I may have misjudged.  Bailey's performance is strong, impressively so. His approach to this role is perhaps not too far away from his role in Phoebe Waller-Bridge's Crashing , my first and until only other experience of his acting.  Bailey's Richard II is bipolar (in the sense he g...