Theatre Reviews from Various Shows from The Arts Desk
A fascinating report on artistic dissent in Malaysia is looked at in The Arts Desk's theatre reviews, and a double dose of Terence Rattigan and a production that passes its MOT with flying colours also features.
For The Arts Desk in Kuala Lumpur feature, Terry Friel reports on the covert crack down on artistic freedom and dissident voices in Malaysia. An arts centre that dares to speak out, is the Annexe Gallery in the city's Art Deco Central Market. Despite the constant risk of arrest, the discussions and art exhibitions criticise and ask questions.
As part of The Arts Desk's MOT, The Globe, one of the most famous London theatres, played host to Howard Brenton's 'Anne Boleyn'. The story mixes history with fantasy, as various liberties are taken with the truth. The show is incredibly fun, although it does border on comedy theatre at times and even farce at one point.
The documentary 'The Rattigan Enigma' on BBC Four, was an absorbing survey of the playwright's life and work. The question of whether he is a middlebrow writer whose privileged upper-middle-class perspective alienates the average audience or instead is being deservedly lauded as a national theatre treasure was posed by the programme. Rattigan was both a social insider and an emotional outsider and he emerged as being a truly chameleonic figure.
The Chichester Festival Theatre was home to two more contrasting Rattigan plays that added to the debate. 'The Deep Blue Sea' is classic Rattigan and has an emphasis on characters subtly exposing their concealments and disappointments. Nicholas Wright's companion piece, 'Rattigan's Nijinsky' however, was pale in comparison. It incorporates an unproduced script wrote by Rattigan about the Ballets Russes dancer Nijinsky, into his own drama about why Rattigan then pulled the script with no explanation. The theatrical gameplaying unfortunately outdid the characterisation and left the tone quite alien to Rattigan's own.
For The Arts Desk in Kuala Lumpur feature, Terry Friel reports on the covert crack down on artistic freedom and dissident voices in Malaysia. An arts centre that dares to speak out, is the Annexe Gallery in the city's Art Deco Central Market. Despite the constant risk of arrest, the discussions and art exhibitions criticise and ask questions.
As part of The Arts Desk's MOT, The Globe, one of the most famous London theatres, played host to Howard Brenton's 'Anne Boleyn'. The story mixes history with fantasy, as various liberties are taken with the truth. The show is incredibly fun, although it does border on comedy theatre at times and even farce at one point.
The documentary 'The Rattigan Enigma' on BBC Four, was an absorbing survey of the playwright's life and work. The question of whether he is a middlebrow writer whose privileged upper-middle-class perspective alienates the average audience or instead is being deservedly lauded as a national theatre treasure was posed by the programme. Rattigan was both a social insider and an emotional outsider and he emerged as being a truly chameleonic figure.
The Chichester Festival Theatre was home to two more contrasting Rattigan plays that added to the debate. 'The Deep Blue Sea' is classic Rattigan and has an emphasis on characters subtly exposing their concealments and disappointments. Nicholas Wright's companion piece, 'Rattigan's Nijinsky' however, was pale in comparison. It incorporates an unproduced script wrote by Rattigan about the Ballets Russes dancer Nijinsky, into his own drama about why Rattigan then pulled the script with no explanation. The theatrical gameplaying unfortunately outdid the characterisation and left the tone quite alien to Rattigan's own.
About the Author:
Steve Alexander is a writer in London with a passion for the latest events at the many London theatres. For more information from the world of theatre in the capital, visit theartsdesk.com.
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