MICK MCSHANE is roused by a band whose socialism laces every line of every song with commitment and raw passion
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Theatre: Hamlet, Leeds Playhouse
A gender-swapping production of Shakespeare’s tragedy disappoints
Rebellious youth: Tessa Parr as Hamlet
New releases from Mountain, Soul Asylum and Michael McDermott
ALEX HALL is disgusted by the misuse of ‘emotional narratives’ to justify uninformed geo-political prejudice
SUE TURNER welcomes a thoughtful, engaging book that lays bare the economic realities of global waste management
JOHN GREEN welcomes an insider account of the achievements and failures of the transition to democracy in Portugal
SIMON PARSONS applauds an imaginative and absorbing updating of Strindberg’s classic
PETER MASON is enthralled by an assembly of objects, ancient and modern, that have lain in the mud of London’s river
WOMEN have been cast in the role of Hamlet since the late 1800s but it’s only in recent years that there’s been a trend towards them playing the role as the Princess, rather than Prince, of Denmark.
That shift is reflected in their assuming positions of authority and being open about their sexuality and so it is in this production, with director Amy Leach regendering many of the other key characters.
Tessa Parr’s Hamlet is a rebellious youth — emphasised by her non-royal leisure wear — who returns home from university to attend the king’s funeral and, in a silent prologue, spars with Horatio (Crystal Condie) before being visited by her father’s ghost.
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SUSAN DARLINGTON revels in a band that know their own continuing relevance
