WILL STONE fact-checks the colourful life of Ozzy Osbourne
Words words words
MARY CONWAY wonders if a single absurd concept is enough to sustain a drama, however beautiful the actors
SKILFUL: Aidan Turner as Oliver and Jenna Coleman as Bernadette
[Johan Persson] 
JAMES CROSSLEY applauds a lucid biography of the German radical preacher who reemerged as a hero in the GDR
Prizes all round: the Bard hands plaudits to the Miners Gala, OT&JC, Joe Solo, Black Sabbath’s frontman and the Lionesses
Star cartoonist JAMIE BRITTON is in awe of a graphic novel of epic proportions that explores class, religion and globalisation via the strange cultivation of Ginseng in the US Midwest
GUILLERMO THOMAS is intrigued by a history of the Middle East that demonstrates how promising post colonial beginnings were snuffed out by Western imperialist interests
MARIA DUARTE recommends the intricate study of a high-performance and highly dysfuntional German family
Lemons Lemons Lemons
Harold Pinter Theatre
IF I’d read this play before I saw it, I’d never have tipped it for the West End stage… which just goes to show what the charm and star quality of two handsome actors can do.
Heartthrob Aiden Turner of Poldark fame smiles and strolls his way through a deceptively tight and skilful performance as if he’s wearing a pair of cosy slippers, while Jemma Coleman (of Doctor Who and Victoria) keeps us on our toes with her easy physicality and warmth in this fast-moving, multi-scene bonanza. For the audience it feels like a private evening in the company of beautiful people, which is, it seems, sufficient to make it the blockbuster it is.
The play by Sam Steiner hinges on one single, frankly absurd, idea: that the government has, for some inexplicable reason, passed a law that rations language. 140 words is the daily limit per person. If this is enforceable, I’d like to know how.
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MARY CONWAY applauds the success of Beth Steel’s bitter-sweet state-of-the-nation play
MARY CONWAY is blown away by a flawless production of Lynn Nottage’s exquisite tragedy
MARY CONWAY revels in the Irish American language and dense melancholy of O’Neill’s last and little-known play
MARY CONWAY recommends a play that some will find more discursive than eventful but one in which the characters glow
