To rescue Kahlo from the clutches of the corporate art market, we need to acknowledge the overt and covert political dimensions of the work, demands GAVIN O’TOOLE
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Churchill in Manchester
PAUL FOLEY recommends an extraordinary double bill that packs a punch and leaves you reeling
A STAKE IN THE FUTURE: Annette Badland and Danielle Henry in Carly Churchill's What If If Only
[Johan Persson]
If you can see past the relentless commodification you will be rewarded by enormously powerful work, suggests JENNY MITCHELL
CHRIS SEARLE revels in the one-off collaboration between an American polymath and a British Muslim, and detects the presence of their revolutionary forebear
GORDON PARSONS revels in an ebullient production of Shakespeare’s magical comedy
BRENT CUTLER welcomes a thoughtful analysis of the Erdogan regime, viewed through the evolving history of a neighbourhood in Istanbul
GORDON PARSONS regrets the price, but is dazzled by an outstandingly ambitious study of the way art restoration in particular, and culture in general was weaponised by the Nazis
Escaped Alone / What if if Only
Royal Exchange Manchester
IT may seem absurd to describe two short plays as epic. But Escaped Alone, running at just under 50 minutes, and What If If Only which doesn’t even hit the half-hour, are exactly that.
These extraordinary plays by Caryl Churchill pack such a punch you leave the theatre rolling like a boxer. They are full of ideas, inventiveness and thoughtful insights.
Churchill sets us the challenge “to make of it what you will.” It’s like standing in front of a Braque masterpiece and trying to interpret what it means. The plays need a great director and former Exchange artistic director Sarah Frankcom is the perfect choice. Her skill at understanding how to present them, without irrelevant distractions, is excellent.
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