Reviews of Habibi Funk 031, Kayatibu, and The Good Ones
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It's good to talk
SIMON PARSONS recommends an acute exploration of the negatives of non-communication
Not Talking at the Arcola Theatre. David Horovitch (James) Laurence Walker (Mark)
[Lidia Crisafulli]
SIMON DUFF relishes the cross contamination of Damien Hirst’s greatest hits by street artists from France and the US
In view of the grooming gangs inquiry, SIMON PARSONS feels the relevance of this powerful examination of trauma suffered at Medomsley Youth Detention Centre
JOHN GREEN doubts the motivations of a US war photographer who never questions why, or for whom, she is producing images of imperialist conflict
MARIA DUARTE reviews Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, Hedda, The Mastermind, and Regretting You
TONY CONWAY welcomes a thrilling and concise history of Hope not Hate, that is also a manual full of tactical advice
PAUL DONOVAN welcomes an inspiring account of living with deafness that has important lessons for the treatment of deaf people in today’s UK
Not Talking
Arcola Theatre, London
PREVIOUSLY performed as a radio drama, Mike Bartlett's first play for the stage is a portent of the playwright's notable career.
Director James Hillier has his cast of four, ageing married couple James and Lucy and young squaddies Mark and Amanda, interweave their interlocking monologues on a stripped-down thrust stage.
They are linked by their inability to talk to one another about life-shaping events — incidents and decisions that potentially could bond the couples trigger breakdown they are unable to share.
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MARY CONWAY admires a vivid, compassionate portrait of a father and daughter pinioned in the criminal underclass